Christian Living
Some time back, a friend of mine, whose name is Scott, sadly commented to me about how frequently he runs across Christians who fall prey to temptation. And then, having fallen, wear the weight of condemnation so heavily that they essentially throw in the towel, despairing of God’s capacity to forgive them, cleanse them, and restore them. Our conversation made me think of many I know, too, who struggle with this very thing.
Many people, when born again, are filled with fiery zeal and are beaming with the radiant glow of gratitude and hope. But then, if they’ve stumbled, they find that the lies of the great deceiver are whispered into their ears. And what are the lies that they hear? That they are failures. That since they gave in to temptation, God can’t love them anymore.
Some say that if you give in to any sin then you must not truly be a Christian or that you somehow lose assurance that God will receive you when this earthly life is over. They cite Revelation 21:8 in which we are taught that, “…the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
But there is a profound difference between the one whose heart has never yielded to the lordship of Jesus Christ as he or she attempts to hold on to a life of sin (such as the ones mentioned above), and the one who through weakness gives in to temptation… even repetitiously.
The difference is that a man (or woman), though having become a Christian, is still housed in a body of flesh. The Word of God, the Bible, teaches us that His Holy Spirit helps him, but there are times when he is beset by pangs of fearfulness, waves of anger, surges of pride, or assaults of physical impulses and therefore chooses to not yield to His Spirit’s promptings.
But consider the Apostle Paul’s words of encouragement who himself professed that there were times when he wasn’t perfect and even may have struggled with temptation. “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18b-19 ESV). The Bible doesn’t record the nature of his struggles, whether he struggled with fearfulness, pride, or just liked to eat too many doughnuts at the synagogue. But then again, it doesn’t really matter what it was for we each also find ourselves struggling with our own unique temptations, failures, and fears.
But the hope that he then goes on to share is for all of us. His words of incredible encouragement in Romans chapter 8 tell us how a Christian may begin to cultivate a lifetime of victory over sin because of the new identity that he or she has in Jesus Christ, finding enablement by God’s Spirit to break free from sin’s bondage.
So in reading these Scriptures, if we can agree that we “grow” and “increase” in victory over sin, then we must also recognize that such victories and changes aren’t necessarily instantaneous. No Christian is going to suddenly be a perfect person. She must be “transformed by the renewing of her mind” (Romans 12:2) and that happens through the process of prayerfully reading and learning His Word, and then obeying it.
In other words, stop worrying about whether or not you’re “righteous enough” to stand before God. You aren’t. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV).
However, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… for God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us…” (Romans 8:1, 3-4a ESV).
You aren’t righteous enough to go to heaven, but Jesus is… and if you have placed your faith in Him, then His righteousness is credited to you. “…The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (is) for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:22-25a ESV).
If you’re walking around thinking what a miserable failure you are, then think again. You were not saved by your own righteousness and are therefore not kept for God by your own righteousness. Know that God’s grace is big enough to pick you up again and again, dust you off, and put you back on your feet. And if you’ll let Him do that for you, then you can put into practice some wisdom you’ve learned from your experience. If, for example, you’ve struggled with alcohol, then you know to set up boundaries that help you to keep from slipping into situations in which there is alcohol present and consequently tempt you (the same goes for drugs). If you’ve had a terrible time with your anger, learn the technique of walking away and praying so that you can cool down and manage your anger before it manages you. Or if you find yourself falling prey to immorality, then change your lifestyle so that you do not find yourself in compromising situations. And in all cases, seek out a trusted Christian friend who can lovingly (and courageously) hold you accountable. If you don’t know of any, look around in your church. If you don’t go to church… well, you’re in for some trouble. Get in church and find that someone.
So take heart, weary one. Stop carrying around that load of condemnation and shame. It’s all been arranged. You can start all over again with God: He’s ready for you to give Him your struggles.
“…Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2 ESV).
Are you ready to give Him your struggles, too?
Copyright © Thom Mollohan.
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