Have We Lost Our Grief over Sin?
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As I stated earlier, I don’t want this to be a focus on someone else. I want you to think about yourself. Here are some questions that are introspective. Ask them of yourself, as I am doing the same thing.
Think on these questions for a moment, but go to the micro level. So often we think of the big sins, maybe adultery or some kind of fornication, but we miss the little things such as how we love our neighbor or harbor anger towards someone. When was the last time your heart was anguished over those “insignificant” sins that are just as destructive?
I don’t know the answer to these questions in your life, but I know if we are not careful, the attitudes the world displays toward sin can become the attitude those in the church display towards it as well.
1. Because You Love Him
“If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15).
Could it be that part of David’s anguish and grief over his sin was because he knew God and loved him? I think so. After all, the Bible called him a man after God’s own heart. When you love God, then you know how much sin hurts him and if you love the Lord, why would you want to hurt him?
I have a daughter and I can see the disappointment that wells up in her eyes when she does something that she feels lets us down. She is devastated over it. For those of us who claim to love Jesus, we simply cannot continue to have casual attitudes towards sin in our lives. Again, I am not saying we become judges of others; I am saying we become judges of ourselves.
2. Because You Know Him
“No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6).
If you claim to know God, then sin cannot be an ongoing part of your life. This verse is not saying you will never sin. This verse is saying you don’t live to sin or for sin. When you do sin, your response becomes like David, one of grief and a call to repentance. This happens because you know him and are in fellowship with him. When that fellowship is broken, you quickly seek to repent and restore it.
3. Because His Life Is in You
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God” (1 John 3:9).
Since God’s life is in you, in the person of the Holy Spirit, and you have been born of God, this should change your attitude toward sin. If your attitudes towards sin are growing lukewarm, then maybe you need more of God’s Spirit working in your life. Remember, he has not changed, nor has his attitude toward sin. If yours has, then we know where the problem lies.
This article is not about judgment or condemnation. This article is really about a call to holiness. We must be holy because God is holy. For those who don’t know what that means, holiness is not a state of perfection. Holiness is when you are set apart for God’s use. When we are walking in holiness, we see sin the way God sees it and we see people the way God sees them.
I can’t say where, when, or how the church got off course, but the remedy is simple. Return to your first love. It’s time we rekindle that love for Jesus we had when we first got saved, that passion that sought to please him in every area of our lives. When we get back to that place, then our attitudes towards sin will change. Not only will we turn away from it, but we will grieve over it should we fall into it.
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He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.