Update: I no longer believe that it is unproblematic to quote Hebrews saying that sins committed with knowledge and will cannot be forgiven for the sake of Christ's sacrifice. Christ does not make any such warning. Likewise I wish to clarify that the phrase the written word of God is problematic, in my view, because of the differences between the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible, and the words of others in the Bible, including Paul. Please see the Translator's Preface to The Christ Family Bible, here: <christfamilybible.free.nf>.
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Christ makes that clear.* Likewise the apostles of the New Testament.**
You will stumble† and make mistakes, and in such a way disobey God. But if it was not done willingly and knowingly, there is a way to be forgiven, likely alongside painful punishments designed to teach you and others not to make such mistakes.††
What this means is: you need to have a fearfully respectful relationship with the written word of God. Try: a billion times more careful than you are with the laws of the nation where you live.
How do you overcome the problem of mistranslation of the Bible? Likewise, with tremendous care. Your soul and wellbeing now and forever depend on such carefulness, not to be in disobedience to Almighty God.°
Notes
* Matthew 12:48-50, Luke 6:46-49
**1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:3-7, Hebrews 5:9, 1 John 3:7-24, 2 Peter 2:20-21 etc.
† James 3:2
†† Hebrews 10:26, Luke 12:46-48, 1 John 2:1
° For brief discussions of this challenge and how the Bible guides respectful readers out of danger, please see "The Christian Bible's Guide to Reading the Christian Bible", "Reading the Holy Bible Sympathetically", and "Why is the NT ambiguous, and pseudo-Christianity so common?"
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