LIVING A LIFE OF SIN

I as a Christian, don’t want to shove Jesus down your throat, but I do want to share why He is the only option to truly live. Yesterday, my professor asked a probing question…he said, “are we trying to give people a better way to live, or are we trying to condemn them?" Today as I tackle a difficult topic, I pray that whoever reads this will not feel attacked at all, but instead, will have a new understanding of the life God has called us to live! 

With that being said, I believe there is a difference between sinning, and living a life of sin. 

We are human. Which means, we sin. 

The good news is that we are forgiven of those sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

However, the grace of God is not an excuse to sin. 

Let me say that again…even though we are forgiven of our sins, that doesn’t mean we are freely able to continue in our sins. 

We as believers are called to strive to imitate Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

In this regard, we can never reach perfection, but we’re to do our best to try not to sin. 

The Bible tells us to realize our wrongs and work on ourselves so that we can overcome our sin. 

Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

1 John 3:9 “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

***Now let me go into more detail about these two verses because I don’t want them to be wrongly understood.

-Proverbs 28:13 is saying that we can not hide our sin, but instead we are called to confess it and abandon our old ways of living. Therefore, becoming a Christian and announcing you are going to follow Him, means that we are called to a transformation. We are to not live in our old ways and sins anymore. 

-1 John 3:9 is a tricky one at first glance. “Born of God” means spiritually reborn. Therefore, you don’t literally have to come out of your mother’s womb born of God; the day you make the decision to follow God, you are reborn! The verse goes on to talk about how people who are born of God do not sin and cannot sin, this should also not be taken literally. Biblestudytools.com, a website that is useful when you are trying to understand the Bible, helps explain this verse more. A Christian does not make sin his “business...he does not live and walk in sin, or give himself to it…he does not so commit it as to be the servant of it, a slave unto it, or to continue in it.” Therefore, when becoming a follower of Jesus, you are forgiven of your sins, but you also are called to now live a life where you strive to not sin. 

Again, I am not saying we can be perfect! Hear me, I am saying we can’t just go about our lives the same way we did before we knew the Lord. Instead, we are to BE SET APART.

1 Peter 1:14-16 “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Although holy sounds like a super spiritual and intense word, it really just means being set apart for God’s will. 

Personally, I have struggled with certain sins for a while. It is really hard for me to be selfless and I tend to not think before I speak. However, I have been working on these sins for a long time. I have realized I struggle with them, so I purposefully pray that I become better at thinking before I speak and putting others before myself. Although those are my natural, sinful inclinations, I have gotten a lot better, because I have been really working at them.

I encourage you today to first, realize what sin you are living in. 

This might pop out at you instantly or it might take a little bit of investigating to see what you struggle with. However, we all have something...most likely a lot of things. 

Secondly, pray about that sin. Be aware of it, and ask God to help you control it. Everyday, continue to work hard in bettering yourself and becoming SET APART.

If today you want to accept Jesus Christ into your heart, I am going to type out a prayer that you can speak out loud. But remember, Christianity is just a fancy word for having a relationship with God. So, continue to pray, continue to learn more about Him, and continue to better yourself so that you are not living in sin, but instead living holy. 

Dear Heavenly Father, 

I believe in you. I believe that you sent your only son to die on the cross for me and rise again three days later. Lord, forgive me of my sins. I confess them to you, make me clean. Today, I am choosing to follow you. Help me to live the rest of my life for you. In Jesus name, amen. 

With all my love, Delaney Dilfer :)