Abstaining From Sin – Part I
Now, we come to the third and final part of our series on enjoying salvation. To briefly recall, in part one we discussed the difference between the “doers” and the “don’ters” and how to make the transition. In part two, we discussed the topic of being content by remembering we live for God and not for ourselves; that while we have ups and downs, whatever may happen, we must always rejoice and give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part three may be the most difficult part for all of us. To enjoy our salvation, we must abstain from sin. Why is that so difficult? Well, although we are born again, we drag along that old fleshly nature with us for the rest of our lives until we depart from the earth to go join the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must recognize that we are all sinners. Anyone who can boldly say they are not a sinner is committing a sin by lying. We have all fell short of the glory of God. However, the difference when a child of God sins and a non-believer is the child of God feels terrible about their sin, while the non-believer is planning their next sin. Since God has taken out our heart of stone, and put the heart of Jesus Christ within us, our heart breaks for what breaks His heart. God’s biggest enemy is sin. We may say God’s biggest enemy is Satan. I don’t think so. Satan still has to report to God. God does not want to sin and He comes into our hearts to keep us away from temptation. Now, when we sin, if we ask for forgiveness, forgiveness will be granted because we have a wonderful, merciful God. However, that does not mean we will not have to deal with the consequences of our sins. A child of God cannot live in sin and will not get by with their sins. Notice how when the non-believer has been involved in the same particular trespass for a long time and it just seems they are not being punished or judged for their actions, yet later on in life they come down with some kind of infirmity or illness and they do not know why. My friends, God deals with sin and ungodliness. While we may not see it, no sin goes without consequences. O the non-believer who rejected Jesus Christ, the ultimate consequence is death and eternal damnation, but God deals with those who are His.
Let’s take David’s sin with Bathsheba. There he broke four of the Lord’s commandments (murder, adultery, lying, covetous) and it seemed like David was going to get away with breaking those commandments. The Lord sent Nathan to open David’s eyes to his sins against God. As a true and faithful believer, David owned up to His sins, not denying it or having the prophet slain. As Christians, we are to accept responsibility and be accountable for our mistakes and open to any consequences that result from them. Notice God forgave David of his sins, but still made David suffer the consequences. My friends, we must face consequences for our transgressions against the Lord our God. When we do wrong, we are to be punished so we can grow and learn from our mistakes. The cost of our sin for Jesus Christ was death hanged on the cross. Let’s face the truth, we are all sinners, shameful in the eyes of the Lord Almighty, but we have been redeemed through the blood of the unblemished Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.