The Blood of Jesus is greater than our sins and His grace is sufficient for our weakness and our failures. He who the Sons sets free is free indeed (see John 8:36). These are not platitudes, but Spiritual Truths beyond mere facts. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (KJV). 1 John 2:1-2 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: And He is the Propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (KJV). Even though verses also apply to believers who may have sinned after receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, some find it difficult to believe they can still be His as if there is no way back to the Father. They feel as if they no place for repentance because “they knew better.” While grace does not sanction nor sanctify sin, it is exactly what the Lord provided for time such as these.
Grace will not let the true disciple of Jesus Christ “get away with sin.” It is designed to empower us to live holy before God, and will not allow our conscience to become oblivious to wrong doing. Grace is the avenue God gave us to repent and restore the fellowship that we enjoyed with Him before sinning. In fact, when a person comes to his senses and truly repents, God’s grace enables him to draw even closer to Him than before. Jesus taught that those who are forgiven much would also love much (see Luke 7:39-50).
The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and leads us to repentance; however, there is another element to consider. That is the discipline of the Father. At the time of one’s failure, He may withdraw the awareness of His presence, so that we become acutely aware of what it would be like to not be in His presence. Hence, that “lost feeling” comes into play. Secondly, it also reacquaints a person with the fear of the Lord. How dreadful to be lost without Him for all eternity! Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby (KJV). When we submit to the Father’s correction, peace will return.
The Father is not content to merely forgive us. As He cleanses us, He also roots out the core issues that lead to failure, but that is another subject. Nonetheless, the problem of sin is not always so black and white. There are matters of the heart at play here. It is not necessarily a question of rebellion. For example, there is such a thing as self-sabotage as the result of wrong thinking and faulty belief systems. That is why it is important to ask for wisdom when facing trials (see James 1:2-8).
God is greater than our failure. He did not go to such an Extraordinary Measure to save our souls, only to let us slip through His fingers. We must believe Him and trust His Word. A person who makes a conscious decision to depart from the living God with an evil heart of unbelief is something completely different. We are exhorted to take comfort through the Scriptures. Do you remember King David? Did he sin before God? Of course, but the Lord still said David’s heart was perfect with God, and he was a man after His own heart. Keep in mind that was Old Testament. Does your heart chase after God?
