© 25 Colin Melbourne
When Believers Sin
Q: If a believer sins repeatedly, but quickly repents, does it have any effect on them, or does God’s forgiveness nullify it?
A: That’s easy to answer, because every believer has suffered the consequences of personal sin. Ask your Christian friends!
Out Damned Spot
God is quick to forgive His children when they sin, and He wipes the sin from the records of Heaven, but the Christian inevitably suffers the effects of their sin in this life.
Witness all the big-name preachers who’ve fallen into Satan’s snares.
Father forgives them completely as soon as they repent, but their ministry is wrecked.
Yes, sin and transgression have their personal cost… even for born again believers who repent immediately.
The wise learn from errors, and understand not to repeat them. Romans 6:22-23 KJV;
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We’ve learned from experiencing the results of sin, haven’t we?
That’s why Almighty God manifested in The Flesh warned the paralytic man whom He’d just healed, John 5:14 KJV;
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Lusts of The Flesh
I recall meeting an Indian Christian in a Malaysian fellowship youth group, soon after I was saved. The LORD was discipling me, nurturing His new baby.
It was in a discussion group and the topic of sexual sin arose.
I was honouring all the light He’d shown me, and was naïve enough to ask what it was like for Christians to experience conviction of sin.
He told us frankly he’d been dealt with by the LORD for sexual sin, and I’ll never forget the brokenness of his reply, eyes downcast in genuine remorse, he said, “Just don’t do it, you do not want to experience the consequences.”
We now know what he meant!
When first saved we’re deluged by God’s Grace, such that we are constantly aware of His Infinite Love for us and our righteousness in Him.
Do you remember that?
You know with deep spiritual assurance that your sins have been forgiven you for His Name’s sake, 1 John 2:12 KJV;
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
Note: Because of His Name, His obedience, His faith, and because of His righteousness: Not yours!
So Become Righteousness Conscious
As you walk conscious of these divine facts, you recoil at the very thought of sinning.
You feel like you’re wearing a pristine white suit given to you by Father, so you take care to avoid stepping into the shadows of darkness: And you walk wholeheartedly in the middle of light He’s shown you.
That’s when you destroyed your TV, and trashed those demonic tunes you used to listen to.
The Effect of Sin
Deliberate sin hardens your heart and cripples your fellowship with Father God, 2 Cor. 6:14-18 KJV;
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
When a believer walks after the flesh, not after the Holy Spirit, he grieves God’s heart.
The Corinthians were indulging in the sins of idolatry and lust, but keep in mind, greed, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness are forms of idolatry too, Col. 3:5-7 KJV;
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
To maintain intimate fellowship with Christ the believer must walk in the light, 1 John 1:5-7 KJV;
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
A further effect of sin is to impair your prayer life. 1 Peter 3:7 KJV;
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
How is prayer hindered?
- The sinning believer stops praying, or prays without sincerity: Mere religious lip service.
- The sinning one is plainly not diligently seeking, so Father cannot answer faithless prayer, Hebrews 11:6 KJV;
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Sin Causes Disease
Sin’s wages are spiritual and physical death. They both come from Satan. Sickness is the Devil’s opression, not God’s work. Acts 10:38 KJV;
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
The commonest cause of cancer in Christians is unforgiveness in the heart.
The cure is simple, repent and forgive just as you’ve been forgiven by Father, and walk in love towards everyone.
That’s just a few of the personal effects of sin upon the believer.
Grace Forgives
Father will instantly forgive every believer who sincerely repents and confesses it to Him, and will cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Halleluia!
But those around the sinning Christian may not; sons and daughters are dismayed at their parent’s hypocrisy, a spouse loses confidence in their fidelity, and workmates henceforth view them as just another phoney Christian.
These are the spiritual effects of sin, but there will be physical consequences too.
If the Christian overrules the Holy Ghost and takes a risk that results in an accident, they may be paralysed or incapacitated for life.
But by far the best way to avoid the effects of sin, is to live the remainder of your brief time on Earth focussed on who you are in Christ, and be righteousness conscious: Not sin conscious.
Study prayerfully and contemplate Ephesians chapter one, and live there alway.
Summary:
Sinning believers stunt their growth in Christ, hinder their prayer life, disgrace themselves and reap the spiritual and material consequences until they repent wholeheartedly.
The wise turn from unbelief and honour the Word of God alway.
© 25 Colin Melbourne
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