One Way to Run

There will be times when the believer falls into sin for a season, breaking fellowship with God. In some respects they may feel like a non-Christian… and perhaps doubt their salvation as genuine. There are some who teach that it is in these times, that because of their willful disobedience against God, the Holy Spirit will remove his hand from the believer. Actually, the opposite is true-- the Christian will instead feel the Spirit’s heavy, but loving, hand of conviction pressed down upon them. The Holy Spirit may do this through a sermon, an unexpected circumstance, a friend, or when they find themselves on the very precipice of sin.

When the Christian does sin, naturally feeling the guilt and shame of their rebellion, their reaction may be that of despair. Intuitively, one is led to think that such a one should feel despair and that their actions deserve remaining in that guilty state until they learn to conform to God’s law. This understanding, however, runs counter with the message of the cross; all that Christ did for the believer. The reason one may think that despair is the appropriate response, is because the law (and not God’s grace) is mistakenly their standard. They may find themselves penitently holding onto their guilt for a time, because they feel that they must somehow deserve experiencing separation from God until they perform/ conform to God’s law through their obedience as a “better Christian”.

When one sins, having desperately realized their destitute state before God, there is only one appropriate response; only one way to run… it is to the foot of the cross for forgiveness (and not holding onto their guilt in despair), because they realize that they are unable to do what Christ has already done on their behalf. They realize that it is by God’s grace - and not by their own ability to “conform to the law” - that they find hope.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” - Romans 8:1