Sin & Repentance
By Darryl M. - These are some of the most important foundational principles of the Bible. At the bottom of this page is a special song for those who are truly seeking to experience closeness with God. Listen to it after reading the content of this page.
What is Sin, its Consequences & How to Overcome it?
1. Sin originated with Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14). (1 John 3: 8 “He who sins is of the devil…”)
2. “through one man, sin entered into the world” (Romans 5:12). Genesis 3–fall of man was Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command.
3. Sin is disobedience to God’s law (the commandments & laws of Moses). Satan is the opposition to God, and sin results when we listen to Satan and act on it.
4. Sin is universal. No one can escape it. Jesus is the only one who didn’t have a sinful nature.
5. The penalties of sin are both Physical and Spiritual death (Ezekiel 18:20 “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”; Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death”, also James 1:15)
6. The remedy – the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, availed by faith. There is only one remedy and it’s secured entirely by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross, not by works or anything you do. God provided the remedy from all eternity. Jesus paid the price of sin on the cross and our sins were forgiven by this sacrifice of the sinless Son of God. Jesus’ death satisfied the righteousness demanded of us by God, as long as we trust and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour.
7. If we open our heart and receive Jesus as our personal saviour, we will live a life for Jesus as a result, and when we fail and sin, God promises us forgiveness and mercy when we turn back to Jesus, confess our sin and ask for forgiveness from our heart.
8. To overcome sin and be filled with the Holy Spirit: confess any known sin to God, surrender yourself to Jesus (“deny yourself and take up your cross”), trust in Jesus with all your heart, obey God’s commands and pray for a willingness and determination to turn from your sin. “Love is the fulfilling of the Law” (Rom. 13:10). To live a life of perfect love through the outliving of the indwelling Christ can overcome sin.
Sin – What the Bible Says
· James 4:17 “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
(pride and selfish idolatry, do we rejoice always, thank & praise God and pray without ceasing?)
· Galatians 5:19-21 “The works of the flesh are evident, which are (our Sinful Nature):
· PRIDE (conceit); Outbursts of wrath; Heresies, profanity; Adultery, Selfish ambitions; Envy, Fornication, Dissensions, Murders (anger in heart), uncleanness, Sorcery (witchcraft, etc.), drunkenness, Sexual Lust, Hatred, Idolatry (worshiping $, idols), Jealousy & Envy, Contentions
· Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, The Lord will not hear me.”
· Romans 3: 20, 23 “…for by the law is the knowledge of sin…for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
· 1 John 1: 8-10 “If we say that 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. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
· Isaiah 64:6 “But we are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags;”
· Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things. And desperately wicked. Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.”
· Other Scriptures on Sin: Mark 7: 21-23; Isaiah 59: 1-2; Romans 7: 17, 18, 20, James 4: 4; James 4:8; 1 Peter 5:8-10;Psalm 19:13; Colossians 3: 5-6; James 1: 15; Proverbs 28:13; Psalm 51: 3-4
Examples of Sin
· Have we forgiven everyone?
· Do we use foul language or behave inappropriately
· Do we get angry or easily offended?
· Have we given as much as we can to God?
· Is there pride in our heart?
· Are we worldly (like the things of the world, vanity)?
· Are we worried or anxious?
· Have we wronged anyone and not made restitution?
· Are we discouraged or discontented?
· Do we ever exaggerate/create false impressions?
· Are there feelings of jealousy?
· Are we guilty of the sin of unbelief
· Do you get impatient and irritated?
· Are we guilty of prayerlessness?
· Do we ever have lustful thoughts?
· Are we neglecting God’s Word?
· Have you been dishonest or stolen?
· Have we failed to confess Jesus Christ openly
· Are we greedy (want more than we need)
· Are we witnessing every chance we have?
· Have you been gossiping about people
· Are we always thankful for all the Lord has given us?
· Do we criticize unlovingly or harshly?
· Do we have bitterness towards anyone?
What is Conviction of SIN
· John 16: 8-9 “And when He has come (the Holy Spirit), He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
· Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.”
· The word convict translated means “to convince someone of the truth; to reprove; to accuse, refute, or cross-examine a witness.” The Holy Spirit acts like a prosecutor, exposing evil, reproving sinners and convinces people they are guilty, lost and need a saviour.
· Conviction of sin is not simply a guilty conscience or knowledge of what is right and wrong (everyone feels these things sometimes) or just sorrow for the consequences and punishment of sin, but a sense of loathsomeness and dreadfulness for grieving the Holy Spirit. This happens when we appreciate God’s purity, holiness and beauty and realize how our filthy sin has dishonoured Him. It also makes us intensely aware of His wrath to our souls.
· Only God is able to give you a broken and contrite heart, a sorrow that will result in confession and allow you to overcome the sin.
· Without conviction of sin there can be no salvation. But when a Christian feels conviction, they know they are saved. A person cannot be saved until they know they are lost and feel a deep need in their heart. A person cannot truly believe in faith until the Holy Spirit has convicted them so they know in their hearts (not just in their intellect) they are sinners against a Holy God. Sin must be felt before it can be mourned, comforted and the sinner born again. If a criminal is arrested and his guilt made known by his conscience and the law, he would feel terrible and tremble in fear and agony at the prospect of punishment and shame. When sinners are awakened by the Spirit of God, and are so convinced of the enormity of their crimes to realize that they are in danger of going to hell, they will feel conviction.
· Conviction will often include a cry for mercy after a deep searching of the heart to see their sins and how they have dishonored God. (like the Philippian jailor and many who Jesus healed).
· Many people have an intellectual assent to the Bible’s teaching that they believe in Jesus and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), yet they live in constant sin and are not often filled with the Spirit (as evidenced by their fruits/outcomes). In other words, they are not living the life that Jesus intends for us because they feel no heartfelt sorrow or conviction of sin (or fear of God).
· Do we ever feel like Isaiah when he wrote in Isaiah 6:3, 5 “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord almighty…Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips...For my eyes have seen the Lord.”
What is Confession
· The Unsaved Sinner is never told to confess his individual sins, they are told to confess they are a “Sinner” in the sight of God.
· The Christian must confess individual sins when he fails God by sinning and grieving the Holy Spirit. If a Christian loses the joy of their salvation and is not rejoicing, they need to go back and retrace their steps and ask God to show them where they failed, then confess and get right with God. Then they will be able to go on their way rejoicing in their salvation.
· Every sin is committed against God, and needs to be confessed to God:
o 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.” (other scripture: Psalm 41:4; Psalm 51:4; Acts 8:22
o 1 John 1:9 was written to Christians and John includes himself in the class of failed Christians. God is faithful to forgive because He promises it, and He is just because He atoned.
o The reason that many Christians are not filled with the Holy Spirit may be due to unconfessed sin. Every Christian has one besetting sin and we are most likely committing some sin every day that needs to be confessed. Do we search our hearts for these sins and confess them daily?
· Some sins need to be confessed to man as well as to God, if the sin was committed against man.
o James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
o 1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (Walking in the light means obeying God’s commands, and there is a connection to fellowship with one another to having a clean slate with God and man.)
What is Repentance
For the Unsaved Sinner (the Natural Man)
· Many understand repentance to mean “turning from sin”, however, it actually means “to change one’s mind” which will result in a change of behaviour that includes the turning from sin.
· In relation to Salvation, repentance is changing your mind from rejection of Jesus Christ to putting your faith in Him as Lord and Saviour and believing in the Gospel. Salvation is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
· Repentance and faith go together because it is impossible to put your faith in Jesus Christ as your saviour without first changing your mind about who He is and what He has done.
· Repentance is not a work that earns salvation. Upon salvation, all God asks of us is that we recognize and confess we are sinners.
· Acts 16:30-31 – the Philippian jailor – “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, trust on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (He didn’t have to confess or turn from any specific sins.)
For the Christian (the Carnal or Spiritual Man)
· Repentance must entail more than just a change in mind, but a renunciation of the sin, which requires both a willingness and determination to overcome the sin.
· Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, The Lord will not hear me.”
· John 5:6 Before healing the lame man by the pool, Jesus asked “Do you want to be made well?”
· Once someone is saved, through prayers of faith and surrender, the Holy Spirit will help you by His power to overcome and be delivered from sin.
· 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
· Nothing short of a broken heart over sin, full confession and renunciation will satisfy God. If you are not receiving answers to your prayers or living a rejoiceful and thankful life, get on your knees and search your heart for unconfessed sin.
What is Righteousness
Righteousness (Redemption and Salvation)
Righteousness means right living in accordance with God’s standards and laws and can only be attained through Faith in Jesus Christ. (Rom. 3:10 – “There is none righteous, no, not one.”). We are justified (meaning we are legally declared righteous and we have fulfilled the requirements of the law - The penalty of sin according to God’s law is death (Romans 6:23)- therefore we needed a sinless substitute to be an acceptable sacrifice to God to allow for the forgiveness of our sin) freely (not by anything we do) by his grace (undeserved) through the redemption (price paid to clear our sin debt - or the price paid to redeem a slave) that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).
· On our own, it’s impossible to meet the righteousness demanded by God on judgement day since it’s impossible for us to obey all the commandments in the bible without sinning, and the penalty of sin is spiritual death. The good news of the Gospel is that God, through His grace (an unmerited gift) reconciles us to Himself and judges us legally righteous based on nothing more than Faith in His Son, who He sacrificed on the cross out of love for all mankind.
· Once saved, we are a new Creation (Spiritually) and pass from spiritual death to spiritual life.
· The Purpose of the Law is to reveal God’s character to us; The effect of the law is to reveal our failure as humans to keep it; and Jesus Fulfilled the Law so that by faith in Him, He lives in us and God attributes (imputes) the perfect righteousness of His sinless Son to us so that we become perfect in His sight, since all our sins are forgiven through our faith in Christ.
· Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) - Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control; Philippians 4:8 - ”whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Love overcomes Sin;
1 Corinth. 13: 4-8 (Romans 13:10 – “love is the fulfillment of the law”)
Love: Sin:
· Love: “Love suffers long” It drives away all impatience
· Love: “Love is kind” It leaves no room for unkindness
· Love: “Love does not envy” Jealousy is banished
· Love: “Love does not parade itself” Boasting & self-assertion disappear
· Love: “Love is not puffed up” Pride finds no place in the heart
· Love: “Love does not behave rudely” Foolishness is removed
· Love: “Love does not seek its own” Self is dead, selfishness is unknown
· Love: “Love is not provoked” Anger and wrath will not be present
· Love: “Love thinks no evil” No more brooding over “wrongs”, no - more malice or un-charitableness
· Love: “Love bears all things” Complaining will never be heard
· Love: “Love believeth all things” Mistrust will never destroy fellowship
· Love: “Love hopes all things” Despair, anxiety and worry are gone
· Love: “Love endures all things” Perseverance will prevail
“LOVE NEVER FAILS”
Love will overcome all sin (Rom. 13:10)
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Beautiful Song of Psalm 51 - Repentance taught by God