I wrote in “A SourTaste in My Mouth” that although we have done wrong many times, and the
sins of the entire world number in the Gazillions, we can be entirely and
completely forgiven through Christ! No need to feel condemned, we can be
forgiven and free. Righteousness through God.
Even when I repeat a wrong, rather than feeling hopeless and
guilty, I can talk to Him, and have the assurance that Jesus’ death on the
Cross buys my forgiveness. God is merciful.
In this post I want to stress that we should never, never
take sin lightly. We should never, never take forgiveness for granted.
God hates sin. In one place the Bible says “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” [1]
Out of respect for God we should view sin the way He does. That
is the fear of God. I need more of it.
Sin is horrible. It is hideous. It flies in the face of God’s
nature.
Doing wrong has consequences. They are always misery,
suffering, and ultimately death. Because of God’s sheer mercy, the consequences
of evil are not always immediate. If they were instantaneous, we would stop
sinning, but we would probably stop living too. If I don’t water my plants,
they wither and die. They don’t die instantly. When I do wrong my life,
relationships, and career begin to wither.
New Town was the result of sin. So is divorce. And so is the
fight with my wife after I say something harsh or stupid.
“Why doesn’t God do something?” we might say. “Why did this happen to me?” Amazingly, we blame God!
Why should God do
something? Are you and I obligated to be good to those who ignore and offend
us?
But in reality, God has done something! The cross. What a
friend called the “throne of God.” Sin was overcome on that “tree.” Free favor
and forgiveness was offered in Jesus. God didn’t need to give His Son, but He
did, because He loves us. He loves you. He loved the shooter at New Town, he
loves both parties in a divorce, he loves me when I’m harsh or stupid.
But He doesn’t love the wrongs themselves. He hates sin
because it kills us. It is contrary to who He is.
So I purpose never to take sin lightly. First and foremost
my own.
“How blessed are all
who fear the LORD as they follow in his ways. You will eat from the work of
your hands; you will be happy, and it will go well for you. Your wife will be
like a fruitful vine within your house; your children like olive shoots surrounding
your table. See how the man will be blessed who fears the LORD.”[2]
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