Giver, with all do respect; your answer is incorrect. It sounds simple enough and if it worked that way, it would be great; but alas, it doesn’t. Many people study the Bible and believe that the Holy Spirit teaches them when in fact their own judgments and opinions cloud the true meaning of God’s Word. Simply knowing God will not stop a person from committing sin. For example, Lucifer knew God and chose to sin against Him. All humans sin regardless of their understanding of God. We are imperfect and blemished therefore, we sin. Do you “know God?” Do you sin? The poster recognizes that he/she has sin in his/her life. He/she is asking how to overcome that sin. That is a question that EVERY Christian on earth wishes to know the answer to. Until we can overcome sin, we have the sacrament of Confession. That doesn’t mean that we should use it as a crutch and give up on overcoming our sins, but it’s there for us when we need it. My suggestion to the poster is to take one sin at a time (starting with the most grievous) and every morning say a prayer to God in which you ask Him to give you the strength to make it through the day without committing that sin. Then, as you go through the day imagine Christ walking beside you keeping watch (because He does) over you. If you wouldn’t commit that sin, when Christ is standing beside you physically, then maybe knowing and remembering that He is standing there spiritually will help. As you go about the day, avoid temptation that might lead you toward that sin. At the end of the day and before bed, thank God for keeping His eye on you and giving you the strength to make it through without committing the sin. Also, ask others to pray for you. When I say others, I mean friends, Saints and Our Lady. With time, it should become easier to abstain from that sin and then it’s time to add the next serious sin and ask God for the strength to overcome that one as well. God knows that we will occasionally stumble, however He will forgive us if we are making an earnest attempt to avoid sin and when we do stumble, we go to Confession. Take part in Holy Communion as often as possible. As you do this, reflect on the sacrifice that Christ has made for you and ask Him to nourish you physically, mentally and spiritually so that you can further overcome the things that separate you from God. I do however, believe it is important that we read God’s Word, and so please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. However, I disagree with you as to your suggestion that knowing God will make a human being sinless.
This fear is the first step back to God.
But it is still a legitimate first step. Use it as leverage to get to the next step, which is to do good in order to get a reward. But even that is not the final step of loving God… still, we must acknowledge our limitations and do what we can with what we have until God grants us more grace. Do you teach a baby to run? Do you teach calculus to a first grader? Can you suddenly make yourself able to do 100 pushups by merely willing it? Even so, be thankful for what you do have so that it can take root in you and grow.
Perhaps you aren’t really believing that you will be punished. This can happen when we don’t trust our own thinking, which can happen if we often lie to ourselves. After all, the thought about being punished can be bogus just like the other bogus thoughts we let ourselves have, right? It is time to wise up, get serious with the issue of your salvation, and look inside yourself to see what you find there.
Heya Steph,
Giver, I say this without anger or contempt, but rather out of love. You have never meant me; therefore, you have no idea who or what I respect. The fact is I have a great deal of respect for God’s Word and all three Persons of the Holy Trinity, to include the Holy Spirit. As for my not knowing “all people,” that is true. However, because I DO know God’s word, I know that ALL people sin (See Romans 3:20-26 paying special attention to verse 23). It might also be pointed out that St. Peter sinned on the eve of Christ’s crucifixion. He denied Christ 3 times and yet he knew that Christ was the Son of God prior to that because that too is in God’s Word (Matt 16:16). St. Paul wrote to many early churches and often advised them of sins they were committing. Why would he have to write to Christian Churches warning them to avoid sins if Christians weren’t capable of sinning? St. Paul called himself a sinner (I Timothy 1:15). Was he not a Christian?
That’s fine; however, I will not be continuing this discussion. I have stated the facts and see no more point in furthering a debate as to whether Christians sin. All human beings sin. That is why Christ empowered His Apostles with the authority to forgive sin. St. Peter sinned, St. Paul sinned, you sin, I sin, the Pope sins, the preacher behind the pulpit on Sunday sins. We ALL fall short of perfection. To deny this, is to elevate oneself to God and that is perhaps the greatest sin of all. God bless you Giver and peace.
I second all of the book suggestions here. On a personal note I would also say to check out The Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake. You can see by my location that I am just a few hours north of you. That cathedral is simply beautiful!