Doctor Botkin. Botkin (doctor): about the biography of Sergei Petrovich, contribution to medicine
How and why do we ask God for forgiveness? What prayers do they pray for God to forgive sins?
Even the most religious and church-going person commits small or rather large sinful acts every day throughout his life. The world around us is unfair, greedy, built on selfishness, lies, money and lust. In such conditions, it is difficult to remain righteous in thoughts and deeds. But God is merciful, and he grants forgiveness to his children. But what is the right way to ask for it? What to do and say?
How to ask and beg forgiveness from God?
The Bible says, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). This is probably true. A person, especially an unbeliever, is weak. He succumbs to temptation and allows, if not sinful acts, then thoughts.
But there is salvation in God, and even for the worst deeds and thoughts he can forgive us.
It would seem that the only thing left to do is ask for forgiveness. But is it so easy to receive God's forgiveness?
We rise from the Fall thanks to the sacrament of repentance (confession). But rarely does anyone go to confession weekly, and you don’t always want to wait to relieve your soul.
Important steps to the forgiveness of sins are awareness and repentance.You can ask God for forgiveness anytime, anywhere. The main thing is to believe that he is merciful and gracious.
IMPORTANT: The first and most important step to receive forgiveness from God - awareness of one’s sinful acts. It can be very difficult for us to admit that we are wrong. We long and persistently prove to ourselves and those around us that we did everything right, or that circumstances left us no choice. Admitting your mistakes to yourself, God, and others is a powerful, generous act.
If a person, without repentance, simply reads the prayer “for show”, intending to buy himself an indulgence in this way, he will not succeed.
God does not hear insincere requests.
The next step to obtaining forgiveness is be able to forgive yourself.
In the most famous, short, but such a capacious prayer, “Our Father” there are amazing words: “... and forgive us our debts, I and we leave our debts...”.
We can count on being forgiven by God only when we do not hold a grudge against our offenders and forgive them, even if they themselves do not ask us to do so.
IMPORTANT: The Savior said: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).
- Praying for forgiveness, we must know what specific sins we have committed and ask God to forgive them.
- Yes, Lord is all-seeing. But the phrase “I sin in everything” is unacceptable both in confession and during prayer.
- Concretizing the action, inaction or thought of sinful content, we do work on mistakes: yes, this is wrong, bad, I repent, I won’t allow this to happen again.
But you don’t need to choose a place and time to pray. Of course, it is better to ask for forgiveness in church or in front of the icons in the red corner.
But God will hear everywhere.
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IMPORTANT: During confession, the priest plays the role of mediator between the believer and the Lord. Praying for forgiveness, anywhere, independently, a person calls on Christ, which means he believes in him, accepts him and relies on his will. But it was Jesus Christ who gave his life on the cross in order to atone before the Lord for the sins of all mankind.
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- Forgiveness of sins cannot be bought or earned.
- But to atone for my guilt perhaps through alms and donations, that is, helping those who need it more than we do.
- About why alms is considered one of the greatest virtues, how it contributes to the atonement of sins can be read in the works of St. John Chrysostom.
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VIDEO: About forgiveness of sins
Prayer for forgiveness of sins to the Lord God
You can pray for forgiveness to the Lord God in church and at home, at any time of the day or before bed.
There are some powerful prayers.
Our Father Prayer:
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Daily prayer for forgiveness:
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Another daily prayer that can be read before going to bed:
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Prayer to the Lord for forgiveness, intercession and help:
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To enhance the effect of the prayer for forgiveness, you need to:
- Before asking for forgiveness of sins, fast for a week or three days.
- To come in Orthodox church and attend the service.
- Give alms in front of the temple.
- After the service, order to leave a note for a prayer service for the health of yourself and your loved ones.
- Place candles in front of the icons of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
- Buy one church candle for home.
- Upon returning from the temple, retire near the corner with the icons and light a church candle.
- Think carefully about the sins for which God simply forgives, and it is advisable to repent about them out loud.
- Sign yourself with the sign of the cross.
- Read “Our Father” and “Trisagion” three times.
- Read prayers to the Lord three times for forgiveness, intercession and help.
- Make the sign of the cross again.
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IMPORTANT: Immediately after praying for the forgiveness of sins, a person begins to feel differently. Some talk about lightness in their souls, while others feel the burden of sins. In the second case, there is no need to panic: relief and the mercy of the Lord will have to wait a little.
How to ask God for forgiveness for lying?
Lies, lies or deception- whatever you call it, this action, word or thought means a distortion of reality and is one of the grave, very common, so to speak, universal sins.
- People lie as children, youth and old age. They lie in the family and at work, they lie for evil and for good.
- Deceiving people create a reality other than God's.
IMPORTANT: Leviticus 19:11, 12: “Do not steal, lie, or deceive one another. Do not swear falsely by My name, and do not dishonor the name of your God. I am the Lord."
Since there is probably not a single person on Earth who would speak only the truth, they very often ask God for forgiveness for lying.
You can ask God to forgive a lie by reading the prayer for the forgiveness of sins of St. Barsanuphius the Great.
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A type of lie, perjury, is one of the deadly sins. To prevent it, read the following prayer:
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How to ask God for forgiveness for masturbation?
Fornication (malakia or, scientifically, masturbation) is a fornication sin, which consists of self-satisfaction of one’s sexual desires.
The reality is that society no longer condemns men and women for masturbation. On the contrary, such acts are considered normal and even necessary (according to some doctors). U Orthodox Church views have not changed, and masturbation still remains unnatural and sinful.
IMPORTANT: According to the Church, masturbation lowers a person to the level of a mindless animal. This sin dishonors both himself and God. Punishment must follow from both the Church and God.
You can ask God for forgiveness for masturbation in confession or by reading one of the above prayers. We must remember to specify this sin.
There are also very strong prayer from lust (fornication, debauchery, masturbation).
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Will God forgive if you ask him for forgiveness?
The Lord God loves all his children, he is merciful, he is ready to grant forgiveness for all sins.
What we need from us is:
- Trust in God
- admit your sin
- repent of it
- ask for forgiveness through prayer
- make every effort not to sin in the future
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VIDEO: Prayer for forgiveness of sins
What is forgiveness in the Christian understanding of this word? Forgiveness is not just an act of manifestation of the virtue of mercy, it is, first of all, a great property of the Lord God Himself, which He bestows on the human race faithful to Him. God not only forgives us our sins, but He was crucified on the cross as payment for them.
All people are created in the image of God, which means each of us must learn forgiveness from Him. We all, according to the will of God, must be able to forgive each other, as He forgave all sinners in Christ.
Any offense carries not only a destructive force for the human soul, but is also a serious obstacle to reunification with our Creator. For there will be no forgiveness God's man, unable to forgive other people for their sins.
What truly is forgiveness?
A person living in modern world, does not always understand true meaning the word “forgiveness” and is often confused about how and by what it is expressed.
There is no true forgiveness:
- in indifference and celibacy towards someone who intentionally or accidentally caused offense;
- in waiting or in the desire to forget about the offense towards the one who committed it;
- in silence;
— in the unconscious utterance of the words “I forgive you”;
- in an attempt to justify a person and his actions that are offensive.
Forgiveness cannot be expressed by feelings, it expresses them reverse side. Forgiveness allows you to accept and release the feelings that accompany resentment.
True Forgiveness:
— entrusting the current circumstances to our Savior;
— renunciation of one’s rights and sinful ambitions in the name of the Savior;
- abandonment of “debt”;
- unwillingness to judge and condemn the actions of the one who offended;
- showing mercy to the one who caused the offense;
- absence of offensive feelings.
True forgiveness must be conscious decision, and not a response to the apology of the offending party. It is necessary to forgive all people and under any circumstances, regardless of whether the offender wants to ask for forgiveness or not. For, first of all, it is not the offender himself who needs forgiveness, but the one who was offended. At the same time, it is important to forgive not the act itself, but the offender who committed it, since it is not evil that needs forgiveness, but the person.
God, despite his love for the sinner, hates sin itself and punishes it to the fullest severity. And therefore, forgiveness is a gift of God. Since sin is punishable by great punishment, the payment for it must be considerable. There are lines in the Holy Scriptures that only blood can cover the immeasurable cost of sin. So the sinless Christ became the payment for our sin, for he was crucified in the name of our forgiveness. Through death on the cross He bore the punishment for the sin of the whole world. Christ took upon Himself all our sins and answered for them in our place. But at the same time, His death does not classify each of us among the forgiven; it only gives us the opportunity to atone for our sins.
To receive forgiveness of our sins, we must, according to the will of God:
- Confess your sins. Reconciliation with our Creator is possible only when a person recognizes his sinfulness and confesses all his sins to God. For unconfessed sin is a wall separating us from God.
- Confess. Every believer needs not only to recognize his sins, but also to make an unshakable decision to turn from them. Overcoming oneself and turning from sin is not an easy path, but if it is chosen with a pure heart and a fierce desire, then the strength will be granted by the Lord Himself to overcome all its hardships and difficulties. Sincere repentance will bring into a person’s soul major changes, the manifestation of which will be reflected in his actions, thoughts and deeds.
After repentance, the believer, of his own free will and desire and as moral and corrective measures, can also perform Penance - the order of the confessor to perform pious deeds in order to eradicate the habit of sin. The following may be assigned as acts of piety: observing strict fasting, spiritual reading, daily and prolonged prayer for the forgiveness of sins (including the Jesus Prayer), almsgiving, pilgrimage, etc.
- Forgive others. The Holy Scriptures say, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The Bible also says that all people should be compassionate and kind to each other, be able to forgive each other, as the Creator in Christ forgave everyone. This means that there will be no God’s forgiveness for those who do not love and forgive others.
You cannot forgive partially, incompletely and not completely, for true forgiveness, which is the love of Christ for man, is not determined by boundaries and selectivity.
We cannot doubt God’s forgiveness; we must be firm in our faith both in the Creator Himself and in His forgiveness. If a person sincerely repented of his sins and asked the Lord for forgiveness, He will forgive, for His Word has highest power. Therefore, you need to trust not your deceptive feelings and inner doubts, but the Bible.
Question asked by nickname – Almaty, Kazakhstan
I had an abortion. There was no other way. There are already children and the situation was very difficult to give birth. I myself hate abortions and only for life. But when it affected me, I couldn’t - I decided to have an abortion at a very short time - 2 weeks.
I didn’t sleep all night, and of course I couldn’t pray about it and couldn’t dare to turn to God, because how can you talk to God about killing your own child? both from a conventional and biblical perspective. I understand everything, but I couldn’t do otherwise, really..
I feel very bad, I can’t look at the sky and I don’t know if I can even start praying again and how can I even talk to God about this topic? I can’t bring myself to ask for forgiveness for this, only on the gynecologist’s chair during the abortion I whispered, “I’m sorry, Lord,” every word now is a wound, it’s all my fault.
Is there at least some possibility of turning to God now and receiving His forgiveness? Do I have such a chance? After all, I knew everything, I’m not worldly... I could never have thought that this could happen in my life. Help!
Denis Podorozhny answers:
Dear sister,
Time cannot be turned back, the sin has been committed! I don’t need to explain to you that abortion is murder, you yourself know the seriousness and horror of what you committed. Your heart and conscience today speak louder than any rebuke, and constant thoughts of condemnation testify against you more powerfully than anyone could.
What you did was terrible. And let your letter be a testimony to all others who are planning to take such a step.
Now the question is: what to do? How to live further? Will God be able to forgive? Is it possible to be reconciled with Him?
I am convinced that the Lord’s mercy is for all who sincerely repent of their sins. “You deal mercifully with the merciful, sincerely with the sincere, purely with the pure, and with the evil one according to his wickedness.”(Ps. 17:26,27).
When a person sins, knowingly and frivolously believing: “It’s okay, now I’ll sin, and then I’ll repent!”, then in this case, he shows deceit and insincerity. And it’s no wonder that after that, a person must suffer punishment from God.
Reading your letter, as far as I understood, you did not think like that. In your heart there was struggle and loss of spirit, a feeling of hopelessness and a state of guilt... but not a sly calculation for easy forgiveness. Did I understand you correctly?
I don’t know your situation, but it looks like, being constrained by circumstances, having learned that you were pregnant, you allowed fear into your heart. They forgot that God is in control of your life, and thought that the difficulties that you already have in life would be worsened by this born child. Fear has paralyzed your common sense. You began to think incorrectly, to believe that the situation was a dead end, and the only solution would be abortion. But this is a sin... A duality has arisen within you, turning into a panicked search for a solution. You did not find the courage to say “no” to your fears, and ultimately succumbed to it, and, giving room to the devil, agreed to such a step that you yourself are disgusting, disgusting and in no way desirable.
At the same time, is it a sin? Yes - this is a sin and a serious, enticing sin serious consequences into a person's life, because you have taken the life of another.
But is the Lord's mercy upon you? I'm sure there is. Not to repeat the atrocity, but to restore and learn from what happened.
I want to remind you one biblical story, which may help you figure out what to do next
This is the story of the fall of King David.
There was a moment in his life when he spiritually ceased to be awake, and idleness came into his life. All the kings at that time were organizing military campaigns, but he stayed at home, and while walking on the roof he saw a naked woman. This was the beginning of his downfall. At first the king simply succumbed to lust, but lust led to fornication (2 Kings 11:1-4)
One perfect sin then gave birth to another, and David found himself in the most terrible rut for him: after a while he learns that Bathsheba, married woman, with whom he sinned, is pregnant. (2 Kings 11:5)
Then the culprit of the incident tries to cover up this sin by temporarily demobilizing her husband Uriah, so that the pregnancy does not reveal the adultery committed by the king. But the soldier loyal to him refuses to enter his wife, not imagining how he can indulge in pleasures with his wife when his friends are on the battlefield. (2 Kings 11:6-13)
This act of Uriah mixes up all of David’s plans and puts him in a dead end. Now the king is FORCED (as he believed at that moment) to make sure that this soldier dies at the hands of others.
The king sends a secret letter, and according to his instructions, at the time of the battle, Bathsheba’s husband is left alone with the enemies, and they kill the unfortunate man. Soon, the king learns about the defeat in that battle, as well as about the death of Uriah the Hittite (who had become so unwanted by the king), and is consoled by this: after all, now everything can be hidden!
David takes a widowed woman as his wife, and... the job is done! Nobody will know anything! She will give birth to a son, and what sin has been committed is hidden! (2 Kings 11:14-27)
...Hidden from everyone, but not from God! It doesn’t take long before the prophet comes and the secret becomes clear! And after that, the king’s life is filled with many very sad consequences. (2 Kings 12ff).
This is the story!
note that latest events happened in David’s life, on the one hand, according to his will, on the other hand, this is not what he originally wanted. He was against murder, but, succumbing to fear, being already in the wrong spiritual state, he did not repent, but on the contrary, he became cowardly and sinned, sending the man to certain death.
What did he do after the prophet denounced him? Hardened like Saul? No. He contrite and humbled himself before the Lord!
In humility, he bore all the consequences of the sin he committed, seeking only one thing - communication with his Lord. Read David's Psalms and you will discover how deep his desire to restore his relationship with God is (Ps. 50, Ps. 31, and many other examples in his Psalms).
Take a few lessons from the story of David and I think you will find a solution to your situation:
1. There is nothing obvious that would not be made obvious. What we try to hide, God will reveal with his power. What we reveal through repentance and confession of sin, God will cover with the Blood of Jesus Christ. David found many problems because... he confessed the sin not himself, being convicted by his conscience, but “propped up against the wall” by the prophetic revelation of Nathan. You yourself need to admit and confess your sin.
2. David sincerely repented and God forgave him. Scripture says: “If we confess our sins, He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9). Repent before God and confess your sin. I believe that if in the Old Testament, the Lord forgave the king, then how much more can the Lord give mercy to you too!
3. He revealed himself to man, and not just to God. The fact that you wrote me a letter is very good. But I advise you to find a servant of God to whom you can come and confess in person. After all, it’s always easier to do it anonymously. But precisely this step is both more difficult and more certain. Confession will give you confidence in forgiveness.
4. David received forgiveness and in humility bore some of the consequences of his sin. We must distinguish between these two things: guilt and consequences. When we sincerely repent before God, the Lord forgives us. But sometimes our sins can give rise to certain consequences in our lives.
For example, if a minister has committed a serious sin but repents, he may be forgiven, but at least temporarily (briefly or permanently) removed from ministry.
It is quite possible that in the church where you are, you will have to suffer a certain church punishment. You will most likely not be allowed to participate in the Eucharist (Lord's Supper) for some time, and if you have served in any ministry, you may be removed from it. Accept any such punishment willingly and humbly. It is sincere repentance and contrition that will help you find peace in your heart and confidence in forgiveness as quickly as possible.
Church punishment for deliberate infanticide has existed in the church since ancient times, and it is spelled out even in the Canons of Basil the Great, but even there, the punishment is not for destruction, but (!) for forgiveness and restoration.
Remember that no matter the punishment or consequences of the sin you commit, you can already at the moment of repentance and confession of sin receive confidence in God’s mercy and forgiveness.
5. He didn't blame anyone. There is no need to look for those to blame. It is taking responsibility upon ourselves that helps us to fully recover, both spiritually and in areas where the devil has caused us damage through the sin we have committed.
6. Decide never to repeat what you did. Repentance means turning from dead works to faith in God (Heb. 6:1), it is expressed in the creation of fruit worthy of repentance (Matt. 3:8) and is associated with a change in behavior. Eg: " If anyone has stolen, do not steal in advance, but rather work, doing useful things with your own hands, so that you have something to give to those in need.”(Eph.4:28).
Therefore, having come to a normal spiritual state and having prayed, think about this topic: “What would you do now if you found yourself in this situation again?” If within you you again come to the decision to have an abortion, then most likely you have not learned anything from what happened, and your repentance is not sincere.
If you humbly bow to the will of God in the decision not to kill a conceived child, and this is your inner and deep conviction, built on that sad and painful lesson, then there really is repentance in your heart, and therefore, you can count on God’s forgiveness .
7. Having sinned, it is better to go to God, and do not go even further from Him. Do not add sin to sin, and having sinned against God and human life, do not fall into even greater atheism. Do not repeat the mistakes of Saul, Shimei, and Judah who fell into sin, who, having committed one sin, and realizing it, in bitterness, fell into greater apostasy. Be like David, who fell, but decided to get up and continue to follow God. DO NOT GIVE UP!
Finally, I want to give you one Scripture. It is from the Old Testament and shows very good position, which a person who finds himself in a similar situation should have, and still hopes for recovery. Take it as a promise, memorize it and under no circumstances depart from the Lord, breaking down under a feeling of guilt.
Micah 7:7 But I will look to the Lord, I will trust in the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. 8 Do not rejoice for my sake, my enemy! although I have fallen, I will rise; although I am in darkness, the Lord is light to me. 9 I will bear the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He decides my case and brings judgment on me; then He will bring me into the light, and I will see His righteousness.
May God give you his mercy and forgiveness and restore you! I believe that you will be restored and will be able to continue to follow Christ! The Lord forgave Peter, who denied Christ three times in fear, and will have mercy on you too!
To answer this question the best way, we must consider two compelling passages of Scripture. We find the first in the book of Psalms: “As far as the sunrise is from the setting, so He has removed our sins from us” (Psalm 102:12). One of the most effective tricks Satan uses on Christians is to convince us that our sins are not truly forgiven, despite the promise God's Word. If we have sincerely accepted Jesus as our Savior by faith and still have an uneasy feeling about whether true forgiveness exists or not, we may fall under demonic attack. Demons hate it when people are released from their grasp and try to plant seeds of doubt in our minds regarding the reality of our salvation. One of the most powerful tools in Satan's vast arsenal of tricks is to constantly remind us of our past sins - he uses this to “prove” that God has failed to forgive us. The attacks of the devil make it difficult for us to simply rely on God's promises and trust in His love.
But this psalm tells us that God not only forgives our sins, but also removes them completely from His presence. This is a deep thought! Of course, this is difficult for us to understand, which is why we so easily become concerned about forgiveness rather than simply accepting it. The key is to simply put aside your doubts and guilt, and rely on His promise of forgiveness.
The second passage is recorded in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He, just and faithful, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all evil.” What an incredible promise! God forgives the sins of his children if they come to Him in repentance and ask for forgiveness. God's grace is so great that it can cleanse a sinner from sin and he becomes a child of God; even when we stumble, we can still be forgiven.
In Matthew 18:21–22 we read: “Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother if he does something wrong to me? Seven times?" “No, not seven, but seventy times seven,” Jesus answers him.” Peter probably thought he was being generous enough. Instead of answering the man who sinned against him by doing so, Peter suggested granting some reprieve, say up to seven times. But by the eighth time, forgiveness and mercy had to end. But Christ rejected the rules for the distribution of grace proposed by Peter, saying that forgiveness should be endless for those who truly strive for it. This is only possible thanks to the infinite mercy of God, which is given to us by the shed blood of Christ on the cross. Because of His forgiving power, we can always be clean if we humbly ask for forgiveness of our sins.
At the same time, it should be noted that the constant and continuous sin of a saved person is not biblical (1 John 3:8–9). This is why Paul exhorts us: “Ask yourself this question: Are you strong in the faith? Challenge yourself! Or do you not know that Jesus Christ is in you? You know, of course, unless you fail the test” (2 Corinthians 13:5). As Christians we stumble, but we do not live a lifestyle filled with unrepentant sin. We all have flaws and can fall into sin even if we don't want to. Even the apostle Paul did what he did not want to do because sin was manifested in his body (Romans 7:15). Like Paul, the believer must hate sin, repent, and ask for God's grace to overcome it (Romans 7:24–25). Although we shouldn't fall, sometimes we do because we rely on our weak strengths. When our faith weakens and we deny our Lord in word and in life, like Peter, even then there is a chance to repent and be forgiven of our sins.
Another trick of Satan is to make us think that there is no hope, that there is no possibility of being forgiven, healed and restored. He will try to make us feel trapped by guilt so that we no longer consider ourselves worthy of God's forgiveness. But since when have we ever been worthy of God's mercy? God loved us, forgave us, and chose us to be in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4–6), not because of our achievements, but to “become the praise of His Glory, because we were the first to place our hope in Christ” ( Ephesians 1:12). There is no place where God's grace does not extend, and no depth to which we can fall that God can no longer bring us out. His mercy is greater than all our sins. Whether we are just beginning to veer off course or are already deep and drowning in sin, grace is available.
Grace is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). When we sin, the Spirit will convict us of that sin, resulting in godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10–11). He will not condemn our souls as if there were no hope, since there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The Spirit's conviction of us is an act of love and grace. Grace is not an excuse for sin (Romans 6:1–2), and it should not be abused—sin must be called sin and cannot be treated as something harmless and harmless. Unrepentant believers should be lovingly confronted and led to freedom, and unbelievers should be told that they need to repent. But it is also necessary to point out the means, for we have received grace upon grace (John 1:16). It is how we live, how we are saved, how we are sanctified, and how we will be preserved and glorified. We can receive grace when we sin by repenting and confessing our sins to God. Why live a polluted life when Christ offers to make us pure and righteous in the eyes of God?
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