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Jesus Loves and Forgives You.
Jesus loves you. Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin. Even when we were sinners, Jesus loved us. Once we understand his love for us, it makes sense that we should repent from any evil and always do good. We might live years without committing a sin we think is of any consequence. In this situation, more likely than not, we just don't see our own flaws, and that happens. But lets say you don't think negative thoughts or do anything wrong for a long time. If you do happen to sin, that is no big deal because Jesus forgives you. Some people think if you repent of your sins, then go back and sin again, you've some how failed and you should give up. Nothing is further from the truth. Jesus will forgive you again and again. There is no limit to how much Jesus will forgive from you. This is the Gospel, Jesus saves you.
Some people critical of the religion might then say,"If Jesus forgives you no matter how much you sin, then forget about even resisting, just be as sinful as you want to be, and everything will be alright." I know some misguided Christians have heard this and even believed it so much they take it to heart. The problem with this is,"If you believe in Jesus, and accept him as LORD, that means you listen to him. Jesus asks you to resist sin. So we're called to try to resist sin with the strongest will we have." Resisting sin is respect for Jesus. I can understand how someone critical of the religion thinks you get a free pass, but they don't understand Jesus asks us nicely to resist sin. This means God commands you to resist sin.
Other people critical of the religion go,"If Jesus lets you repent at any time of your life, why not just wait for a deathbed confession, then you can lead a life of sin, then be off the hook." First off, I'm not sure why anyone would want to lead a life of sin knowing it is against God's will. To be in God's will results in blessings, joy, happiness and pleasure... in the long run, and sometimes in the short run. I want to be God's ally because I love God. I want to do what God wants because God is so awesome and good. Without God, eternal peace is impossible. So why do you want to live a life of rebellion towards the being in reality that loves you the most? I don't see a life of sin as pleasurable at all, quite the contrary since sin leads to death. Even if you don't fully die, being on your way to death is all sorts of miserable. Maybe you wouldn't be on your deathbed at an early date if you weren't leading a life of sin. Also, who is sure you'll get a chance to have a deathbed confession? Many people die suddenly and without warning. Not everyone is sure you'll get a chance to repent in Heaven. I'm fairly certain everyone gets a chance to repent in Heaven upon meeting God face to face, but people will disagree with me here. It is a matter of eternity, why leave it to chance? I know some people aren't sure God exists, and lack of faith is possible, but I know for a fact that God is real, Jesus is LORD. Assuming you know God exists and good faith with that knowledge, you want to be good always, not just at some random moment in the future.
I can't say it enough though. Jesus forgives you over and over. No human can sin so much that it puts them outside the grace of God. Jesus doesn't look at your track record, he looks at your potential. Inside you, do you feel that you're not a bad person or do you feel yourself as a sinner? Either answer is appropriate.
If you feel you're not a bad person, you see the same thing that Jesus sees in you, avoid lying, don't cheat or steal, and don't commit unnecessary violence. If you feel you're not a bad person, you should still tell Jesus you want him as your LORD and savior. Having a LORD in Heaven really helps keep things moving a long so there is no arguments that can't be solved. Also you might have done stuff you didn't think were that bad, but they might have had a bad chain reaction of effects you didn't realize, so having a savior is a nice thing too. One argument for having a savior even if you don't think you've done anything bad is to hush accusers. Let us say there is one person who hated you for whatever reason, and told God how much of a bad person you are. Jesus can say,"I don't judge him or her even though the accuser does, and my say goes." Jesus is a good buddy to have.
Now if you said,"I feel like a sinner", that is fine too. Jesus forgives you. If you repent of sin, you're no longer identifying yourself as a sinner. You're immediately an aspiring saint. Even if you don't feel like you have good in you, Jesus knows you do. I think we all have the feeling inside us that a part of us, however big or small, has the potential to always be good and loving. Bullies in school might cultivate the notion that being a jerk to people is okay if people are jerks to you first. But in reality, we're called to love and be good to all regardless of how they treat us.
That really is Christianity summed up. God loves you so much he died on the cross to take your place there. If you commit one lie under the Law of God, you're guilty. It doesn't matter if you lie or you murder, you're still guilty in legalistic terms. In realistic terms, there is more negative consequences if you murder than you if you lie(typically), but to see if you're acceptable under your own being to be self-righteous: that is the test. It is okay because only Jesus passed and is righteous for us. We are called to be righteous and holy like Jesus. Jesus imparts his own righteousness upon us. So we're to do good always, love people(especially people who don't get a lot of love), and help the poor. Christianity is the religion of always being good and loving to others. And if we slip up, it is bad, but does not change our eternal destiny.
-Jim Sager