Sinning Against God

It is amazing that we do such a thing. For He is our creator, our redeemer, our sustainer and keeper, our justifier and sanctifier, our counselor and guide, our portion, our everything. Without Him we can do nothing. But this sinful nature of ours which no longer reigns, but has not totally been eradicated, sometimes gets the best of us. In Romans 7:15-21 Paul states that the principle of evil is present in him, the one who desires to do good, but sometimes he is not practicing what he would like to do, but does the very thing he hates. We certainly can not use this principle of sin within us to justify doing more wickedness. For God said, "Be perfect as I am perfect” (Math.5:48).  And in Romans 6:2, "How shall we who died to sin, still live in it?"

We see many examples in the Scriptures of sins against God. Two I will mention. In Psalm 51:4, David said, "Against You, You only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight." Now David certainly sinned against Bathsheba, her family, and Urriah and his family and others that were under him. But he is sure to mention that he sinned against God. Also, in Genesis 39:9, "How then could I do this great evil (wickedness in most translations) and sin against God?" This was Joseph's response to Potiphar's wife at her request to lie with him. These are serious things to consider, and God can deal quite quickly with these actions of ours. In Acts 5, we see Ananias and Sapphira falling down and breathing their last for lying to the Holy Spirit; in 1Cor.11 we see a number who sleep who ate the bread and drank the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner; and in Leviticus 10, we see Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offering strange fire the Lord had not commanded, and fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them.

So should we run away scared, or give up on following the Lord because it is too difficult, or find another god who does not show wrath at all? No! We can, and will finish the course we are on that He Himself has begun in us. Remember, He is always for us since the time you believed in Him, and He will never thus be against you. Can we somehow find a way to not be overcome by acts of wickedness, to not continually grieve the Holy Spirit, but walk in a manner worthy of our calling? In Proverbs 14:27, "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death."  The great English Puritan John Bunyan states, "By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil, that is, in their judgement, will, mind, and affections; not that by the fear of the Lord sin is annihilated, or has lost it's being in the soul; there will still be those Canaanites, but they are hated, loathed, abominated, fought against, prayed against, watched against, strove against, and mortified in the soul. This fear is called a fountain of life."

We have not been left as orphans, we do indeed have all the help we need. Another Helper, of the same kind as the Father and the Son are, now dwells within the believer. And we have one another, the body of Christ, who help us get to the finish line. James reminds us of helping one another, turning one another from the error of his way, and saving their soul from death, and covering a multitude of sins. We must grasp how important we are to one another. God is always immutably, constantly, immeasurably, unchangeably, perpetually good. Our goal must be to pursue, endeavor, and desire a life of holiness, and forsake, mortify, and hate a life of wickedness. Brothers and sisters, you are almost there. For the glory due His name, keep on fighting the good fight, keep running the race, and finish your course. He will see you home! He will hold you fast! Obedience shows the tree and the fruit are real.

Elder Randy Slak