No Excuse

I read something recently that bothered me and it related to a believer sinning.  I know Paul, who wrote about a third of the New Testament, never called a believer a sinner, he called them saints.  I have heard that if you were once an alcoholic you are always an alcoholic; I don’t believe that it true because God’s Word says this in John 8:36, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Alcoholism is a sin and when you become born-again you are set free of sin and once you are set free of alcoholism you are set free indeed, along with any other sin Jesus sets you free of.  The Lord gives you a whole different perspective and in time you lose all desire to do it anymore.  Praise the Lord!!

The Lord has set so many people free of so many sinful habits and when He sets them free they are free indeed.  

I used to think, and say, that if you didn’t feel the Lord’s presence there was something wrong and how could you live a Christian life that way, but I know what happened to me doesn’t always happen to everyone and faith is not a feeling, it is a fact.  It seems to me that when some people come to know the Lord they don’t realize they have been set free and they act like they are still in bondage.

Let me tell you my version of a story that I heard that might help.  There was a man that had his donkey stolen and he looked and looked for it until he finally found it.  It was lying in a ditch, still alive, but was all tied up so he untied the donkey and said, “Come on, let’s go,” but the donkey just laid there.  So the man slapped the donkey and said, “Come on,” but he still laid there as if he was still tied up.  So he pushed and pushed on the donkey and the donkey finally moved and got up and the man got him out of the ditch.  It seems like there are believers like that, they have been set free but they have been in their situations so long that they still think they are bound, even when they are set free.  

This reminds me of the story of Lazarus in John 11:38-44, if you want to read it.  When Jesus cried with a loud voice telling Lazarus to come forth, he came forth, but he still had a problem, he was still bound with his grave clothes and he could do nothing until Jesus said to lose him and let him go.  Remember this, when Jesus sets you free you are free indeed.     

In John 8:31-32 Jesus said this, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

So we can be set free of the bondage of sin and not be enslaved to it anymore.  So, does this mean we will never sin again?  No, it means we should never practice sin.  Read what it says in 1 John 2:1-2, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

But if we do sin I think we should repent and confess the sin, read what it says in 1 John 1:8-9, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I don’t think we can ever take sin lightly, but we need to take responsibility for it and call it what it is, sin.  I like what it says in the footnotes of my King James Bible on this subject.  Read what it says, “Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ, it should ease our consciousness and lighten our cares, but some Christians do not understand how it works.  They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over and then wonder if they might have forgotten something.  Other Christians believe God forgives them when they confess, but if they die with unconfessed sins, they would be forever lost.  These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us.  He allowed His beloved Son to die just so He could pardon us.  When we come to Christ He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit.  We don’t need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don’t need to fear that He will cast us out if we don’t keep our slates perfectly clear.  Of course we want to continue to confess our sins but not because we think failure to do so will make us lose our salvation.  Our hope in Christ is secure.  Instead we confess so we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him.  True confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin.  We are not genuinely confessing our sins before God if we plan to commit the sin again and just want temporary forgiveness.  We must pray for strength to defeat the temptation the next time it appears.  If God has forgiven us for our sins because of Christ’s death, why must we confess our sins?  In admitting our sins and receiving Christ’s cleansing we are: 1. Agreeing with God that our sin truly was sin and that we are willing to turn from it. 2. Ensuring that we don’t conceal our sins from Him and consequently from ourselves, and, 3.  Recognizing our tendency to sin relying on His power to overcome it.”

Now let’s praise the Lord for what He has done for us at Calvary, taking our blame and our shame and our sins upon Himself so that we can be set free of the bondage of sin so that we could be right with God and stand in His presence as though we have never sinned.  I hope this will help anyone that is a believer but still feels like he or she is still in bondage.  The Lord loves you and He wants us to have an abundant life.  Praise be to the Lord our Savior!!  Something to think about!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!