Failure Part 2: License to Sin?

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Failure Part 2: License to Sin? Yesterday I shared with you my failures, and they are many. I wrote about the fact that I am so, very unworthy. I can’t do anything to earn God’s favor or attention. As a matter of fact, so much of what I do is worthy of His forsaking me. But His promise is clear and true: “I’ll NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” He wants me – He has chosen me – failures and all. Because in my failures He can be magnified and glorified as the One that is working His will in spite of me. And that, my friend, is good stuff.
So the question arises, “If I so often find myself failing and falling and God loves me anyway, does that, then, make it okay for me to just stop fighting my sin nature? Is that a license to just do whatever feels good?” I have an answer for that question that is pretty straight forward: NO! Absolutely not!
Paul answered that very question. He wrote much of his letters to churches about his failed past. On one occasion he even said, “Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Yet he also tackled this issue of grace for our sin. He asked the rhetorical question, “Should we just continue to sin that grace may abound?” And that’s the question of today – since God loves us unconditionally, and accepts us by grace through faith – does that, then, make it okay for us to just live as we want to? Paul’s answer: “God forbid!”
Yes, I fail so often, as do you. But can I just tell you today that there’s a difference in failure and sin? When I fail as an athlete, it’s one thing. But when I blatantly sin against the God of the universe, it’s a whole separate issue. God can use my weaknesses for His glory – to prove that He is the strong One, not me. However, when I choose to turn from Him to the sin that this world has to offer, He doesn’t get glory from that. Period.
So does this, then, mean that God hates us when we sin? Again, the answer is simple: absolutely not. His grace, amazing grace, never changes, and never gives up on us. I don’t know about you, but I can feel Paul’s words personally, when he said, “The things I want to do I don’t do, and the things I don’t want to do I find myself doing.” I still fall by the mighty sword of my ingrained sin nature on an all too regular basis. I am not happy, nor am I proud, of that. But God never walks away.
However, never in a million years would I ever allow myself to say to you that because we fail in our spiritual walk does that mean we can just lay down our arms and stop striving to live holy and blameless for Him. Am I holy? In God’s eyes, by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, yes – because Christ’s righteousness has been “imputed” or credited to my behalf. But in daily living am I holy? Far from it. But I want to be so badly, because then my life will actually look like Him. And the world so desperately needs to see Him.
So the bottom line is simple: the world needs Jesus. And we who have been found by Him can show them Him. Our weaknesses and inabilities can point them to Him if we make it known that our victories and conquering moments are through Him and Him alone. And when we sin – when we err from His plan – we can confess it, truly repent (turn away from it), and admit our sinful and broken state – and still point others to the One that can offer them forgiveness too. Whether by failing or succeeding, may our lives tell the world, “Jesus loves you.”


That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake

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