Question: Dear Greg,

I’m so ashamed for I have committed adultery. There was a time when my husband and I weren’t getting along and it felt as if he was too demanding and dominating. While we tried to talk at times, it didn’t seem to ease the frustration I was feeling. In the meantime, I met a co-worker who seemed to say and do the right things to make the emptiness I was feeling disappear. To be honest, there was an instant attraction. After 3 years of not giving in to our desires, that moment finally came. It was everything we thought it would be; however, it was wrong, and I’m so ashamed.

I’ve asked God for forgiveness – many times. At times I’m at peace in knowing that God has forgiven me, but it seems as if there’s so much more I must do to make this right. Can I still hope to sit beside our Lord and Savior for eternity?

Thank you for taking the time to answer this question.

Barb

Answer: Dear Barb,

While I cannot pretend to give you definitive answers to a question as complex as the one you raise, and while we do not offer counseling via the internet, I can offer some general comments to the situation you describe.

No sin is beyond the power of God’s forgiveness, no act takes us out of his love. God love us unconditionally. If you have gone to him for forgiveness, then he has forgiven you. This does not mean that God miraculously takes away natural penalties that sin brings. God forgives us when we throw ourselves on his mercy, but he usually does not miraculously take away the consequences of our behavior and actions.

God also expects us to yield to him, asking Christ to live his life within us, so that we can be transformed from the behavior about which and for which we needed God’s forgiveness, into the paths that God would have us walk.

You do not need to do anything to make your past behavior with God right – that is what Jesus did on the cross – what we can never do for ourselves.

I hope that you have received any counseling and help – support groups, etc. – that you may need. May God be with you and bless you, Barb. Walk with him, and remain close to him – for he loves you and cares for you.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht