Imagine yourself having bought a new car. You wash it and want to keep it clean inside and out to make it look sparkling new. One day when it rains heavily and the road is filled with lot of dirt, mud and it’s that time you have to take your vehicle for something important and at the end of the journey you see your NEW car covered with so much of dirt, you wonder if it’s a new car or not. After this settles, you wash it and clean it to bring it back to that same old sparking look. What a feeling ahh !!.
Yes my friend our lord is also looking at us like the way how we look at a New Car, where he tries to Wash us, Sanctify and Justify us to God in spite of our sins. We read about this
'And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ' 1 Corinthians 6:11
Why do we Sin ?
If you read the prior verses (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), Paul says we were sinners (read ASV Version describes our sins so deep), we did not have the right to inherit God’s kingdom. But God took us and washed us, Sanctified and justified
'Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ' 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Just read again - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and see if you have not committed even one Sin. You will find we continue to live in our old life and continue to Sin. The root of this issue is three things that Satan brings to us.
1. Deception
2. Casual Attitude to Sin
3. Blinded by Sin
Deception
Remember God gave humans the ability to discern and choose what we want to do either its right or wrong. But often this discerning attitude is used by Satan to say, what we do is not actually a Sin. Sin is deceptive. E.g., You go out for a party with friends, one of your friends asks you to have a drink, the old person in you comes and says you’re not the regular drunkard, drinking daily and lying-in road, you’re just drinking one glass with your friends only, so its ok to drink ones in a while with friends.
We think it doesn’t matter if we lie once or have unrighteous anger once. but God has to Judge you because he is a good judge. God’s word says
'For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ' James 2:10.
We justify ourselves and compare worse of sins to make our Sin look like not a Sin at all. This is how we start with small sins in our life to any major sins we have in our life.
If you read the word 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ‘'Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived’
Paul talks we are deceived on our sins, very true correct..
Casual Attitude to Sin
We often do not value the sacrifice Jesus had to pay-in the Cross for our Sin. Jesus didn’t come so that we can keep on sinning. We take a casual attitude to Sin, we feel we are Christians, we are superior to other non- Christians as we have a father who is rich in mercy and grace. We can ask any number of time “Sorry” and do the Sin again and again. God’s word says about this attitude
'No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. ' 1 John 3:6
1 John 3:6 - explains the reason for our casual attitude towards Sin, many times we blame Satan for this casual attitude and these habits come from our self-nature. Unless we repent deep from our heart, and take Sin seriously, it will never go away.
Blinded by Sin
Many times we think we are living closely with God, but the actions we do make us realize that these are not sins that God does not approve, that’s because Satan blinds us on these Sins to make us realize what we do is not a Sin. This is little different from the deception that we saw earlier. E.g., this happens in my life, God revealed this recently. When I drive and if there is a bad driver I lose my cool. This is nothing but Anger. Many times I have not realized this behaviour of anger and sin. I have always viewed anger is only what we do at things in house..
'But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. ' 1 John 2:11
This is the trick that Satan employs us not to realize our Sin. Also we have no difficultly recognizing the Sin of others but are not prepared when others point out our sins.
God’s Response to Sin
Even though we fall in the sinful desires and continue to Sin, any time we call “Abba” or “Father” wholeheartedly, He is waiting to help us. That’s why Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 6:11
'And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ' 1 Corinthians 6:11
Remember he chose you as a child of God, you did not choose him. When he choose you
He first washed you from sins
He Sanctified – this means cleaned us to make our hearts / soul more like a temple altar clean and holy.
He justified – He justified to God to argue to be taken as his son – even though we fell short of his Glory
Spirit of God – After all of this he gave us the spirit of God that he has, to make us clean from our Sin, any time we Sin the Spirit of God reveals us what we do is incorrect or wrong.
After all of this why do we Sin again ? Bible says our sins are caused by our flesh and it acts opposite to the Spirit
'For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ' Galatians 5:17
God also give us power in our weak flesh, Paul says about this in 2 Corinthians
'But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ' 2 Corinthians 12:9
He says “for my power is made perfect in weakness”, So how do we get this power from God
Repentance
Repentance is the only way God’s power is manifested in us to defeat Sin. This can happen only if we repent from heart and not say “sorry” from our head. It has to come from Heart, both of them are different.
There are many effects of this repentance from Heart
1. Old ways are gone – Paul describes on this as old is gone and we are renewed as a new creature
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ' 2 Corinthians 5:17
2. The blindness is taken away – When we are in Sin, we saw how blinded we are in, the spirit of the Lord takes away the blindness in us.
'But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ' 2 Corinthians 3:16
3. God prepares us for his Judgement – many times we are caught up with the world, remember we will be judged by what we do, when we repent he will prepare us to become holy so that the day of Judgement we have mercy from him.
'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. ' 2 Corinthians 5:10
Call for Action
Remember “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”
Your Sins are due to the weakness of flesh
You can overcome Sin with repentance.
We are all not totally immune to Sin. But through the help of the holy spirit we can overcome. Just pray and ask God to show what is that Sin that we need to come out from. It may not be something very big one like murder or kidnaping. It will be small habits like lying , our speech ( saying bad words, gossips), cursing someone whom we are angry with, resentment towards someone , having old grudges etc. these are the sins we ignore totally. These sins actually separates us from the closeness to God. We might not know that Satan blinds by that Sin and makes us believe that these are no sins at all. So we need to be very cautious and watchful of that every time we do action, be conscious on the what you talk and actions you take. Only then God will show you where you need to repent, Our God knows how to change you. Just surrender yourself and ask God, he will transform you like how he wants you to be according to his creation.
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