“Therefore, since we
are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV).
I recently noticed a word in that verse that I hadn’t paid
attention to before—“easily.” Sin easily entangles us. The
Apostle Paul wrote, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not
want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19 ESV emphasis added). I know from
experience that temptation and sin don’t just miraculously disappear when we
reach a certain point in our faith journey. If we do make some progress, we
often start patting ourselves on the back—until we trip again and realize we’ve
been relying on our own willpower. As Brennan Manning used to say, “God expects
more failure of us than we expect from ourselves.”
Jerry Bridges wrote in The Gospel for Real Life:
“Sometimes our obedience is marked
more by desire than by performance. So we have to ask ourselves: ‘Is my life
characterized by an earnest desire
and a sincere effort to obey God in
all that He commands? What is my attitude toward God’s Law? Do I find it to be
holy, just, and good? And do I delight in it in my inner being even though I
find my sinful nature struggling against it?’ (See Romans 7:12, 22-23).
Accompanying our sincere desire to obey God will be a heightened sensitivity to
our indwelling sin. Often it is our increased awareness of sin that causes us
to doubt our salvation or to give Satan an inroad into our minds to suggest
that ‘a Christian wouldn’t sin like you do.’ But think about that accusation
for a moment. Satan would certainly not suggest such a thought to an unbeliever.”
“We should never be afraid to
examine ourselves. But when doubts do arise, the solution is not to try harder
to prove to ourselves that we are believers. The solution is to flee to the
cross and to the righteousness of Christ, which is our only hope. And then,
having looked to Christ alone for our justification, we can look to His Spirit
to enable us to deal with those areas of our lives that cause doubt. The work
of the Spirit within us is as much a gift of God’s grace as is our
justification and adoption as sons”
In one sense, my sin may be small compared to some of the “great
sinners” in Scripture who found forgiveness. However, my sin contributed to the
reason Jesus had to die on the cross, and I am just as incapable of saving
myself as any other person who’s ever lived. If it were not for the cross of
Christ, my “small sin” would be grounds for damnation and despair.
“But God being rich in mercy,
because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and
raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His
grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV).
As this article, “What To Do When You’ve Blown It,” quotes from Sam Allberry, “There is more
forgiveness in Jesus than there is failure in us.” Yep, we blow it—repeatedly.
But in Christ God offers us forgiveness repeatedly. My sin is not too big or
too frequent for His forgiveness. My sanctification is not yet perfected, but
neither is my temptation indicative of terminal failure or reason for
hopelessness. Martin Luther wrote, “By saying ‘repent,’ our Lord and Master
Jesus Christ willed that the whole of the life of believers should be
repentance.”
For now we can rest in God’s lavish forgiveness, and one day
we will be able to relish His perfected Kingdom, all because of His grace and
mercy.
“Be sober-minded; be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds
of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1
Peter 5:8-9 ESV).
© 2019 Dawn
Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from
pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of
my church or employer.
