Saturday, November 12, 2011

When Christians are in love with their sins

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

I know Christians who smoke. I know Christians who need to eat less and exercise more. I know Christians who consume more alcohol than their bodies can handle. They know that God wants us to take good care of our bodies so that we can serve Him effectively for many years. By smoking, overeating and drinking too much, they are living in sin—they are not taking good care of the bodies that God has given them.

I know Christians who gamble. I know Christians who spend money foolishly. I know Christians who have large bank accounts but are stingy when it comes to giving. They know that everything we have belongs to God, that we are only managers of the riches that belong to Him. By wasting money, ignoring the poor, and not funding the church properly, they are living in sin—they are not handling God’s gifts responsibly.

I know Christians who are living together but are not married. I know Christians who are divorced and have no interest in reconciliation. I know Christians who are gay and lesbian. They know that God’s design for sex places it solely within the marriage of a man and a woman. They know that God hates divorce. By going on this way, they are living in sin—they are deliberately ignoring God’s commands for intimate relationships.

All Christians are sinners—but have you really thought about what that means? Are some sins worse than others? What about a Christian who sins but doesn’t realize that he did something wrong? If you are a Christian, but you keep on committing a sin because you enjoy it too much to stop, will you go to hell when you die?

Let’s start with this question: are some sins worse than others? Some are committed in a moment of passion or weakness. For example, a man finds out that his wife is having an affair so he grabs a gun and shoots her. A woman discovers that she is unexpectedly pregnant and immediately schedules an appointment at an abortion clinic. But what about the alcoholic who keeps a bottle of liquor hidden in the cupboard? What about the man who puts a condom in his wallet before heading out on a date? These people are planning to sin; is premeditated sin worse than a momentary lapse of judgment?

Listen to the Word of God on this subject. Romans chapter three: There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. James chapter two: whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Romans chapter six: The wages of sin is death. Scripture is clear—all sin is damning. Whether carefully planned out or committed on the spur of the moment, every sin invites God’s everlasting punishment in hell. This is because God has a high expectation for human behavior; He says be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2). Anyone who fails at being perfect is not welcome in heaven.

Thankfully, the matter doesn’t rest there. God made us and He loves us—loves us despite our sins. So the problem facing God was this—how to bring sinners into heaven, where no sin is permitted? God’s solution was unthinkable—He chose to send His perfect Son to bear the responsibility for our sins. Our guilt was transferred to Him; we were spared God’s awful punishment because it was inflicted on Jesus as our substitute. Jesus suffered and died so that we might be forgiven and live—live forever in the holy place where sin is not permitted. Jesus rose from the dead to make an astonishing offer: if we trust in Him for mercy, He will exchange our guilt for His holiness. This is what Paul speaks of when he writes, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are put right with God. But what are the limits? Jesus said, Repent and believe the good news! (Mark 1:15) There are two things at play in Jesus’ command—repenting and believing. And we wonder: can a believer be sent to hell because he did not repent?

So we come to a second question: Can a person commit sin without realizing it? Absolutely! In Psalm 19 David offers God this prayer: How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. In Luke chapter 18, Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Man and the Tax Collector. Notice how Jesus describes the tax collector’s behavior as he prays in the Temple: the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' The tax collector did not try to list all his sins; he just owned up to the fact that he was a sinner through and through. Jesus goes on to say that this man went home at peace with God.

Early in his ministry, Martin Luther wrestled with forgiveness. He would go to the confessional multiple times each day, asking to be forgiven for every sin he could remember doing. But he was tormented by the thought that he was committing sins he wasn’t even aware of. Luther worried that God would send him to hell if there were some sins in his life that were left unforgiven.

Luther prayed and studied the Bible, and eventually he came to a realization—repentance is not an item on your daily schedule, it’s how you relate to God. Like the tax collector in Jesus’ parable, we come to the Lord acknowledging that we are sinners—it’s not just what we do, it’s who we are. Sin is like a cancer that has spread to every cell of your body. You may have days when you feel good, you may have days when you feel weak and sick—but every moment of every day, you are infested with cancer. And so you need remission from your sinful condition.

When Jesus forgives us, He doesn’t go down a checklist marking off sins one by one. When we ask for mercy He gives us His righteousness, which makes us completely acceptable to God. Listen to how Jesus promises salvation in John chapter three: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life…Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. Eternal life is promised on the basis of faith in Jesus alone. Listen also to Jesus’ words in John chapter six: they asked him, "What must we do, to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." The one essential thing needed for salvation is to trust in Christ. And Paul has this to say in Ephesians chapter two: because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. Did you get that? Before we even had the opportunity to repent, Christ had already done everything needed to bring us back to God! If you don’t seek forgiveness because you were unaware of your sin, that ignorance does not let you off the hook—but if you believe that you are a sinner who needs Christ’s mercy, that relationship built on faith saves you. This was the conclusion that Luther reached, and it freed him from the crushing weight of trying to confess every single sin in order to be completely forgiven.

Our third question is this: what about repeated sins? When we do the same bad things over and over again, does it mean that we are not really sorry for acting that way? A couple of examples: the alcoholic who swears to his wife that he’ll never touch booze again, yet comes home drunk a week later. Or the mother who feels terrible about screaming at her kids, yet has them hiding fearfully in their rooms again just a few days later. Although they feel bad about their behavior and want to stop, they don’t—does that mean that their repentance is not sincere? Not at all. Remember what Paul wrote in Romans chapter seven: I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul understood all too well what slavery to sin is like. It’s like an addiction. And that craving will be with us until Christ takes us from this world.

But now we arrive at the hardest question: what about people who believe in Christ as their Savior, but still choose to embrace a sinful habit? They know it’s wrong, but their love for that sin seems to be stronger than their love for Jesus. If a Christian lives knowingly in sin, is that person lost?

In the Gospel of Mark Jesus says "repent and believe". Jesus says that we are to turn away from a sinful life and start over, living a new way. There are many Bible passages that say the same. Romans chapter six: We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Ephesians chapter 4: throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Colossians chapter 3: now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. But no matter how sincerely we try to live this way, a day free of sin is impossible—regardless if the sin is known or unknown, regretted or embraced.

Jesus died to forgive us. He invites sinners to Himself to share in His righteousness and thereby gain access to heaven. But here’s the rub—what if you don’t seek forgiveness? What about behavior that we know is wrong but choose to do anyway, not from a moment of weakness, but because the love for that sin is so entrenched that we don’t want to stop—sins like smoking or living together without getting married? Scripture tells us to repent, to change our attitude towards sin, to flee from temptation. The Bible also says that we are to love God above anything else; love for a favorite sin slaps God in the face on a daily basis. If a Christian doesn’t even try to correct sinful behavior, is that person damned?

In Isaiah chapter 42, the prophet said of Jesus, A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. Jesus said, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them…this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me…For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life (John 6:37-40). Jesus is patient and gentle with us, especially with those whose faith is weak. Just because sin dominates your life, it doesn’t mean that Jesus will give up on you. And if there is any doubt in your mind whether a sinner belongs to Christ or Satan, just listen to what that person says about Jesus. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 12: no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. He also writes, if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

To be sure, there are people who dabble in Christianity and then leave the faith; Jesus spoke of them in Luke chapter 8. Two kinds of short term Christians are mentioned—those who don’t develop strong faith and fall away in times of stress, and those who let the concerns of earthly life distract them so much that Jesus is ignored and faith dies. Therein lies the danger—although the Savior forgives every sin, living in unrepented sin can take over your life to such an extent that love for Christ is squashed and the saving relationship is lost.

Sin is the biggest problem any of us has to face. It exerts a powerful influence over us. So long as we cling to Jesus and acknowledge that we need His mercy, we are safe from everlasting punishment. But if we let love for sin distract us from Jesus, there is great danger. I urge you to give up your favorite sins, even though it will be hard. To keep on embracing them is like cradling a poisonous snake in your arms.

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