CHRISTIAN PARENTS of ESTRANGED ADULT CHILDREN Community Group
Estrangement makes it difficult to talk about with family, friends, neighbors and church members. Christians are NOT immune to broken families. Talk about your experiences with those who know how you feel and get positive support through your Christian faith...."In these last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self...disobedient to parents,...
I would like opinion on something i worry about. When the time comes andi die will God forgive me if i dont have contact with my EC and GC. I have asked God to forgive me for things that ihave done and to helpmemake things work out. I just dont know when enough is enough. This is just a thought i have been having.And afraid of not having peace in my heart.
God bless you with peace as we pray and wait upon God to work in our EC's lives.
Think about it, if you and I could earn our way into Heaven, then Christ died for nothing because all we would have to do is store up enough good deeds to receive the forgiveness of God. However, Jesus' death was not in vain, it served an important purpose. It provided that reconciliation to God that was not possible any other way. Here's why:
The NLT Bible teaches in Psalms 58:3 that "....people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way." So, from birth, all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) Even our first act of rebellion against our earthly parents as a toddler was ....."NO!" That first sinful act was a result of being born in a sinful state - like being born with a chronic disease that can't be treated by human means. Because of that chronic disease that stains us from birth, there is no good deed that the child who rebelled could do to compensate for that act of disobedience to God via the parents because of the commandment to obey the God-given parents.
God goes on to say in His written word that "....there is a price to pay for having sinned before God, and that price is [eternal] death.....For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord because without the shedding of Christ's' blood there is no [forgiveness] and we therefore remain in our born chronic sin diseased state. (Rom. 6:23, Heb. 9:22)
Of course, this also means that acts of doing GOOD DEEDS, KEEPING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, having received CONFIRMATION, taking COMMUNION, CONFESSING to another human, doing acts of PENANCE, getting BAPTISED, or CHURCH MEMBERSHIP, cannot pay for our sins since no one dies while doing any of these acts. Anything other than death CANNOT and WILL NOT pay for any of our sins. That's why "Christ died for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3). He paid the price. He died in our place and if we don't put our trust in His death to save us, Jesus warned that: "ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he," (John 8:24). And that means eternity in the
Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15).
To claim what Christ has done on the cross for us, we must REPENT. That means: change our minds, and agree with what the Bible says and place all our trust in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, to save us humans. So "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [i.e.REPENT], and shalt believe in thine heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9).
Now to answer your question, once a person receives Christ as their Savior, that chronic sin disease is removed from our souls and we become "born-again" as Jesus tells us in John 3:3...."Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." There is no longer the fear that we have to do something to please God in order to have peace in our hearts. No longer do we have to wonder if our good deeds are enough to please God. No longer do we have to wonder if because our family is broken apart, we are prevented from entering the kingdom of God when we die.
Now as for good deeds? Yes, the born again Christian is called to perform certain acts....as a means to glorify God, to show that we are his disciples, as an expression of our obedience to his commandments to be at peace with all human beings.....if that is possible. Romans 12:18 says..." Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge..." Clearly, Jesus is saying that we have an obligation to do everything we can to bring peace to our families,....but that there will be situations where those who are at war with us just do not want peace. We cannot force that and as long as we are making amends for our own acts of disobedience to God, then we should be able to have peace in our hearts.
Sorry this was so long but I thought I should provide a foundation for what I wanted to say about your very heartfelt concerns about when enough is enough.