Can you believe today is the last day of May?! I don’t know about you guys, but this month has passed by quickly. I only wrote two posts this month. Sigh. I think I was a bit unmotivated. I messed up my writing schedule and as days turned to weeks, I was feeling less motivated to fix it. But I back with a bang BABY!
This month was truly a blessing for me. The theme for this month at my church, Zion Impact Ministries, is ” Mortifying the Deeds of the Flesh and Manifesting the Fruits of the Spirit”. This is an ongoing cycle for the rest of a believer’s life. However, this month I really got to focus on all the parts of me that don’t make the greatest representative of Jesus Christ. This is what led me to write on unveiling your hidden sins in a previous post. So, today I am writing on about repeated sins.
Questioning Salvation
If you’re a believer, you’ve probably been through a cycle of repeated sins, where you kept running to God for repentance. I know I have – more times than I can even count. You would come to God sobbing, hurt, and sorrowful and say that, ‘Lord, I will never ever to XYZ ever again. I promise’. You would say that prayer in the morning; it is now evening. A tear forms in the corner of your eye and you can’t bare to face God again, because you had just apologized to Him this morning. Yet here you are hours later, back in the same sin.
I have questioned my salvation and my love for him, because of continual sinful cycles. The doubt makes perfect sense. It’s not like you don’t know God and you now know Him, and the enemy is just reminding you of your past sins. No, this time your heart has accepted Jesus, but you still find yourself in a sinful cycle.
I spoke about this in a recent post on not turning back to the life before Christ. I mentioned that when we become born again, we are now justified. The consequence of sin has been dealt with, but we still have to battle with the power of sin, through the process of sanctification. The concept of repeated sins is very similar to this, but with an added perspective, related to repentance and confession, the struggles of the flesh and sin.
Repentance
In the Lord’s prayer, we see that there is provision for us to ask for forgiveness of our daily sins. It is safe to assume that God perceives that even when we have accepted Christ, we would still require cleansing. The repentance that occurs when we turn our hearts and lives to Jesus, is different from the daily cleansing that we require in order to live lives that are pleasing to God.
Throughout the Epistles, you would see Paul admonishing the different churches. They were already Christians, but still struggled with certain sins. Paul was quick to remind them of who they are in Christ, and by virtue of that, the required lifestyle that should follow a life of repentance. When you sin repeatedly, you don’t lose your status as a believer, because the blood of Jesus covers past sins, present sins and future sins. But, the repeated sins are evidence of a part of your life that is unwilling to bear fruit worthy of repentance.
This is not to say that repentance will never be required from a believer. There is a type of falling away from the faith, which would require one to repent and be called back. Such as the church of Pergamos in Revelation, which followed a type of doctrine that was detestable to God, and required their repentance.
Confessions vs Repentance
Since what is required of us is confession of our sins to God, there are also types of confessions. There is one where you would feel guilty and show remorse, but deep down you know that if that sin were to be presented again, you would succumb to its call. The other type of confession also shows remorse and guilt, but the confessor has a different heart posture. The confessor is willing to do everything possible to conquer the sin. They are not merely asking for forgiveness as a form of lip service, but they also don’t want it to reign in their mortal beings.
The Flesh
This brings us to the second concept, that explains why we can potentially continue in repeated sins. When we believe in Jesus Christ, God imputes righteousness into us. Our spirits are new but our flesh is exactly the same. Our new man desires to do the things that are right. However, the flesh ends up doing the things we hate (Romans 7:15 -16). The new you, which is a renewed spirit no longer approves of the sin made evident in your flesh. It rather disapproves it. However, our flesh is still subject to sin because of its fallenness. From the time that we accept Jesus, until bodies are glorified, there is a progressive freedom from sin that takes place. Nevertheless, that progression is also dependent on our desire to grow.
Sin
The last concept looks at the types of sin (used very loosely though) – spontaneous and premeditated sins. But, in the context of repeated sins, it is mostly premeditated sins. This is the type of sin where you deeply consider whether or not to do something, or say or listen to something. You wrestle and toss the sin in your head, and still end up doing it. When it comes to sins, it is important to note that it is not just the big bad things, like murder or fornication. It is ‘a condition of the heart that is bent away from God in preference of other things. This preference is expressed through our thoughts, actions and attitude’.
The Consequence of Not Upholding Holiness
Scripture is scattered with instances that show us that only a degree of holiness will get to experience a higher level of God’s glory. Psalm 24:4 tells us that only those with a clean heart and pure hands will see God. Of course, this doesn’t signify sinless perfection but rather a clean conscience, that is equally followed by acceptable outward mannerisms. The strive and desire to please God is very important. I have seen the difference in my life between offering lip service to God and truly wanting to please Him. When we desire to please Him, we will put measures in place to do so. No matter how painful it is. When you know the worth of beholding God in all His splendor, you will want to kill your flesh.
The question at play here is not about the number of times that you sin before God gives up on you. It has more to do with the posture of your heart. Are you simply accepting sin’s inevitable presence in your life? Are you dwelling in the realm of premeditated sin? Once you reach a point where you are not actively warring against the deadliness of sin, you may very well be on the path of destruction. Would you choose life or death? Do you want to stay in repeated sins, or wage war with it at all costs with Hands Lifted High?