Sin and Repentance
Repent or Perish
Luke 13:1-5
13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Sin and Repentance. God hates sin in general, and without repentance there cannot be forgiveness from God, we therefore must be careful to maintain holiness in our walk with Him if we desire to spend eternity with Him in Heaven by repenting regularly and on a daily basis. Luke 15:7 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Christians ought to pay close attention to what God is saying regarding the issue of Sin in our life. Nobody can claim to be absolutely free from sin because we sin daily, whether we are aware of it or not. The main point however is how to deal with it once you recognize it’s presence in your life. People deal with it differently, but the Bible talks about a very specific way of dealing with sin, especially among the God fearing (the brethren).
Guilty of Sin
16 Confess your trespasses[a] to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Confession means one is admitting that they were indeed involved in the sin and are guilty of committing it, but are asking for forgiveness from God who only has the ability not only to forgive and forget but also to restore one into His own image and the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. Confessing also to the person you have sinned against is of utmost importance, because it brings release and closure.
Dealing with the Cause
Jesus said, in Matthew 5:30
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Jesus addressed the main causes of Sin and not sin itself, why is that important. It’s important for several reasons, first, if for example you notice that your house is leaking water or the roof is leaking, I believe it would be wise to go and establish the source of that leak or try to find out what’s causing the leak so that you can fix it, otherwise if you don’t take any action, your house would be submerged with water and you won’t have a comfortable place of dwelling.
It’s the same concept with the causes of sin.
Some people have addiction problems, that causes them to indulge into alcoholism for example, or any other type of addiction, so the key thing is to deal with the cause. Abstain from drinking any alcohol in this case, and by doing that it would help in dealing with the cause of alcoholism in your life and bring or guarantee success.
Others have anger issues; find out the cause for that anger or what triggers the anger and it’ll prevent you from sinning.
Christ doesn’t want people to keep on sinning, and sinning comes as a result of a cause, which is triggered by our own actions, behavior or evil desires in our hearts which causes us to sin both willingly and unwillingly.
Some individuals for example have insecurity problems which make them argumentative, which creates an unpleasant environment to others, and that in itself doesn’t please or glorify God the almighty. So, it’s imperative for all Christians to deal with the cause of sin in our lives and that means it’s going to cost us something dear to our lives. Jesus mentioned cutting off our own right hand for example, which if implemented can be very painful to carry out, but you get the idea.
Go and Sin no more
In the book of John 8: 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her,[i] “Woman, where are those accusers of yours?[j] Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and[k] sin no more.”
Jesus freed the woman caught in adultery and admonished her to ‘go and sin no more’. Why would Christ emphasize to her to go and sin no more? And who knows if she actually kept that Word or commandment? , nobody knows for sure, but you get the idea.
Make it a point daily and strive to establish the root cause of what causes you to sin and once you do that, you’ll realize that your walk with God would be much more healthier and fulfilling than when you are entangled with sin, which brings discomfort, pain and unhappiness.
Repent your Sin
Repent today and serve God in a spirit of peace and tranquility. He loves those who are free to serve Him because they are more obedient, effective and can achieve much than when they are involved in Sin. Matthew 3:8
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
