“Godly sorrow produces repentance
leading to salvation…” —2 Corinthians 7:10
Being sorry for our sins is not
enough. Repentance means turning away
from our sin, not merely being frustrated and sorry that we continue to
sin. Conviction of sin is a supernatural
act of the Spirit of God that brings an awareness of the truth of our sin … all
sin separates us from God. But sin is to
the sinner like drugs are to the drug addict.
As Christians we know that sin is not good. That it’s contrary to our
new nature, but something drives us to want to cling to that sin. We may even
ask God to forgive us, but really all we want is relief from the conviction and
the consequences. We have not abandoned
what it is that draws us to that sin.
This is a spiritual struggle. (Ephesians 6:12) Our struggle with sin manifests itself in our
flesh – through physical actions and our thought life. So it leads us to the question that Paul
wrote in Romans 7 …
“I find then the principle that evil
is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the
law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my
body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law
of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free
from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So
then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on
the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” – Romans 7:21-25
The danger for us is that we can become
complacent about the sins we struggle with.
Even accepting. Giving in. Rationalizing
their presence and persistence. Someone once said that to rationalize is to
tell yourself “Rational Lies”. But that is not the life we have been called
to. When you come under the conviction
of the Holy Spirit because of your sin, (John 16:8) don’t see it as a problem but
as a blessing. A heavenly reminder that you are a child of God.
“ So ….. let us also
lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let
us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For
His Glory Alone
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