So You Have Sinned

Someone has said, "Sin is a foul slimy intrusion into God’s universe." Now according to 1Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. Sin is a malady that afflicts all of mankind no matter what station or status in society or how a person is esteemed in the eyes of the world. When we witness to sinners and ask them if they have ever committed a sin, the answer is invariably yes. Seldom do we encounter a person who will not admit to a penchant toward sin. Some will admit to sin but will accompany the admission with the claim that, "I am a good person," or "I treat everyone with respect and do right by my neighbors," or "I believe that my good deeds will outweigh my bad deeds when I meet God."

Now of course, in order for a person to see the need for the Saviour and the new birth, they must recognize the hopelessness of recovering from sin aside from the blood of Christ. God knew that if he gave man a choice in the Garden of Eden that there was a strong possibility that he would make the wrong choice, and especially because of the random factor inserted in the person of Satan the deceiver. Eve and then Adam chose their own way and the headwaters of humanity were corrupted for all of time.

God in mercy immediately made provision with the declaration that "the seed of the woman would bruise the serpents head" (Gen. 3:15) He performed the first sacrificial act by slaying animals to provide coats of skins to cover the nakedness of the offending couple. Four thousand years later and many hundreds of thousands of animal sacrifices later the supreme sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ brought instead of the blood of others, (Heb. 9:25) His own blood, and offered it once for all (Heb. 9:28) and forever so that we may, as originally intended, live with a conscience freed from guilt (Heb.9:14) and forever joined to God in our spirit never again to be under the dominion of sin. (I Jn. 3:9) In the flesh, however, we can choose to sin so the real problem starts here. As a child of God we still have a body that is bent toward sin. (I Jn. 1:8).

So we conclude by all of this that sin is an inherent force in our nature, but we are not under the rule of sin because of the death of Christ and our death with Him to sin at salvation. (Rom. 6:6-11) The new birth cancels the penalty of the law in regard to eternity and we no longer face eternity in a devil's hell. According to scripture, sin now abides in the flesh (Rom. 7:24) and is to be resisted, fled from, abstained from, and warred against using the weapons provided by our heavenly Father in II Co. 10:4-6 and Eph. 6:10-18.

In the everyday flow of life, we face challenges on a moment by moment basis requiring decisions to either yield to God and resist the devil, or yield to the flesh and reap the consequences of our sin (Gal. 6:7-8). Now it should be noted here that there are four obvious consequences to sin taught in the scripture:

1. Loss of fellowship with God. 1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Now if we are sinning and not judging ourselves and confessing to God, our fellowship is broken as was that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when God came searching for them when they had hidden themselves.

2. Unanswered or hindered prayer. Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

3. Judgment. Heb 10:26-27 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation.

4. Death. 1Jo 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. (Emphasis added)

The scripture teaches here that there is a line that a child of God can cross to cause our Father to take his life. (I Cor. 5:5). This is illustrated in Old Testament scriptures such as Genesis 6 and reiterated in the New Testament in II Peter 2:5 when God destroyed the world by the flood.

Failure is a very real part of the human experience and is used by our Heavenly Father to strengthen our spiritual muscles. (Col. 1:11). I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." has been call "the Christian’s bar of spiritual soap," and must be used as often as we need it. Let's look at that verse for a moment: Obviously you could never be able to confess every sin that you have ever committed even in one day, so what does it really say to us?

As in all other matters spiritual, as we pray and seek God, and especially during times of devotional seeking of God or for special prayer concerns when answers are desperately needed, the Holy Spirit will point out sins that we need to confess and wrongs that need to be made right as you ask Him and many times when you do not ask. This is the thing that needs attention, i.e. confession first of all and then the decision, if necessary, to make restitution to others.

I remember when I was just beginning to learn this concept that I came to God and confessed my sin after which I felt so clean and released that I promised God that I would never sin again. Now of course it didn't take me very long to realize that I would not keep that promise, but we can come back to I Jn. 1:9 as often as is needed.

Notice the wording in this wonderful verse......."He is faithful and just to forgive us..." not merciful and gracious. Because of Jesus' death on the cross of Calvary, God has obligated himself legally to forgive us and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness when we simply confess. Webster gives this definition of a confession: "To own, acknowledge or avow, as a crime, a fault, a charge, a debt, or something that is against one's interest, or reputation". In other words, confession is to admit wrong doing or to own the sin that we have committed against a Holy God. It is not in keeping with the clear teaching of this scripture to ask God to forgive and cleanse us of our sin, His instruction is confess and the forgiveness and cleansing are His part. Remember; the only thing that you will ever have to do to be forgiven is to confess! After confession, you may say, "I don’t feel forgiven", but feelings have nothing to do with it, God's faithfulness is at stake here and is all that matters. Faith takes God at His word and acts upon it.

ALL means that when you confess what the Holy Spirit points out, he takes care of the sins that even unbeknownst to you that you have committed in your walk through this old sin cursed world. Just say to God after confession, "Fill me with your Spirit again Father," and if you have restitution to make, God will point this out as well. Maybe you need to pay an overdue debt, or go to a friend or acquaintance or Christian brother and make amends for a wrong, or maybe you need to go to someone who has offended you and tell them honestly that you were offended and that you want to let them know that you were hurt by their actions or words. The purpose should always be to restore the friendship and fellowship and not to be revengeful or destructive. None of these things are easy and humiliate the flesh, which is what benefits us because it puts the flesh to death. Do not put off making peace in any of these areas, for if you do the scripture teaches us that if we do not attend to such leadings of the Spirit we ourselves will be judged for our inaction. (Lk 12:58 – 59) This is the role of the peacemaker spoken of in Matt. 5:9 and is the mark of a maturing Christian.