Salvation and Sin
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. - Proverbs 28:13
Although the church is thousands of years old and many of us have spent years therein, there is still much controversy around what it means to be saved or a born-again Christian. This controversy will likely continue throughout time. Likewise, the truth should continually be shared, and it will prevail.
One hot topic is sinful living. There are those who believe that at the moment of accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior is when you decide to live a sin-free life with His help. You do all you can to stay away from temptation and trust Him to provide supernatural strength in weakness. However, if and when you do sin or make a mistake, you can repent and receive forgiveness. Then, there are those who believe that you accept the Lord as your savior. Yet, you are still human and have the desire and inclination to sin. God understands this, so it is okay to continue to live in sin. Because He loves us and is merciful, he will always forgive.
God, definitely, is merciful. His word repeatedly says so. However, please consider Romans 6:1-2. His mercy does not give us the right to continue in sin. Please read 2 Corinthians 5:17. When we give our hearts to God, we are new people; born-again spiritually. We are not the same person we were before. We have a new nature. Therefore, our behavior should change. We are not new if we continue to do the same old things, or sins, that we did before. Now, this change comes with His help. We can not do this on our own. Isaiah 64:6 says all our righteousness is as filthy rags. Filthy rags are used sanitary napkins which are really nasty. However, notice it says, “all OUR righteousness”. Once we are born-again, we are made the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) God’s righteousness is sin-free. He is aware of our humanity. Therefore, He fills us with His holy spirit. The indwelling of His spirit is what gives us a supernatural ability to push beyond our human weakness and live a holy, sanctified life. This is another controversial topic. Exactly when are you filled with the spirit? No doubt, this is what is missing with many and why you cannot stay away from sin. God’s spirit does not live on the inside.
Also, please look at Proverbs 28:13. It clearly says whoever confesses and FORSAKES his sin shall have mercy. So, if you are still indulging in sin and have not left them behind, does God’s mercy apply to your life? Now, Romans 3:23 lets us know that all have SINNED. But notice that is past tense. It does not say all SIN.
Reading through Psalms and Proverbs you will see a number of scriptures that mention mercy and truth. God’s mercifulness is not the totality of who He is. He is also truth. He does not just forgive us and overlook the truth that our actions were wrong. Wrong behavior has negative consequences. (Romans 6:23) It is foolish to think you can continue in sin and only experience God’s mercy. We must preach and teach God’s whole word. I believe there are those who have a ministry of mercy and those who have a ministry of truth. We create balance when we come together, respect, and appreciate each other.
Now, all have sinned. (Romans 3:23) We all have a pass. As born-again Christians, sin should be in our pass. It should not be a regular, deliberate part of our current lives. This discussion could go on and on. In conclusion, God wants us all to be saved and not die in our sin. He has made all we need to live a holy life available to us. As He sent Jesus to teach and help us, he continues to send people into our lives. I know because I am one of the sent people. However, it is up to you to receive and accept the help. This is a serious matter. Souls are at stake. Let us address it in an orderly manner.