I used to think God turned his back on me every time I sinned. I call what I once believed about God a "swivel chair" theology. He turned away from me when I sinned. He turned toward me after I confessed and asked for forgiveness. I was never sure, however, if he ever turned back around.

Sadly, many believers hold to this same "swivel chair" theology. They are trying to figure out what they need to do to get God to turn his face toward them. In other words, they are trying to figure out what to do when they sin.

Maybe it's time to ask a different question: "What does God do when I sin?"

Here is the good news. God has already done something about sin. God reconciled you to himself in Christ and he does not count your sins against you (2 Corinthians 5:19). The writer of Hebrews gives us the full implications of Christ's death for us. "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin" (Hebrews 10:17, 18).

That point is emphasized even more in 1 John 2:12. "I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name". God dealt with your sins once and for all at the cross. Now he is committed to you and his plan to conform you to the image of his Son.

God does not turn his back on you when you sin. The "swivel chair" theology is a lie. No, he always has his face turned toward you. And as the writer of Hebrews so clearly stated, he will never leave you or forsake you.