We\u2019ve all heard it and we\u2019ve all done it.\u00a0 We even forced our little ones to say \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d to another child who has been hurt in some way.\u00a0 We\u2019ve also forgiven those little ones for things that are serious sins in an adult.\u00a0 A two-year-old may steal another child\u2019s toy three or four times in an hour (\u201cmine!\u201d) and be \u201cforgiven\u201d by the nursery worker.\u00a0 Yet stealing by an adult must be dealt with in a more adult way.\u00a0 Recently, FALN terrorist Oscar Lopez-Rivera said he was sorry for killing and bombing and now is honored in a parade.\u00a0 Why is it more serious as adults than as children when we merely repeat the words, \u201cI\u2019m sorry?\u201d<\/p>\n
A few years ago a woman wrote an article for Christianity Today titled, \u201cHow Should the Church Handle Adultery?\u201d1<\/sup>\u00a0 She took as her example John 8:1-12, the woman caught in adultery, as the church\u2019s example of how to handle a case of adultery.\u00a0 She likened the Pharisees of the story to \u201cchurch people\u201d and \u201cmembers of the body of Christ\u201d who \u201cfind more pleasure in execution than in restoration.\u201d\u00a0 As to Jesus saying, \u201cAll right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone\u201d [sic], she writes, What about you, what have you done?\u201d\u00a0 Then to Jesus\u2019 final words, \u201cNeither do I [condemn you]. Go and sin no more\u201d [sic], she writes, \u201cJesus\u2019 final word to this adulterous woman gives a death blow to the self-righteous heart in the body of Christ.\u00a0 The self-righteous heart in the church is evident when we as believers seek to bring justice to every sin without taking the time to see the sinner.\u00a0 How can we let adultery go unpunished?\u00a0 Is it easy? Of course not, but the church must follow the example of our Savior. . . But I am afraid that this cannot happen until we have a real encounter with the grace and mercy of God.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t find these words uncommon today.\u00a0 Many churches do not deal with overt sin pleading the grace and mercy of God.\u00a0 Was this not the thinking of the Corinthian church when, in their prideful way, they failed to deal with adultery and Paul said to them, \u201cYour glorying is not good.\u00a0 Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?\u201d (1 Cor. 5:6).\u00a0 Then at the end of the chapter he writes, \u201cTherefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.\u201d\u00a0 Now, to be fair, we must also remember that by the time Paul wrote the second letter the adulterous man had evidently truly repented and Paul then instructed the church, \u201cSufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.\u00a0 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow\u201d (2 Cor. 2:6-7).\u00a0 Yet the point to be made is that the church did in fact \u201cinflict\u201d a \u201cpunishment\u201d for the sin of adultery until true repentance was made.\u00a0 In addition, Paul describes what true repentance looks like after the church repented of this and other sins, \u201cFor behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge!\u00a0 In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter\u201d (2 Cor. 7:11).<\/p>\n As a pastor I have, after having to deal with sin in the church, addressed the offender and the whole church by saying, \u201cWe believe that sin is real but we also believe that forgiveness is real.\u201d\u00a0 We can\u2019t take sin lightly as if it were just a mistake about a recipe or a ball game score.\u00a0 We must seek true repentance.\u00a0 And neither can we not forgive when true repentance has been shown.\u00a0 In all we must not avoid the Biblical process.<\/p>\n Some doctrinal perspective<\/span><\/p>\n Too often we speak of things such as grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, sin, and self-righteousness, with definitions that fit our current culture but not necessarily with the Bible.\u00a0 In major theology works sin is dealt with in the section called Hamartiology, the study of sin.\u00a0 Within that section one will find a section on Sanctification, the ongoing process of putting away sin in the Christian life.\u00a0 The views on sanctification can run from legalism on one extreme to antinomianism (license) on the other.\u00a0 Historically these differences have made denominations because they formulate views on eternal security.\u00a0 When there is too much justification in sanctification one becomes legalistic.\u00a0 When there is too much sanctification in justification, one becomes antinomian.<\/p>\n Charles Ryrie begins his section on the Christian and sin by writing, \u201cBecoming a Christian does not exempt one from sinning nor from obedience to the law of Christ.\u00a0 To say it does is to fall into one or both of the common errors concerning the Christian and sin.\u00a0 The one is a false perfectionism and the other antinomianism.\u201d2<\/sup>\u00a0 Wayne Grudem makes the traditional division of sanctification: positional, progressive, and final, and begins by writing, \u201cNow we come to a part of the application of redemption that is a progressive work that continues throughout our earthly lives.\u00a0 It is also a work in which God and man cooperate, each playing distinct roles.\u00a0 This part of the application of redemption is called sanctification:\u00a0 Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.\u201d3<\/sup>\u00a0 In this section Grudem speaks about \u201ccorporate sanctification,\u201d4<\/sup> by which he means the necessity of the whole body of Christ helping the sinning brother.<\/p>\n The point here is that today we seem to be leaning much more toward antinomianism than to legalism.\u00a0 Many are reacting to what they believe was harsh treatment of sin by the church in the past.\u00a0 Yet in an antinomian era all direct dealing with sin in the church would seem harsh.\u00a0 We do not doubt that sin has been dealt with in an unloving way at times.\u00a0 But the believer cannot continue in sin as if he cannot have victory over it because our Lord said that he can (Rom. 6:6-18).\u00a0 Neither should he continue in sin as if God doesn\u2019t care because the Bible says He does (Rom. 6:1, 15).<\/p>\n Is \u201csorry\u201d enough?<\/span><\/p>\n The answer is yes and no.\u00a0 If we use that word as a two-year-old uses it, no, it is not enough.\u00a0 A two-year-old cannot understand the unfailing love of a parent nor the process of the Holy Spirit in the heart.\u00a0 He can only understand obedience and he is doing what his parent has asked.\u00a0 But even a new believer can understand that such an answer is not a real admission of sin.\u00a0 There has to be more to \u201csorry\u201d than mere words.\u00a0 \u201cGodly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death\u201d (2 Cor. 7:10).\u00a0 David cried to God concerning his adultery, \u201cWash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.\u00a0 For I acknowledge my transgression: and my sin is ever before me.\u00a0 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight\u201d (Psa. 51:2-4).<\/p>\n \u201cSorry\u201d is part of the word \u201csorrow\u201d and Paul said that godly sorrow does bring about true repentance.\u00a0 If the word \u201csorry\u201d were the conclusion of the sorrow and repentance process and a true confession of the heart, then such an expression would be accepted.\u00a0 \u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness\u201d (1 John 1:9).\u00a0 \u201cConfess\u201d (homologe<\/i>\u014d<\/i>) means \u201cto say the same thing.\u201d\u00a0 Confession is true as long as we are saying the same thing about our sin as God says!<\/p>\n Here are a few things to remember when we confess our sins.\u00a0 First, as believers, we are forgiven all our sins, past, present, and future, or, as John puts it, \u201cand the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin\u201d (1 John 1:7).\u00a0 We are not asking God to save us again each time we confess our sin.\u00a0 Sin, however, destroys our fellowship with God even as His own child.\u00a0 \u201cIf we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth\u201d (1 John 1:6).\u00a0 True confession is vital for fellowship with God.<\/p>\n Second, true repentance is never late but late repentance is seldom true.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Paul admonished, \u201clet not the sun go down upon your wrath\u201d (Eph. 4:26).\u00a0 When we have sinned we ought to be under great conviction by the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 We cannot stand to go on another day without confession to God.\u00a0 How many of us have awakened in the middle of the night as the Spirit brought our faults to mind and have gotten out of bed and gone to our knees in repentance?\u00a0 Then, returning to our bed we could say, \u201cFor so he giveth his beloved sleep\u201d (Psa. 127:2).<\/p>\n Third, God always hears, forgives, and restores because of true confession, but the scars from sin may last a life-time.\u00a0 Moses still could not enter the promised land because of His sin of smiting the rock in the desert.\u00a0 David \u201cdid that which was right in the eyes of the LORD . . . Save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite\u201d (2 Kings 15:5).\u00a0 Even John Mark had to wait years for Paul to be able to trust him again with missionary work, and only then did he become \u201cprofitable to me for the ministry\u201d (2 Tim. 4:11).\u00a0 There is a difference between forgiveness and fitness.\u00a0 Unfortunately sin comes in quickly and breaks things, and the scars from the break take time to heal and that time depends on the nature of the break.\u00a0 A harsh word may take only a conversation to heal, but unfaithfulness in marriage will take more than that.\u00a0 Some sins have deeper roots than others and take time to heal.<\/p>\n Fourth, as we get older, though our sins may not be as overt as when we were young, because of our years of walking with God and enjoying fellowship with Him, even the smallest sins pierce us more deeply.\u00a0 Grudem said this well,<\/p>\n As Christians grow in maturity, the kinds of sin that remain in their lives are often not so much sins of words or deeds that are outwardly noticeable to others, but inward sins of attitudes and motives of the heart\u2014desires such as pride and selfishness, lack of courage or faith, lack of zeal in loving God with our whole hearts and our neighbors as ourselves, and failure to fully trust God for all that he promises in every situation.\u00a0 These are real sins!\u00a0 They show how far short we fall of the moral perfection of Christ.5<\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This is the goal that we all should be striving to attain.<\/p>\n Is \u201cgrace\u201d enough?<\/span><\/p>\n Again the answer is yes and no.\u00a0 We should know and never doubt that God has forgiven us all our sins.\u00a0 \u201cThe blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us [present tense, continually] from all sin\u201d (1 John 1:7).\u00a0 \u201cWherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost [lit. entirely] that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them\u201d (Heb. 7:25).\u00a0 On the other hand, no, or not yet.\u00a0 Though we are positionally sanctified in Christ and secure, we are not done with sin in this life.\u00a0 Our progressive sanctification continues until we receive a resurrected, glorified body.\u00a0 As it is often said, we were saved from the penalty of sin at salvation; we are being saved from the power of sin during our Christian life here on earth; and we will be saved from the presence of sin in heaven (see Heb. 9:24-28).<\/p>\n We can remember these things about our eternal security and our progressive sanctification.\u00a0 First, God loves us and so He chastens us as dear children.\u00a0 \u201cFor whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.\u00a0 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?\u201d (Heb. 12:6-7).\u00a0 His grace does not leave us alone with our sin as believers but deals with our sin, \u201cthat we might be partakers of his holiness\u201d (Heb. 12:10).\u00a0 It is not the grace of God that knowingly ignores the sin of fellow believers.<\/p>\n Second, there is a difference between parental love with procrastination and parental love with instruction.\u00a0 A parent never stops loving his\/her child regardless of the transgression.\u00a0 Human love (storg<\/i>\u0113<\/i>) illustrates God\u2019s love and grace toward His children.\u00a0 But what parent doesn\u2019t instruct and train the child and apply stricter training as the child gets older?\u00a0 We may have greater patience with the new Christian who really doesn\u2019t know yet how to walk the Christian life.\u00a0 But that is no excuse for the mature Christian who knows better.\u00a0 Though he is no less a beloved brother, his knowing sin becomes more serious.<\/p>\n Third, it is not showing grace to a person to ignore, overlook, or not deal with known sin.\u00a0 God does not do this with us.\u00a0 Why should we think that we should do this with other believers?\u00a0 Some may think that when we sing \u201cJust As I Am\u201d or when we say \u201cGod accepts you just as you are,\u201d that we are saying that we don\u2019t need to deal with sin.\u00a0 But they are mistaken.\u00a0 Only in the new birth experience do I come \u201cJust As I Am.\u201d\u00a0 It is true, \u201cNothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling\u201d when it comes to how we come to Christ for salvation.\u00a0 But this is not true in sanctification.\u00a0 God does not accept us just as we are when it comes to Christian growth, maturity, and personal holiness.\u00a0 It would be parental neglect if He did!\u00a0 Rather, God will not let us alone.\u00a0 He will prune us, chastise us, correct us, and teach us to be more like Christ.\u00a0 \u201cBut grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ\u201d (2 Pet. 3:18).\u00a0 \u201cFor the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world\u201d (Tit. 2:11-12).<\/p>\n Fourth, when we bear one another\u2019s burden we are fulfilling the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).\u00a0 If we are spiritual we will seek to restore a sinning brother who is overtaken in a fault, considering ourselves lest we be overtaken in the same kind of thing (Gal. 6:1).\u00a0 Paul goes on to say that though we all have our own burdens (phortion<\/i>, \u201cfreight\u201d), we must work at bearing one another\u2019s burden (baros<\/i>, \u201cweight\u201d).\u00a0 To say that we love someone so much that we would never make a judgment about their moral failure, is not to love at all.\u00a0 It may be to escape the responsibility and make it easier on ourselves.\u00a0 We would never agree that a parent loved her child so much that she could never discipline him really showed love.<\/p>\n And so . . .<\/b><\/p>\n Ryrie ended his chapter on sanctification with this great quote from J.C. Ryle,<\/p>\n We may take comfort about our souls if we know anything of an inward fight and conflict.\u00a0 It is the invariable companion of genuine Christian holiness . . . Do we find in our heart of hearts a spiritual struggle?\u00a0 Do we feel anything of the flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, so that we cannot do the things that we would?\u00a0 Are we conscious of two principles within us, contending for the master?\u00a0 Do we feel anything of war in our inward man?\u00a0 Well, let us thank God for it!\u00a0 It is a good sign.\u00a0 It is strongly probable evidence of the great work of sanctification . . . Anything is better than apathy, stagnation, deadness, and indifference.6<\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n So let us do the hard thing.\u00a0 Let us truly bear one another\u2019s burden and so fulfill the law of Christ.\u00a0 And let us also grow in grace putting away our own sins and becoming more like Christ in our own lives.<\/p>\n Notes:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve all heard it and we\u2019ve all done it.\u00a0 We even forced our little ones to say \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d to another child who has been hurt in some way.\u00a0 We\u2019ve also forgiven those little ones for things that are serious sins in an adult.\u00a0 A two-year-old may steal another child\u2019s toy three or four times […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[167],"class_list":["post-7216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-christian-living-cross-discipleship"],"yoast_head":"\n\n