1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“I made a mistake. I am sorry. Forgive me!”
“Opps, I did it again. I am weak. I will do better next time. Forgive me.”
If this sounds familiar in any way then you get what I meant yesterday when I said “That is free will, we are free to fail.” So why is it that our confessions do not always lead to righteousness?
Let me tell you a little secret about repetitive sins. God is gracious and kind and will do something about those repetitive sins when they interfere with our relationship with Him.
Do we really want to push the boundaries of this relationship with God where we end up hearing “Enough is enough. You’re done with that.”
Consequences of sin are meant to urge us to make right choices. Free will means it is up to us to recognize what is best for us personally. A clear conscience is only one part of the equation.
Real world examples help us to understand simple matters. Does a type 2 diabetic hate sugar? Not really, sugar makes things taste better. With the help of our doctors we track our A1C and measure just how much good stuff we can get away with. We take calculated risks to see how much we can get away with without doing any real damage to our health.
Testing God’s tolerance of our bad choices is measured by a different standard. What God will not tolerate are things that interfere with our love for Him. Eating a bowl of coffee ice cream will not affect how much I love God but it will aggravate my diabetes.
God taught me an important lesson about obedience when I slowed down to avoid a speeding ticket at a radar trap I knew about ahead. He said, “Is this how you eat up my grace?”
Testing God’s patience is not a sound relationship decision.
Confessions are meaningless words if they are not followed with changed behavior.
If I say I will never eat coffee ice cream again it is a good intentioned lie, but a lie nonetheless.