image from allpropastors.org
I suspect all who either follow Jesus or are intrigued with him know he yearns for behavioral change in his people. But how should we respond when we fail? What does that say about our faith?
Weakened
by my failings
by my inability to overcome them
by my mostly inadequate desire to do so
by my occasional desperation
yet impotent to transcend them
Then you touched me
with your love
with your power now in me
on a par with what raised your son
You gave me
freedom from guilt and weakness
freedom to fly
to enter an unknown dimension
to soar
So why do I swoop
back down to the mud and slime
from which I came?
Do I truly yearn to fly free?
We face two fallacies as we balance the need for godly behavior and our inability to fully achieve it. We can fall into perfectionism: the belief that we have to be perfect, that Christians just can’t do some things. Our failure yields shame and guilt and depression. Or license takes over: since we can’t avoid sin, and since Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, then we’re safe in grace and can do whatever we choose. Both will wreck our lives. So, let’s briefly explore some biblical truths that can help us avoid these extremes and please God.
1 Obedience counts to Jesus, he said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). Pretty clear.
2 Obedience can’t save us, only faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
3 Obedience, as a result of faith, demonstrates the reality of having genuine faith, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds” (James 2:17-19). Once more, clear.
4 Obedience can never bring perfection. All of us who follow Jesus will sin. Sometimes “mild,” sometimes “wild,” but all sin dishonors God and faith, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). This matches my life, and the poem above. But verse 9 restores us, because…
5 Disobedience doesn’t ruin God’s plan for our lives, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Larry Osborne, one of my pastors at North Coast Church of Vista CA gave these suggestions on doing that.
1) Take responsibility—acknowledge it as sin, and make no excuses.
2) Move on—confess it to God and relevant people, change your behavior, and move on with your following.
3) Accept the consequences that you brought on yourself and others—they are innate parts of sin. Get back in the game.
4) Soar again.
I choose to soar again.
Kick Starting the Application
Do you feel guilt and shame over earlier sins? Do you feel somewhat disqualified from faith or serving? Have you worked through the steps above? Do you get that forgiveness comes as soon as we ask forgiveness with a heart to repent? What can you do now to receive the forgiveness and restoration Jesus desires for you?