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What About Sin? Now that you are saved, you no doubt have a desire to live a holy life that is pleasing to God. But sin is inevitable. 1 John 1:8 says “If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” What is a Christian to do about his sin? Our Natural Defense Sometimes we try to cover our sin and pretend it is not there. We may call it by another name or categorize it as a small, inconsequential sin. But the fact is that our fellowship with God is broken. We no longer hear His voice, and our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears. This fellowship should mean everything to us as New Testament believers, and we must fight to maintain it. What a shame to live for days or weeks out of fellowship with our precious Lord all because of a small sin. This is especially true since we have such a wonderful Savior! The Lord Jesus Is Able to Forgive Sins The Lord Jesus once forgave the sins of a paralyzed man (Luke 5:20). When some observers questioned His ability to do this, Jesus responded that it was no more difficult for Him to forgive this man’s sins than it was for Him to heal his body. He promptly healed him, thus proving that He was well able. The Lord Jesus Has Authority to Forgive Sins In Luke 7:36-48, Jesus was invited to eat at a Pharisee’s home. While He was reclining there, a woman known for her sin came to Jesus and washed His feet with her tears. Much to the surprise of His host, the Lord Jesus told this sinful woman “Your sins are forgiven.” Everyone at the table asked themselves who Jesus thought He was to do this, but Jesus confirmed His authority by telling the woman “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” God’s Promise Hebrews 8:12 contains a marvelous promise. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” This promise is given uniquely to Christians, to those of us who have believed into Christ for our salvation. The Lord Jesus is today the same One who forgave the sins of people 2000 years ago. He still loves to forgive men of their sins. We dare not doubt that He has the ability or authority to do this. God’s promise to us is clear. He will be merciful to our unrighteousness, and He will not even remember our sins and iniquities! Our Experience 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.” This verse should be memorized, recited, and celebrated by all Christians everywhere. We should make it a banner that we hang in our bedrooms to read before we go to sleep at night and again the first thing every morning. Just think! All that is required for us to lay hold of God’s promise of forgiveness is found in this simple verse. Confess your sin and believe God’s promise. You will immediately sense the forgiveness of God and the cleansing of your sin. Nothing More! There is nothing else for us to do. No amount of work, begging, self-pity, or penance can earn forgiveness. Waiting for days until God’s anger subsides will accomplish nothing. He is longing for us to take advantage of His provision. He went to a lot of trouble to provide Christ as our savior. We cannot add to it. Our part is to simply confess and receive His forgiveness.
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