Are we getting closer to God? Where do learning and growing fit in? Does our soul go to Heaven right away when we die (or only our spirit)? My friends are shocked that I don't ask God for forgiveness every night! Does Romans 8:1 have an "if" clause in it? Or is there no condemnation for us, period?

Why did Jesus tell Mary not to touch him? If I don't move to Texas, will God forgive me? I wonder if I have committed the unforgivable sin!

Do you need to "die to self"? Deny yourself? Die daily? So much time in these truths has meant so much freedom for me! My two sons took their inheritance and haven't spoken to me in decades. I have forgiven them and pray for them! How is our union with Christ lived out? Can we really be ourselves?

1. Read Colossians 1:21–22. Is holiness something you're trying to achieve, or something Christ has already accomplished for you? How does this change the way you see yourself?
2. Read Romans 6:6–7. What does Paul say has already happened? What difference can this make in your battle with sin?
3. Read Colossians 3:9–10 and 2 Corinthians 5:17. What's the difference between trying to "improve" your old self and learning to live from your new self?
4. Read Galatians 5:24. Does Paul tell believers to crucify the flesh, or does he say something different here? Why is this distinction important?
5. Read Galatians 5:16. What solution does Paul actually give us here? How does it work?
6. Read Ezekiel 36:26 and Romans 6:17. What do these passages suggest about the believer's heart? How does this truth challenge popular religious teaching on the heart?
7. Read Hebrews 10:16 and 2 Corinthians 3:3. God has written on our hearts rather than merely giving us external rules to follow. How might this change the way we make decisions and live life?

Does Jesus have two kinds of blood? What are your thoughts on divorce and remarriage? Is it adultery? How would a person escape the conundrum of being an adulterer after they sinned? I grieved the Holy Spirit and then ate and drank my way out of the kingdom! Can you help me get back?

Shouldn't we call him Yeshua instead of Jesus? I'm a believer, but I find myself addicted to a prescription drug. Aren't I supposed to have "dominion" over this? Should we engage in fasting to get a breakthrough or to be victorious over the flesh?

Shouldn't we use the law to define sin? Otherwise, how would we know adultery is sin? Sometimes, I get emotional in church, but then I wonder if it's okay. If it is okay, then why do church people often talk about not walking by feelings?

I've lost my husband, and I've received a lot of advice lately. I just don't know how to deal with the grief. Can you help? How did Jesus take our sins upon Himself? And did He become sin? If so, what does that mean?

I don't want to forgive people, and I don't want to love people. I want them to suffer! Does God choose some people to believe in Him and leave others with no chance? Can you talk about the renewing of the mind? What's happening there? I was reading Romans 7, and it sounds like he's not a believer when he's describing the struggle. Am I crazy for thinking that?

What if much of the pressure Christians feel comes from trying to accomplish what Jesus already finished? In this message, Andrew exposes religious ideas about begging for forgiveness, keeping "short accounts" with God, and becoming more righteous. Your sins aren't partially forgiven, and righteousness isn't something you're working toward. Jesus canceled the debt and made you righteous. Discover why you can stop making payments, stop condemning yourself, and start resting in Christ's finished work.

1. Read Colossians 2:13–14. If God has already forgiven us all our sins, what does that say about the idea that forgiveness has to be obtained again every time we fail?
2. Read Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13. Do we forgive others in order to get God to forgive us, or because He's already forgiven us? How does knowing this distinction change the reason and the way we forgive other people?
3. Read 1 John 2:12. Why do you think John speaks of forgiveness as an accomplished fact? How does this help us recognize what's really happening in often misused passage, 1 John 1:9?
4. Read Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17. What does it mean practically to live as though God truly remembers your sins no more? What do we do when we sin? Be specific.
5. Read Romans 5:19. According to this verse, what made us righteous? And how should that shape the way we see ourselves?
6. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. What is the difference between saying God merely treats us "as if" we are righteous versus saying that in Christ we've actually become the righteousness of God?
7. Read Romans 6:18. What does it mean that believers have been freed from sin and have become slaves of righteousness? How does that challenge the idea that our identity is still sinful?
8. Read Hebrews 10:10 and 10:14. How can believers be "sanctified" and even "perfected for all time" yet still continue to grow in their attitudes, choices, and behavior?
9. Read 1 Corinthians 1:2. Why is it significant that Paul calls the Corinthians "sanctified" and "saints" even though they still had serious behavior problems?