Our Problem With Sin After Salvation

“… through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…..  For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s [Jesus Christ] righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” – Romans 5:12,17-19

There are two types of people in the world.  There are those who are lost, born with the sin nature originating in Adam and those who once were lost and now are saved through faith in Jesus Christ.  Pretty simple when you think about it.  You can set all of our cultural  and ethnic differences aside.  (Difficult as that might be for some, I know.) When we stand before God – those differences won’t matter – only are you a sheep– born again – adopted into the family of God or a goat – lost and separated from God for eternity.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’…And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. ” – Matthew 25:32-34,41,46

Like I said – pretty simple.  But to the point of this devotion. Our problem with sin after salvation. Everyone reading this struggles with the temptation to sin and the fact that we continue to sin. There is a constant battle between our old sin nature and our new spiritual nature. You know that God has put His Spirit in each son and daughter at the point of adoption – or salvation through faith in Jesus. You know that God knows your heart – and those things that you commit to in your heart and maybe you do or don’t act out. There are aspects of your life that can remain hidden from others – but are plain as day to God. But because of Jesus – we are not condemned or rejected by God – because of our new nature – because Jesus is our righteousness. Because of God’s grace and mercy. Because we are saved by grace through faith and not human effort.  But let me hasten to say that I am not telling you that your day-to-day sins don’t matter – they do.

The guilt we feel when we sin is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  God sent the Spirit to be a Helper – we cannot live our new life on our own – it is spiritual and requires the power of God through the Spirit by faith and obedience.  I would say that so long as we walk this earth, we will struggle with our sin nature. The sins that we commit may change but it will always be the same sinful root no matter what the sinful fruit.  Sins range from the “not so bad” to the unconscionable – unthinkable.  But at they have the same root – disobedience.  

Don’t trivialize your sin – decide that sin is unavoidable and therefore, somehow, acceptable. 

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” – Romans 6:1-3

We should have the attitude of King David.  David was guilty of an egregious sin – he had Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband, killed to hide the fact that David had an affair with Bathsheba and she was pregnant.  Nathan the prophet confronted David over his sin.  This was David’s response when he was forced to come face to face with what he had done.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin…. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.”  – Psalm 51:1-2,10-13

Even though God forgave David, there was a consequence for his sin, just as it is for us. But when the Spirit of God convicts us of our sin – it should be our response as well. You cannot lose your salvation because of your sins – but you can lose your witness and quench the Spirit and the power of God within you.  What it is that you need to confess to the Lord? (1 John 1:9)

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone