In my previous post there was the disclaimer for this next series of posts, so you may want to refer back to it before reading this one. “…Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Romans 6:1 I have been pondering this verse for awhile. My life has been in a whirlwind for quite sometime. I have made so many excuses and none of them valid enough to justify my thoughts, words, or deeds. I had adopted a twisted philosophy, “A sin is a sin, just tell one less lie.” I’ve heard that thinking compared to the “State of Grace” theory. Which basically says you can sin now and pray later. The sad thing is I am not the only one. Many “Christians” live by this notion. It’s scary and it’s sad.
Sin in our lives is not a top secret. We know sin before we step into it. We know sin, because we consider what we want to do and then do it. Sin is missing the mark that God has set. The sin of the believer probably hurts God more, because it is His own child that has gone against Him. It may be similar your own child disobeying as compared to your neighbors child disobeying. Your child’s conduct is more important. God is hurt by the sin of the lost also, in that His creation is going against Him.The usual reason we sin is the fact that we decide to sin to fulfill our own lusts. We tend to rationalize our infractions: It won’t hurt just this once. A little drink can’t hurt. One time with that woman/man won’t hurt. (You know, two consenting adults etc.) Sin is almost always more serious than we realize.
Galatians 5:19-21 (MSG) “ 19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.”
Galatians 6:7-8a (MSG) “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others-ignoring God!-harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.”
Wilful, deliberate sin that is committed knowingly and with a mere facade of a profession of faith is an expression of unbelief and forfeits the real gift of pardon won by Jesus Christ and conveyed to us sinners through the gospel.Sin severs our fellowship with God. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Prayers go unheeded when we embrace the sin that cost Jesus His very life. If the phone line has been cut, you can have a top of the line phone, but you won’t to be talking to anyone. You can have the best computer money could buy, but if you don’t have an Internet hook up, you’re not going to email anyone.
Many Christians entertain sin in their life, we go to church and are involved in spiritual activities, but we will get nowhere with God if sin has blocked the line of communication. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” James 4:3 also says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” The prayers of God’s people who knowingly and willingly sin against Him “boomerang” in their faces.The Bible speaks firmly to warn us about those of us who apparently deceives himself. “For if we go on deliberately and willingly sinning after once acquiring the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for [our] sins [no further offering to which to look forward].” (Hebrews 10:26 (AMP). “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:12-14). Other portions of the Bible like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Galatians 5:19-21 also speak about the sad phenomenon of lifestyles characterized by wilful disobedience.
God will forgive, based on our confession. Confession, however implies two things. First, that you agree with God’s evaluation of the act being sin, and secondly, that you will attempt to not fall into that sin again. We need to recognize also that confessing is not just lightly admitting that you did it, but that you have God’s feeling of disgust over that sin. There is no reason for there to be sin in the life of the believer! We have the Word to guide our path. We have the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our path. When we blow it, we have an interceder (I John 2:1) before God to be sure that forgiveness of our infractions is available.
How do we avoid infractions:
1. Just SAY NO!
2. Knowledge of what is sin, and what is not sin so that you can make your decisions quickly when tempted, and walk away from those things that are sin. Don’t hang around trying to figure out if it is sin or not. If you aren’t sure then don’t do it, and address it later when you aren’t being challenged.
3. Avoid situations that could lead to problems, or that could lead you into a situation in which you would be forced to make a decision to do or not to do.
4. Maintain your walk with the Lord at the highest and best level that you can.
As Christians we should not live knowingly in sin. This does not mean that a Christian cannot sin, just that he does not want to sin. Yes, we all sin because we all have fallen short of the glory. But a true Christian whose heart is right tries their best to be a light. I truly believe that if we are sincere in studying the Word of God; when we worship Him and do NOT find excuses for our own sinful behavior, God will forgive us. The key here is that we live a life as close to God as we can and that we do not knowingly (deliberately) sin as we have discussed here today. I read a quote today by R.A. Torrey, “You cannot accept Him as Saviour while you reject Him as Lord, nor can you follow Him as Lord while you reject Him as Saviour. His intercession is for those who accept Him as both Saviour and Lord.” When we sin we are not in relationship with God. When we sin we commit an action that is against the will of God for us. The greatest gift that God has given us is the ability to make our own choices. We can follow our own desires, or we can chose to follow the will of God. Accepting Jesus as our personal Savior means that we are willing to follow God’s will to the best of our ability.
