Have you ever asked yourself, "how does ongoing confession of sin work in a believers life?" Have you ever wondered, " Jesus died for past sins. What if some temptations are so strong I give in, does that mean I lose favor with God? Is my salvation in jeapordy because I sinned? Today will be two parts in one blog because I feel they need to be understood back to back rather than dividing them into two separate blogs posted on two separate days. This will require a longer reading schedule on your part. If it seems like too much reading, then stop and come back later to finish even if that means tomorrow.
Scripture gives a fairly clear picture of this subject, and there is an important distinction between Christ’s finished work, ongoing confession, and deliberately continuing in sin. Keep those three key points in mind as you read in context how Scripture handles a Christian who commits sin. All answers will be answered with the WORD of God. No opinions are spoken here.
1. Jesus' death does not merely cover your sins up to the day you believed. The New Testament does not present Jesus as paying only for the sins you committed before conversion. Hebrews says: “By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14 And Romans 8:1 says: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” When a person trusts in Christ, his standing before God rests on Christ's righteousness and sacrifice, not on his ability to maintain a sinless record afterward. That's why John can say: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Notice the assumption: believers can sin after coming to Christ. And when they do, Christ is their advocate.
2. Then why does Scripture tell believers to confess their sins? 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession isn't informing God of something He didn't know. It's agreeing with God about our sin and turning toward Him rather than hiding from Him. A believer who sins doesn't need to wonder, “Did Jesus' blood stop covering me?” Instead: “Father, I sinned. What I did was wrong. I don't want to hide it or justify it. Please forgive me and change me.”
And Scripture says God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse!
3. What if the temptation was extremely strong and you actually gave in? What then? This is where I think Scripture gives tremendous hope. Peter gives a picture of someone who really did fail under severe pressure. He denied Jesus three times. Jesus already knew Peter would fall. Yet Jesus told him beforehand: “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). Peter's failure was terrible. But Jesus did not abandon him. After the resurrection, Jesus specifically went looking for Peter and restored him (John 21:15–19). Paul describes the Christian struggle this way: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Romans 7:19). And then he cries: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (have you ever felt like Paul did when trying to overcome a particular son or vice?) His answer isn't, “I need to try harder so God will accept me.” It's: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” — Romans 7:25
4. Does repeatedly falling into a sin mean you've lost God's favor? I've been asked this more than once, but not necessarily—and Scripture strongly warns us against thinking that way. There is a difference between: “I hate this sin. I keep struggling with it. Sometimes I fall. I confess it and want freedom.” and “I know this is rebellion against God, but I don't care. I intend to continue in it and have no desire to repent.” The first describes the kind of struggle Scripture itself acknowledges in believers. The second is a serious warning sign because it represents a heart that is refusing God's rule. But even when you fall, the answer isn't to run away from God. It's to run toward Him! Hebrews 4:15-16 says that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses and then tells believers: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.” That's remarkable!! Because you are weak, you are invited to the throne of grace—not told to stay away until you've cleaned yourself up.
5. God's discipline is different from God's rejection. A believer can sin and experience God's displeasure and discipline without being cast out of God's family. Hebrews 12:6 says: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.” That's actually a statement of God's fatherly love. AND I'VE EXPERIENCED IT. Think of a child who disobeys his father. The father's correction doesn't mean, “You are no longer my child. ”Likewise, God's correction of His children is intended to restore them. David is a powerful example. After his grievous sin with Bathsheba, David didn't say, “I have sinned, therefore God can never receive me again.” He went to God in repentance: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10)
6. But what about “deliberate sin”? THIS WE REALLY NEED TO GRASP. Hebrews 10:26 can sound frightening: “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” This passage isn't teaching that one particularly strong temptation you eventually succumb to means Jesus' sacrifice no longer covers you.
The context is much more serious: it is describing turning away from Christ and repudiating His sacrifice, rather than the ordinary believer who falls into sin and comes back to God in repentance. That's an important distinction. A Christian saying, “Lord, I hate what I did. I fell again. Please forgive me and help me” is not the same thing as someone saying, “I reject Christ and don't want Him.”
7. One of the greatest promises is 1 John 2:1 I think this verse gets right to the heart of our question: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Notice both sides. God doesn't say: “Sin doesn't matter.” He says: “Don't sin.” But He also doesn't say: “If you sin, you're finished.” He says: “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate.” That's the gospel! The goal of the Christian life isn't: “I must become good enough that God will continue to love me.” It's:
“Because God has loved me and given Himself for me, I want to walk with Him, turn from sin, and become increasingly like Christ.” And one more thing
If you're wondering about this because there is a particular temptation that you keep falling into, I would not conclude from the fact that you fell that God has withdrawn His love from you. Confess it. Get back up. Come to Christ again. Don't hide. Proverbs 24:16 says: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” And Romans 8:38–39 gives perhaps the strongest assurance of all: nothing in creation can separate those who are in Christ from the love of God.
The Christian life isn't a story of never falling. It's a story of belonging to Christ, getting back up, and continuing to walk with Him by grace.
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PART TWO
Do you keep falling into a particular sin even though you're trying not to but sin's grip keeps winning? What Im describing is very close to the posture Scripture calls us toward: a heart that wants God, takes sin seriously, grieves when it falls, confesses it, and keeps turning back toward Him. Sound familar? Well there's one distinction I wanted to write and expand on that may bring you even more peace. You don't have to achieve perfection in order to be pleasing to God. Do you understand that? Your desire for holiness is good, but your acceptance before God isn't based on how perfectly you perform! It rests on Christ. Listen closely. Paul could say: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after” (Philippians 3:12). Paul wanted holiness desperately, yet he openly acknowledged that he had not already attained perfection And Scripture says, “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
God sees the difference between a heart that loves Him and hates its sin and a heart that has simply decided it doesn't care about Him. In my own weaknesses I have thought many times, “I never want to disappoint GOD” and that thought is important. WHY? If you've ever felt that way too, I'd encourage you to let that desire mature from fear of disappointing God into love for God. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments" ( John 14:15). Obedience is supposed to flow from love. And when you fail, don't let shame convince you that you need to stay away from God until you're worthy to approach Him. That's precisely when you should go to Him. Scriptures tellS us, “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17).
There is something beautiful here: If you sorrow over sin it can be evidence that your heart is turned toward God. A person who genuinely doesn't care about God generally isn't grieved that he has offended Him. So keep pursuing holiness. Fight temptation. Confess quickly when you fall. Make whatever changes are necessary to avoid returning to the same sin. Ask God for strength. And when you fail, don't make your failure bigger than Christ's grace! You can hold these two truths together:
“I want to be holy because I love God.” and “When I fail, Christ is still my Advocate.” Both are biblical! And perhaps most importantly, remember this: “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). God isn't finished with you!! The fact that you aren't perfect today doesn't mean you're on the wrong path. Sanctification is a walk. Keep walking. I hope these scriptures have helped clarify any doubts you may have had up to now considering your standing with Christ as you fight the good fight of faith Timothy describes in his 1st book Chapter 6 verse 12 -- describing the Christian life as an active, enduring struggle for spiritual truth, perserverance, and eternal life.
Until He Comes,
-Pat-
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