Have you ever wished you were much stronger, spiritually, so that you could live without sinning! Have you ever compared your present behaviour as a Christian with your past behaviour as a non-Christian, and wished that there was a bigger difference?
Sure, the load of sin that lifted in that hour you first believed is long gone; but an awareness of frequently committed sin still hangs around. Most of us are sure that our past sins are forgiven, but what about that small cloud of condemnation that threatens to rain on your prayers?
Some believers backslide because they think they’re hypocrites – saying one thing and doing another. They drop out of fellowship so they can live less contradictory lives, and wonder what happened to that powerful reality they once experienced. They grew tired of dry church routine, and the same old same old.
Have you ever felt relieved when, after letting God down badly, you cried out to the Lord for forgiveness – and felt so much closer to Him after being forgiven than you did before you sinned? Don’t put your hand up.
Well, here’s the good news: it isn’t our spiritual strength that enables us to win over sin – it’s the grace of God! If we try to live under God’s Law, our sins will be much more predictable! Want to live within clearly laid out legal limits? If you don’t sin, life is good; but if you do, you feel bad, real bad. So bad, that after you repent, you feel good – real good!
This isn’t Christianity – it’s self-righteousness! “He who says that he has no sin makes God a liar,” writes John – to believers! (1 John 5:13) “I write these things so that you do not sin, and if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate – a legal representative – with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.” (1 John 2:1) Not when you sin, but “if” you sin – there’s a big difference – “when” would be defeatist.
“Okay then,” you ask, “so where does overcoming come in? Do we accept that Christians, no matter how spiritual they are, are certain to sin from time to time?” That’s right. But here’s the very good news: “Sin shall not lord it over you, because you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
Sin can dominate only those who are under law. We are not under the law, so the law is not our lord – Jesus is! The law gives sin its power. Grace makes both law and sin as irrelevant to us as mud and chicken wire are to eagles!
It’s the thought that Christians must live sinlessly – or else! – that turns many back to the performance treadmill. But the life-giving Spirit of God has lifted us out of cheerless churchianity into joyful Christianity!
God doesn’t love us or use us because we are strong – He does so despite our many weaknesses! “God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay that way.”
That’s a blessed relief!