A common failure among Christians is that they have not learned what they claim to believe. The hardest thing seems to be that sins no longer count. Jesus is the savior from sin, remember? Comfort can be found just by reading the bible and learning what it actually means to be a Christian. For instance you will learn that Jesus Christ was not a Christian. He was a Jew speaking to Jews about Jewish concerns. Jesus thought only Jews would be saved and he taught salvation by works. People who talk about "following Jesus" have not noticed that. People who think porn is a sin have not learned the Christian doctrines. That is why you are giving yourself a hard time about your sins: you have not learned that Christians don't sin. Romans carefully explains that.
Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Proverbs has 31 chapters so you can keep your place by just looking at a calendar. There is no religion or nothing in Proverbs and you don't have to believe anything. Just read to find wisdom.
When you are comfortable with that, then read the bible from Romans to 2 Thessalonians over and over until you start to remember passages. That is the part that applies to Christians.
Saul, I have to disagree with your comment with all due respect. You said and I quote...........
"People who think porn is a sin have not learned the Christian doctrines."
To me, it seems as if you just said looking at porno is not a sin. I believe that there is no greater evil in the world than that of pornography! Sadly, our mentally-ill American society honors pornographers and has legitimized the business as an industry. Pornography is a Trojan horse sin, because it opens the door to many other sexual sin. Pornography causes lasciviousness (sexually addiction). It opens one's soul to demonic influences.
Psalm 101:3 says clearly that ........ “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes...”.
Then from the mouth of God in Matthew 5:20, 27-28 we clearly read that.....
"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven...Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
If I misunderstood your comment, you certainly have my apology.
Then you said............
"you have not learned that Christians don't sin.".
Salvation begins the moment we receive, by faith, God’s offer of forgiveness through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus the Christ.
But I believe that every living and breathing person knows that we soon notice that our propensity to sin is still part of us. How can that be, since we are new creatures in Christ? We still sin because we, though forgiven, are still fallen human beings.
We still sin after being saved because we are by nature sinners and sin is what sinners do.
A fish may long to live on the beach, but once it has flipped itself onto the sand, it wants nothing but to return to the water because its nature is not designed for dry land. A fish was created for the water. So it is with us. The nature of those indwelt by the Holy Spirit is to live in righteousness. We may flip ourselves into sin at times, but we can’t survive there. The new nature thrives in righteousness and obedience to God. The degree to which we allow the Holy Spirit access to every area of our lives is the degree to which we live as God intended us to live.
Romans 3:23 says.........
"ALL have sinned and come short of the approval of God."
Now where in that verse does it say or imply......Except Christians. "ALL" means ALL!
If that is not the case.......please allow me to speak with your spouse for just 5 minutes.
