- Feb 27, 2020
SIN AFTER SALVATION
Todays Scripture: Psalm 134, Proverbs 25
Matthew 18: 15-17 ” If your brother or sister (in Christ) sins, 1.) go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, 2.) take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, 3.) tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, 4.) treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” A step-by-step map of how to handle sin within the church. Although I have never seen it play out in church, this is the model God wants us to follow to bring someone back into the fold.
Matthew 18: 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” A verse to pray when binding and bounding sin, oppression and evil spirits attacking a brother or sister in Christ.
Matthew 18: 19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.” A reminder that God is amongst us when we pray, and why it is essential to get other believers involved when a member falls away.
Psalm 134: 1-2 “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” These verses reminded me of the times I have been unable to sleep and felt led to pray for others in the middle of the night. Encouraging me to praise the Lord and lift up my hands when going to Him during these precious quiet times.
Proverbs 25:19 “Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.” How often have we gone to others (nonbelievers) for help when we should have sought out the Lord first. Often I seek out the advice of others who may have gone through a similar situation to mine when in need of help; however, God wants us to come to Him first. So often the “unfaithful” or unsaved friend gives advice of the world, that lines up with what the world want us to be: selfish, independent, cold, or unfeeling. However God has called us to a higher standard. This verse compares the unfaithful to a broken tooth or lame foot both of which cause pain, sensitivity and swelling. Could that mean that relying on an unfaithful person in times of trouble could led us to more pain? Or maybe to be more easily offended (sensitive)? Could it even cause us to swell up or become prideful? Gods Word is so powerful, proverbs in particular is filled with knowledge and wisdom about how God wants us to live. However there are other texts that warn against seeking counsel outside of Gods as well.
Romans 16:17 “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”
Titus 3:10 “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.”
Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” Do you agree and have like minded values with the one you seek counsel with?
1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
While searching the scriptures for verses that lined up with this message I stumbled upon the following verse and it troubled me. For a while now I have been praying for the fear of God, a weird thing to wish to received; however, I knew if the fear of God was within me the shame and guilt of sinning would be so much greater and temptation would be easier to withstand. Well He sure showed up this week.
Hebrews 10:26 – 27 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.“
Hebrews 10:29 “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot who has treated it as an unholy thing, the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:39 “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed but to those who have faith and are saved.”
This goes back to the method by which we are saved. God does not save us by giving us a clean slate that we now must keep cleaned up in order to make it to heaven. God saves us by making a switch. He puts our sin on Christ and He puts the righteousness of Christ on us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” What if God only put your past sins on Christ? He would have to put each new sin on Him as you confessed it. Certainly, this did not happen. Christ paid the entire debt for sin on the cross. Each person who believes in Him enters into forgiveness through Him. (learnthebible.org) After we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God says we are not to sin any more. We are saved by the grace of God through faith. We are saved by believing in God, believing in the truth of God, believing in the promises of God. Salvation sets us free from sin and death. Through salvation we are given freedom, freedom in Christ Jesus to put on the righteousness of God. God hates sin. God does not want His children to be bound to sin in anyway. When we commit sin, we attach ourselves to sin, we become bound to sin. Christ died on His cross to pay the penalty of our sins and purchased our freedom with His life, so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin and death. You cannot believe the promise of God and violate the principle of God. If we believe the promise of salvation, then we should not violate the principle of salvation, which is victory over sin.
So how does God forgive my sins after I am saved?
When we are saved all are sins are washed clean away by the blood of Christ. God remembers those past sins no more, they are forgiven and forgotten, never to be brought up again, they are completely washed away by the sacrifice of Jesus, by the shedding of His blood on the cross at Calvary. After we are saved we are not to sin again. But since we live in a world of sin, it is impossible not to sin. The children of God do NOT purposefully sin, plan sin, live in sin, but sin will happen inadvertently until we are taken from this sinful world and are with our Lord God in Heaven. If we advertently sin, we need a way for God to forgive us of our new sins, so that we can become righteous in the eyes of God. Jesus paid the price for our sins, and the sins of the world, when He was crucified on the cross. We cannot expect Jesus to die again on the cross every time we sin. The crucifixion on the cross was a one-time payment for all the sins of the world.
Jesus is our advocate
So how are we forgiven of sin after we are saved? The scriptures tell us that we have an advocate through Jesus to God. When we sorrowfully confess our sins to Jesus and repent of our sins, Jesus will forgive us of our sins. Confession of sin and repentance of sin, will continue in the life of every believer of Christ, until we die and are with our Lord God in Heaven, or when the Lord Jesus returns, which ever comes first. 1 John 2:1-2 “My dear Children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Confess our sin
When we sin after we are saved, we are to confess our sins and sorrowfully repent our sins, turn away from sinning and God will forgive us. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “
Repent of sin
Repenting of sin is NOT confessing your sin, repentance is turning away from sin, it is forsaking sin, turning away from sin and turning to God. Repenting is saying ‘no’ to serving sin, and ‘yes’ to serving God. We either serve sin or we serve God, no one can serve both. Sinners need repentance. All sinners need repentance. Mark 2: 17 ” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ “The righteous do not need repentance; sinners need repentance. Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The unrepentant will perish
Here the scriptures say repent or perish. God says, “except you repent, you will perish, die”. Luke 13:3 “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” God wants His message of repentance and remission of sins preached in His name among all nations. Luke 24:47 “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” God says we must repent in order to blot out our sins. Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Only godly, full-hearted sorrow works true repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” When we sin, God says that we are caught up in the snare of the devil. When we sin, we are taken captive by the devil at the devil’s will. Remember the devil is always prowling around looking for his next victim. (lovinggodtoday.com)
Thanks be to God that He continues to provide a way to Him even after we sin after salvation. What a loving and forgiving God. Acts 26:18 “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. “