Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Shall We Go on Sinning?


Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

My husband, Danny, and I are recently placed into a situation that neither one of us see coming.  In an interaction with a person we certainly want to trust, the truth comes out, and not without its lack of kindness.

My heart is pierced and my mind is reeling.  I want to scream in our defense.  I long to put this individual in her place; to land the defining punch that will secure this match in our favor.

I sin.

I may not speak the hateful, spiteful, defensive words, but I think them.

That's sin.

In Chapter Four of his book, The Discipline of Grace, Jerry Bridges writes:  "Therefore a believer cannot continue in sin.  We no longer live in the realm of sin, under its reign and practical dominion.  We have, to use Paul's words, died to sin.  We, indeed, do sin, and even our best deeds are stained with sin, but our attitude toward it is essentially different from that of an unbeliever."

Bridges' words convict me.  I cannot continue to sin, spoken or unspoken, without confession.  What gives me such hope in God's grace is how He took hold of and controlled my tongue and my temper when I could have all too easily become a champion bridge-burner, negating in one tirade all the progress He has allowed me to make in my faith journey.

Yes, I am a sinner, but I don't need to let sin reign in my life.  Christ wants me to run to Him when those temptations to default to evil ways assail me.

As Bridges states:  "We must by faith in God's Word lay hold on the fact that we have died to the reign of sin and are now alive to God, under His reign of grace.  Unless we do this we will find ourselves seeking to pursue holiness by the strength of our own wills, not by the grace of God."

By the strength of our own wills, not by the grace of God.

It is only by God's grace that Danny and I surmount the obstacles placed in our path.  

It has nothing to do with our perceived wants or needs.  It has everything to do with the increase of God's grace that met us as we stood on the precarious cliff of sin.

The grace that pulled us back to safety.


~

Shall we go on sinning?  What are your thoughts?

Prayer:  Father, we are born of Adam and carry his legacy of sin.  But in Your mercy, You sent Christ Jesus, Your Son, to redeem and restore us to You.  May we daily remember Jesus' sacrifice for the sins we could never delete on our own.  Raise our awareness so that when we are tempted to sin, we turn them over to You for forgiveness and healing.  In Jesus' blessed name, we pray.  Amen.




For the next nine weeks, I will be participating in a study of Jerry Bridges' The Discipline of Grace.  It is led by fellow Christian bloggers, Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter, who welcome you to read the book along with us, and chime in with your own commentary if you feel so moved.  See you next Wednesday!  God bless!

15 comments:

  1. That is a great line: "The grace that pulled us back to safety." I don't think I can count the number of times that's happened to me. And keeps happening.

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    1. Thanks so much, Glynn. That line was actually a last minute inspiration as I was typing the post on my blog. God works like that! :)
      His grace has rescued me so many times, I've lost count!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  2. Martha, your post hits a little close to home today. It's a struggle and a growth process for me to continually bring thoughts captive so that I don't sin. God's grace really is amazing, isn't it?

    Love and blessings!

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    1. God's grace is truly amazing, Kim. It's a struggle for all of us to bring those sinful thoughts into captivity, but with God's help, we can.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
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  4. Definitely know the feeling and the remorse of thinking/feeling those things (because it is wrong). I thought Mr. Bridges did a great job differentiating between the reign of sin and the reign of grace. So thankful I feel the knock on the door of my conscience/spirit and Holy Spirit leads to reconciliation. May God meet you in this time, Martha! Blessings and thank you.

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    1. Jason, the blessing is, God did meet us right on the spot and in this precise moments of temptation. This was the situation for which I asked prayers earlier. The Lord has answered in the most gracious of ways, and kept us both from departing His reign of grace.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. Wow, this is great Martha! I feel those temptations all the time when it would FEEL good to get angry and lash out at someone. But that is not the way of Christ. Thank you for this precious reminder.

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    1. Jamie, you are so right - that is not Christ's way. And if we have been born to new life in Him, we must be ever vigilant when those "old" parts of our human selves decide to come to the forefront. Still thanking my God for holding my tongue and my temper!
      Love and blessings!

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  6. I think too often it's easy to excuse our sinful thoughts. I'm a sinner praying that by grace God will draw me back to safety. So thankful to live covered by His grace. Thank you, Martha!

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    1. Yes, Deb, it is too easy to excuse them. We simply can't do so. If we pray to God earnestly, He will ever draw us safely back to Him.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. Guilty Martha! I am a sinner too and I am praying that I am redeemed from it by the grace of God.

    Your post touched my heart. Thanks so much for this my friend <3

    Love and hugs

    N

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    1. I'm guilty, too, Privy, as is evident in this post. We all need the grace of God and lots of it!
      Glad my words could touch your heart today.
      Love and blessings!

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  8. wow love this line:
    The grace that pulled us back to safety

    I will cling to that!

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    1. Glynn loved that one, too, Jean. And as I told him, it was an insertion God laid on my heart in the last minute.
      Yes, let's cling!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete

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