Years ago, a man in the church I attended said that he no longer sinned. He claimed that to think otherwise was to disagree with the power of Christ’s redemption. He was a crabby and unhappy man.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
Today’s devotional says that “mourn” translates the strongest Greek word used in the NT to express grief. It expresses the loss of a loved one. This is David’s sorrow when he wrote about unconfessed sin:
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah (Psalm 32:3–4)
Such grief is strong. It is not about getting caught or any other worldly reason, only about what has been done contrary to God’s will. The NT says:
As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:9–10)
It is a sorrow that leads to repentance, but why? One author gives three reasons: First, sin as it is an act of hostility contrary to God (Leviticus 26:40) and resistance to the Holy Spirit, to God’s nature and His will. Sin affronts and resists the Holy Spirit. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” (Acts 7:51)
Second, sin is ingratitude that kicks against all that God has done for us. He sent his Son to redeem us, His Spirit to comfort us and we should grieve because of our lack of response to Him, and because of unthankful hearts. Sins against God’s gospel-love are worse in some sense than the sins of demons for they never had an offer of His grace to forgive their sin.
Third, sin is a privation that keeps good things from us; particularly our communion with God. One expression is from the OT: “I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.” (Song of Solomon 5:6)
In contrast to this mourning, evil people might say they are sinners, but God’s child is specific, “I have done this evil.” The sinner admires himself, but those who repent loathe themselves.
For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. (2 Corinthians 7:11)
The comfort that comes after confession and repentance often is accompanied by joy. David said:
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1–2)
When God forgives me, I know it and my heart goes from heavy with grief to light with great joy. It is plain that: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
Jesus, the readings today also show me that mourning the sin of others is also Your will and that hardness of heart is a great enemy to sorrow over sin and repentance. What a difference between Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes and this verse: “They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.” (Ephesians 4:19) No wonder that the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.” (Hebrews 3:7–8) Keep my heart soft and pour out Your Spirit of grace so that anyone trapped in sin might feel grief and repent.
PRAY: Read Luke 15:11–24 and pray for the prodigals I know whose sin has them in bondage.
No comments:
Post a Comment