2 Responses to Sin

Sin, a real problem. A problem that every one of us have to deal with every day of our lives- there is no avoiding it. Our lives are constantly effected by sin- either our personal sin or the sins of the people around us.

In Romans 2 Paul talks about God’s righteous judgement. He is addressing an arrogant and self-righteous attitude that so many Jews had adopted in regards to sin and their relationship to God through their ancestor Abraham. The Jews called those outside their religion “Dogs” and “vipers” and many historical documents tell stories of how upper class Jews treated non-believers in appalling ways because they were outside the favor of God.

Have you ever noticed how it can be easier to convince a someone who does not attend church of their sin than convince some people who attend church all the time of theirs? I can walk into a bar full of promiscuous behavior and many people will openly admit that they are sinners- some even fully embracing it like a medal of honor. For most of these people they are not denying sin- they are denying consequence. However, many times is church it is quite the opposite, people are quick to accept that there is consequence to sin- the problems is that they deny their own sin. There is a thought that “I am a good person” “I do not do those things” “I am not like those sinners out there”

This is the kind of attitude that Paul is addressing in this passage, one that tries to distance us from the gravity of our sin, while fully embracing the sins of others. For the times we try and give ourselves a pass for our ugly, nasty, sinful behavior, but try and prosecute others to the full extent of the law.

Where does Paul come out on the behavior? Verse 2: ‘We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things” Only God can issue judgement because only God has a full picture of someone’s life, someone’s heart, and someone’s sin.

But where does that leave us, then? When we are confronted with sin- either ours or someone else’s, what should be our response? Paul, and Jesus offer us 2 responses that a Christians should embrace in the face of sin- repentance and forgiveness.

God does not give us the license or the ability to judge the sin of others, this is a job left only to him. However, God does lay out a recipe for us on how we should respond to sin in our lives. Today, I want to look at the three responses that Scripture offers us when we are confronted with sin.

First, in verse 4, Paul calls us to repentance-specifically in response to our own sin.

CS Lewis once said that “A Christian is not one who never goes wrong, but one who is enabled to repent and begin over again after each stumble—because of the inner working of Christ.”

Not justification, not turning a blind eye, not downplaying or ignoring- the response for Christian to personal sin is repentance. Baker’s Encyclopedia of the Bible describes repentance as “Literally a change of mind... a change in the whole personality from a sinful course of action to God”

You cannot repent without changing your actions. Repentance is more than just feeling sorry for what you have done, or feeling guilty for wrong doing- repentance is an action, not a thought. If we preach or advocate for a repentance that requires no real change, then we are watering down what spiritual transformation really is.

A man was painting his house. He only bought 5 gallons of paint. He knew he couldn’t finish the job with 5 gallons, so he started to thin it with water. He thinned and thinned and finally the job was done.

Then a big black cloud showed up over the house. It rained and rained and of course washed all the paint off the house.

A voice was heard from the cloud. "Repaint and thin no more."

Funny story- but a practical lesson. If we water down the message of repentance it becomes useless, because as soon as the storms of life come in it will only be washed away in the downpours of life.

Interesting, inst it. that Paul connects the wrath of God to hard and impenitent hearts. God’s wrath is being stored up for those who ignore their sin, those who choose to not confront it and be transformed.

The second response to sin that Jesus, and Paul, calls us to is rebuke. There are multiple times that Paul teaches us about the rebuke of sin. In Galatians 6:1 he tells us “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” and in 1 Tim 5:20 he tells us “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”

If we see sin overtaking a brother or sister then we have an obligation to talk with them about their sin. Part of the challenge that we face here is that we are often more open to talking with nonbelievers about their sin than we are those who follow Jesus.

It is important that we remember what rebuke is and what rebuke is not, though, because if we are not careful we can end up hurting people and the community of faith instead of dealing with sin- we can actually create more sin.

The Bible tells us that rebuking sin is to be 1-restorative and 2-gentle. That we are to practice extreme caution and discernment and that we are to always work to restore the person and their relationship with Jesus and the church.

I like how the website Compelling Truth talks about rebuking fellow Christians:

The Bible does not say that the offender is to be humiliated from the pulpit, gossiped about, disowned, or even shunned outside of church. The most extreme punishment a church can give is to remove the offender from fellowship and treat him like an unbeliever. How are we to treat unbelievers? While we are not to have close relationships with them (2 Corinthians 6:14; Proverbs 12:26), we are to point them to Christ (Acts 26:18), pray for them (James 5:16), and gently correct them (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

Second Corinthians 2:8 gives the desired result of church discipline: "to reaffirm your love for [the offender]." Church discipline is not to humiliate or control a person. It's not about anger or self-righteousness or even recompense. Church discipline is designed to protect the corporate body of Christ from unrepentant sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-7) and to encourage someone living in sin to renew his or her relationship with God (Galatians 6:1).

Many people think that rebuking is only for extreme cases, but it is not, we are to rebuke any sin that we see in the life of another believer. There are also those who think that excommunication, or shunning, is the only form of church discipline that we are to practice, and that is not true either. While the Bible does speak of shunning and excommunication, and I do believe in this, it is reserved for the most extreme and unhealthy cases of perpetual sin that is damaging the community of faith.

The third response to sin that we are called to is forgiveness. This is in response to sin that is committed against us. Jesus was once asked what someone should do if a person sinned against them multiple times, and do you remember his response? Matt 18:21-22

English Standard Version Chapter 18

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Have you heard about the 2 brothers who had it out for one another? Two little brothers, Harry and James, had finished supper and were playing until bedtime. Somehow, Harry hit James with a stick, and tears and bitter words followed. Charges and accusations were still being exchanged as their mother prepared them for bed.

She said, “Now boys, what would happen if either of you died tonight and you never had the opportunity again for forgive one another?” James spoke up, “Well, OK, I’ll forgive him tonight, but if we’re both alive in the morning, he’d better look out.”

Forgiveness is not optional for Christians. You know, Matthew 6:9-13 has to be some of the most memorized Scripture in the Bible- the Lord’s Prayer. This passage is hanging in homes, written in public places, and many people who know little to no other Scripture have this prayer memorized, but what about the 2 verse after? These seem just as important.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses

There is an old proverb that says “He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for every one has need to be forgiven."

The Bible intricately connects our forgiveness from God to our forgiveness towards others. So, when the Bible speaks of the kind of forgiveness that God has extended to us, it is not just so that we understand the forgiveness of God, it is also to call us and teach us the kind of forgiveness we are to offer others. So, when we read verses like:

2 Cor 5:19- in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them

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

Daniel 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

Hebrews 10:17 Then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

These are not just informing us about God, they are painting a picture of the kind of forgiveness we are to offer in our lives.

The challenge is that forgiveness is sometimes the most expensive gift you can give. It may cost you your pride, ihonor, your reputation, your power, or countless other things. Make no mistake, friends, forgiveness always costs us something- but we are commanded by God to be generous in our forgiveness. So much so, that if someone commits the same sin against you 7x70 times- or more times than you can count- forgive them EVERY TIME. Because that is what God has done for you.

Now, as we prepare to leave today, I can offer you a guarantee, every one of us is going to experience sin today, tomorrow, this week, and every day- you will have to practice one, if not all, of these reactions to sin as you leave this place. I encourage you to keep these ideas and commands close to your heart, and go, confront sin with the power of the Holy Spirit.