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It
is not unusual for Christians to feel
guilty because of sin in their lives,
and to have problems dealing with that
guilt and sin. We think that once we
have become Christians, we will no longer
have a struggle with sin, and that through
Christ we will have power to overcome
it. Actually, Paul talks about his struggle
with sin in Romans 7:18,19: "I
know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature. For I
have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out. For what
I do is not the good I want to do; no,
the evil I do not want to do –
this I keep on doing.”
When
we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord
and Savior, we experienced the wonderful
cleansing power of His blood, which
was shed on the cross for us over 2,000
years ago. We had an overwhelming feeling
of freedom and release from the bondage
of sin and death when we first repented
from our old lives and turned to Christ.
Then, the following dilemma began to
occur as the weeks and months went by
– we found ourselves tempted to
return to sinful patterns of thinking
and acting. It became difficult to accept
that we would still continue to sin
because we are children of the King:
righteous, new creations in Christ,
called to be holy as He is holy.
But
the truth is, we are still sinners and
will always battle with sin in our lives
because we are inwardly bent towards
sin. That is the reason God says in
His Word that we need to confess our
sins and rely on His promise to cleanse
us:
- "Then
I acknowledged my sin to you and did
not cover up my iniquity. I said,
'I will confess my transgressions
to the LORD' – and you forgave
the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
- “Therefore
confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may
be healed. The prayer of a righteous
man is powerful and effective”
(James 5:16).
- “If
we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness”
(1 John 1:9).
- "There
is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus" (Romans
8:1).
These
verses remind us that:
- As
Christians we will still sin.
- Though
we are commanded not to sin, there
is forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
- When
we sin, there is a way to restore
fellowship with God:
- Confess
that sin to God and to others.
- Repent
from the sin, asking God to change
the direction of our lives.
- Pray
for each other; ask someone to pray
for us.
- Trust
that God's promises are true: He has
forgiven us and no longer condemns
us.
Who
we still are
Sometimes
pride keeps us from admitting our sin
or keeps us from forgiving ourselves
when we sin as Christians. When this
happens we need to tell ourselves the
truth about who we still are...sinners
saved by grace. Don't let pride keep
you from enjoying your relationship
with God and don't believe that you
are now above the need for God's ongoing
grace in your life.
You
can begin living in God's grace
and accept His ongoing, unconditional
forgiveness for the sins you still battle,
or the memory of past sin in your life.
Realize that as a Christian, you still
need to recognize and confess sin in
your life. You can have grace for yourself
based on God's grace and forgiveness
for you when He paid the penalty for
all your sins once and for all through
His Son's death on the cross 2,000 years
ago.
Begin
to bask in the forgiveness of Christ!
You are no longer condemned. You are
forgiven! You are His child. You can
make a new start every time you sin...
just sincerely confess it and ask God
to change you from the inside out. Philippians
4:13 says, "I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me."
If you have repeatedly fallen into the
same sin such as pornography, lying,
unforgiveness, substance abuse, gossiping,
etc., then go to your pastor, a mentor
or a Christian counselor and ask for
their guidance, prayer, and instruction
on how to begin to flee the temptation
to sin, to be accountable and to make
amends for your sin.
Memorize
the following Scriptures so that you
can begin relying on God's Word and
the assurance of forgiveness He offers
you in Christ, rather than the self-condemnation
you may be thinking and feeling.
"And
by that will, we have been made holy
through the sacrifice of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all. Day after
day every priest stands and performs
his religious duties; again and again
he offers the same sacrifices, which
can never take away sins. But when this
priest had offered for all time one
sacrifice for sins, he sat down
at the right hand of God. Since that
time he waits for his enemies to be
made his footstool, because by one
sacrifice he has made perfect forever
those who are being made holy"
(Hebrews 10:10-14, italics mine).
"In
him (Christ) we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God's
grace" (Ephesians 1:7, italics
mine).
"He
does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above
the earth, so great is His love for
those who fear him; as far as the
east is from the west, so far has He
removed our transgressions from us”
(Psalm 103:10-12, italics mine).
Remember
that God's love “covers a multitude
of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). We don't
know our hearts very well, but God knows
us and His forgiveness is complete and
eternal because Jesus Christ has paid
the penalty for our sins and "not
for our sins only, but the sins of the
whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).
~ Lynette J. Hoy, is a Marriage and
Family counselor, speaker, writer and
the Chicagoland Chair of Community and
Business Women for Christ. Her newly
released book, What's Good About
Anger? can be ordered online at:
Counsel
Care Connection or Amazon.com.
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