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What Does God Do When You Sin?

Posted on by Bob Christopher

I used to think God turned His back on me every time I sinned. It was up to me to figure out some way to get Him to turn around.
Here is what I did. I confessed my sin, asked God to forgive me and then hoped He would turn around to face me again. Sadly, I was never sure He ever turned around. If He did, the next sin turned Him back around.
What was really important to me back then was figuring out what I was supposed to do when I sinned. I never really asked the question, “What does God do when I sin?”
According to the Bible, He does not punish us when we sin. Jesus took the punishment we justly deserved. Here is the good news. God has already done something about my sin and your sin.
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).
But what about today? What does God do today when we sin? Here are seven actions God takes on our behalf. (This isn’t an exhaustive list, simply the seven that have been most beneficial in my life. Please add to this list in the comment section.)

  1. He reminds us of Christ’s death on the cross and the forgiveness we have in Him – “I write to you dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name” (1 John 2:12).
  2. He assures us that we are children of God — For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15-16).
  3. He shows us the consequences of our sin, how our actions have affected others and moves us to be reconciled to those we have hurt – “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10). God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).
  4. He teaches us to say “no” to sin – “It (grace) teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…” (Titus 2:11).
  5. He encourages us to put off the old, and put on the new — You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). (See also Colossians 3:5-14)
  6. He works all things together for our good – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
  7. He continues to fulfill His promise to complete the work He began in us – “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Contrary to what most people think, God does not turn His back on us when we sin. He actively loves us and works in us to “will and to act according to His good purpose.” This is what God does when we sin.
Knowing what He does when we sin better equips us to know what we should do when we sin.
In what ways have you seen God work in your life when you have sinned?

You Can Say "No" to Sin…

Posted on by Bob Christopher

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Learning to say “no” is the by-product of saying “yes” to the Spirit.
It is important to understand this distinction. So many well-intentioned believers spend a life time trying to overcome sin in their lives. They wake up each morning with this prayer on their lips: “Lord, please help me to not sin today.” At the end of the day, they look back only to see their prayer went unanswered.
A better prayer is this: “Lord, teach me to abide in you and to follow the leading of God’s Spirit in my life.” God’s Spirit is never going to lead you into sin. He leads you to trust in the Lord, to live righteous and upright lives. He leads you to love and serve others. In living out the Spirit’s work in your life, you will automatically be saying “no” to sin. Peter put it this way:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

Walking in the Spirit is trusting God to complete the work He began in you. You can count on Him to complete this task, even when you do not fully cooperate. This is His promise: “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…”
When we do get off course, and we will, the Holy Spirit merely recalculates our journey and continues His work in conforming us to the image of His Son. He does so without condemnation. Nor does He manipulate us with fear or guilt to get us back on track. He uses our mistakes, reminding us of the forgiveness we have in Christ, and works them together for our good. He comforts our hearts with this amazing promise: “that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
You are not alone on your journey. Jesus is there with you every step of the way. Trust Him, rely upon Him, and live out what He is working in your life. When you do you will be saying “no” to sin and “yes’ to the will of God.

Is it Possible to Misinterpret the Grace of God?

Posted on by Bob Christopher

Carlos from El Paso asked this question on the radio broadcast this week.
The answer is yes. In the short letter of Jude near the end of the Bible we read this: “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4 NIV).
Godless people misinterpret grace. They pervert it for their own purposes. To them, it is a Justification for immoral behavior, a license to sin if you will. This view of grace is a denial of Jesus Christ, the One who is full of grace and truth.
We should expect this. As Jesus said, people exist who love darkness over light because their deeds are evil. It follows that these would take the amazing grace of God and pervert it for their evil purposes.
Many wonder if we should alter the way we communicate the grace of God to prevent these “godless men” from turning the grace of God into a license to sin. The answer is a resounding no! We should communicate grace in its purest form, trusting that those who respond to Jesus in faith will be made new, made alive and made right in God’s sight.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said this: “If your preaching of the gospel of God’s free grace in Jesus Christ does not provoke the charge from some of antinomianism, you’re not preaching the gospel of the free grace of God in Jesus Christ.”
Let’s communicate the fullness of God’s grace and leave the results to Him.
Have you ever thought you needed to change the way you communicate grace to keep some from seeing it as nothing more than a license to sin?

A Hard Lesson from a Great Teacher

Posted on by Bob Christopher

Grace teaches us to say no to sin and to live righteous upright lives.
How?
What teaching method does Grace use to impart this valuable lesson?
My thoughts on this are not perfectly clear. This post is an opportunity for us to think out loud together on the answer to this question.
Here is what I have noticed happening in my life.
My view on sin has changed. Grace has peeled back the layers to show sin in a different light.
Sin is the opposite of love. Sin carries with it consequences that do harm to others. Sin hurts people.
When I sin I miss the mark of love. I’ve seen my sin cause pain and hurt and sorrow in the lives of other people.
That is a terrible thing to see.
Under grace sin is more than just a violation of law. Gratifying the flesh is no longer just a decision of should I or should I not or can I get away with it.
Grace lifts my eyes so that I see that my decisions do affect others. Then it reminds me to abide in Christ, to trust and rely on Him to live his life through me.
How has the grace of God been teaching you to say no to sin?
By the way, we couldn’t ask for a better teacher.

The Real Enemy

Posted on by Bob Christopher

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” from The Art of War
Why was the Jewish leadership during the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry so troubled by Him? Why did they reject Him as their Messiah?
His claims were clear. His miracles provided sufficient evidence that He was indeed the Messiah. But neither of these convinced the Jewish leadership. To them, Jesus was an imposter. He was not fulfilling their job description for Messiah. He had to go.
What was their problem? They did not know the enemy.
Their Messiah was to sweep in, knock Caesar off his throne, defeat the evil Roman Empire and establish Israel as the pre-eminent nation in the world. But Rome was not the enemy. Their enemy, a trio of adversaries to be exact, was far more sinister and cunning. Satan, sin and death comprised this axis of evil and it was them that Jesus came to defeat.
The Jewish leadership of Jesus’ day missed this critical truth. They missed it because they did not know themselves. They were blind to their lost condition, the fact they were dead in sin like everyone else in the world.
They needed a savior and redeemer. They needed a deliverer. They needed a king who knew the enemy and could defeat him at every turn. They needed Jesus. As to the art of war, none can compare to Him. In one crushing blow He defeated Satan, sin and death.

  • As for Satan and his band of demons, Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15 (NIV)
  • As for sin, Jesus “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26 (NIV)
  • As for death, Jesus “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” 2 Timothy 1:10 (ESV)

Jesus knew the enemy, the real enemy of our souls. Jesus’ work through His death and resurrection brought the dominion of Satan, sin and death to end for us. Makes me wonder. Should we look at the cross as the work of a suffering servant, or of that as a conquering king? We’ll take a look at that question next time.
For now, I’ll end with this. Recognizing the real enemy of our soul’s frees us to rejoice in Christ’s victory at the cross and to live as more than conquerors in our daily lives.

Who is in Control?

Posted on by Bob Christopher

Are you saying that since you are totally forgiven you can just go out and do anything you want? Anytime the grace of God is discussed, the critics drone away with this ridiculous question. All it does is betray their shallow understanding of salvation.
In Christ, we have received much more than forgiveness. We have been made alive so that we could walk in the newness of life led and guided by God’s Holy Spirit. Is God’s Spirit going to lead you to sin? To the person who believes that salvation is nothing more than the forgiveness of sins, freedom doesn’t make sense. So they ask the question.
The question isn’t new. Paul was hit with it almost everywhere he traveled. He gave an alarming answer to these critics in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “everything is permissible to me.” Yes, he was free to submit to the desires of the flesh. And so are you. But what was more important to Paul was that in Christ he was free to submit to the desires of the Spirit. And guess what? You are too. Both are permissible, but only one is profitable.
Here is the real issue. When we give in to the desires of the flesh we put ourselves under the control of sin. For the child of God, this doesn’t make sense. Paul didn’t want to be mastered by anything. He had had enough of that as a lost person. He wanted to live his life under the control of the Holy Spirit and experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.
We are not independent beings, we are dependent. But God has given us the freedom to choose who or what we will depend upon at any given moment. Who is in control? That is the question we should be asking. When we submit to the desires of the Spirit, we will experience the abundant life Jesus promised. Who is in control of your life?

Forgiveness

Posted on by Bob Christopher

God remembers your sins no more. I don’t know about you, but when the lights came on concerning this truth, my life changed.
For the longest time, it seemed everywhere I went, or whatever I tried to do, guilt was right there with me, haunting me and toying with my mind. My sins weren’t the stuff of legend, but they were sins just the same and they (I) deserved to be punished. But when, how? I didn’t have the answer, only the sobering thought that some day God was going to punish me.
Even though I knew of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, forgiveness was not a reality. I wasn’t even convinced that it was a possibility. I wondered if God was willing to forgive me at all. I pleaded with Him, asked Him into my life countless times, but still guilt kept hanging around, until…
Hebrews 10. There, I found out exactly what Jesus’ sacrifice did for me. His work on the cross cleansed me, took away my sins, made me holy and perfect in God’s sight, and fulfilled the old covenant on my behalf. And this just blows my mind: Jesus’ death erased my sins from God’s memory.
Oh, the relief I felt knowing that my sins had been forgiven once and for all, and then to be unshackled from the guilt and shame. They kept telling me I could never go into the throne of grace, even though the door was wide open. But no more, forgiveness is mine. I’ve entered in. How about you?