Apply Liberally

I've been navigating the waters of online dating and man is it challenging! I didn't anticipate it to be the mission field that it is, but of course where people are, so is the opportunity to minister. Don't worry, I am not missionary dating. But as the Lord leads, I share the truth of His word.

Recently, I spoke with a man who had been through a difficult marriage that ultimately ended in divorce. He spoke with such guilt and remorse, it was heartbreaking. He's a believer and fully aware of the grace of God, but the way in which he spoke implied that he didn't feel that he was truly free.

Sin has a way of tainting our perspective, even after we have been forgiven. The enemy of God is certain to help you recall to your mind every wrong you've committed and to exacerbate the consequences of them. So how do we navigate the results of sin while also remaining under the grace of God? 1 John 1:7-9 says, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Let me repeat that. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from ALL sin. There's no qualifier for that because none is needed. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. That's what it does. Period. Now John also tells us that we have sin and saying that we don't is just lying to ourselves. Fortunately, he goes on to tell us that when we sin, if we confess, God is faithful and just to forgive us. Not only that, He cleanses us from all the unrighteousness that sin caused. Now it doesn't remove the consequences of the sin, but we are clean in the sight of God and declared righteous.

Romans 6:15-23 explains how we have moved from being slaves to sin to being slaves of righteousness. Since we are no longer slaves to sin, we are free to live righteously, choosing to do what is right, rather than continuing to choose sin. As for the consequences of sin, because we have been made righteous, we are able to do what is right regarding them as well. We can apologize. We can obey the law. We can reimburse. We can accept the consequences and choose to trust and obey God moving forward, even if that means forfeiting our preferences. That's a difficult thing to do. It certainly is. But God provides us with the ability to do it. As we are transformed by the renewal of our minds, we can let go of worldly thinking and conform to the will of God (Romans 12:2).

So if there is a sin you are feeling is super-egregious and you are feeling guilty or dirty or less than, know that as a child of God you are not. If you have confessed, you are forgiven and cleansed and made righteous by the blood of Jesus. Take that word of truth and apply liberally.

Written on 9/30/21