A hard lesson today, but this has come up over and over again this summer in many contexts, so I feel like it needs to be addressed more. Here’s the situation – we know that, once we have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, there is no condemnation due to us. Romans 8:1 tells us:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
But, as Christians, we still sin. Sometimes the word of God confronts us with our sin, Sometimes, our friends and fellow Christians confront us with our sin using the Word Of God. Sometimes, our friends actually pull out the Bible and read Bible verses to show us the presence of sin in our lives. And even more, sometimes absolute strangers may read Bible verses that seem to convict us of sin. It’s uncomfortable.
So, what happens when a Christian is confronted with his or her continuing sin? In many instances, there’s resistance – you might hear “don’t judge me” or “you’re condemning me.” But, that’s not what is happening and we must understand the difference between condemnation and conviction. The Word of God will still convict believers of sin when we do sin against God, and that is a good thing. That conviction is designed by God to draw us back into fellowship with Him, and to lead us to repentance.
The Bible tells us in John 16:8 that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin. How does He do that? He uses the Word of God (and sometimes other people) to remind us of our sin and bring us to repentance. Acts 17:30.
Let’s take the Biblical example of David – described as a man after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14. But David sinned – he committed adultery and murder. Did God ignore that sin? No, He did not. He loved David enough to confront him and convict him of that sin, so that David would confess and have the joy of salvation restored. God used a prophet named Nathan to confront David with his sin – to bring it right up in front of him and tell him (King David) that he had broken God’s law. When David realized his sin, after being confronted by Nathan the Prophet, David confessed his sin. Read the whole story in 2 Samuel 12. I mean, this was the King of Israel being confronted and convicted of his own sin by Nathan. Very, very uncomfortable. But, when David realized the truth of what Nathan was saying, he confessed:
“I have sinned against the Lord.”
Then we see God’s grace to David. In Psalm 51:4, David makes it even more clear:
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
You see, David was trying to hide his sin. But God used Nathan to confront and convict David, with the idea of driving him towards repentance and back into fellowship with the Lord. And David was thankful.
What if David had just said “Don’t judge me, Nathan” and walked away? Or, what if David had said, “You cannot condemn me because I believe in God, and he has saved me?” The answer is that David would have missed the blessing he received by confessing that sin and having the joy of the Lord’s salvation restored.
As proud as David was, he was not too proud to understand that the Lord was using Nathan to confront and convict sin. Nathan was not condemning him – Nathan didn’t have that right. Neither do we. But we do have an obligation to love our brother and sisters in Christ and sometimes that means pointing out the sin in their lives (of course, after looking at our own lives too). But, the Lord used Nathan to convict David and bring him to true repentance.
So, let me ask you this. Has God spoken to you from His Word through someone confronting your sin and convicting you of your sin? Instead of resenting that, do what David did and welcome the conviction, because God is sending it to you to draw you closer to Him.
Our attitude towards sin should be like Joseph when confronted with the opportunity to sin with Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39:9:
“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Our attitude should not be to defend our sin. Our attitude should not be to try and excuse our continued sin. If someone is taking the time to talk to us about sin in our lives, we need to listen – because the message may be from God.
One final verse – 2 Timothy 3:16:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Scripture does all that – even in the life of a believer.
Is there a Nathan in your life? Did you respond like David? Listen to what your Nathan says and pray about it. It just may be the blessing of God.
This is a hard lesson to learn, but it is certainly worth it. You see, God sends conviction because he loves each and every one of us, and He wants us to come closer to Him and know Him better. So, come join us as we walk in the Way. We hope to see you at Maple Grove!
Bro. Parks