Daily Devotional For Thursday, June 20, 2024

Well, Thursday is here and you are closer to the weekend than you were yesterday. Sin is not a topic you hear much about even though the Bible talks about it a lot. In Romans 6:1, the Apostle Paul asks this question, “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” (NASB). The Bible is clear that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works nor by ourselves or our own goodness. Look at Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (9) not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (NASB). 

To make sure we know the answer to Paul’s question, he gives us the answer in Romans 6:2, “May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (NASB). When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, all of our sins are forgiven and we are guaranteed eternal life in heaven. Salvation is God’s gift of grace. Does this mean that a Christian can live however he or she wants and still be saved? Yes. But a true Christian will not live “however he or she wants.” A genuine Christian has a new Master and does not serve himself any more. A genuine Christian will grow spiritually, progressively, in the new life God has given him or her. Grace is not a license to sin. 

Willful, unrepentant sin in a person’s life makes a mockery of grace and calls into question that person’s salvation. Look at 1 John 3:6, “No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him” (ESV). The Christian is to live out of gratitude for God’s grace, not take advantage of God’s grace. The balance is found in Jesus’ words to the woman caught in adultery. After refusing to condemn her, He said, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

Because we are not perfect, there will be times of failure, sin and rebellion. We will never be perfect on this side of heaven. When Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (ESV). I always felt frustrated and a failure until I had to learn and master both Classical Greek and Koine Greek. The Greek New Testament word is [τέλειος, teleios] basically means to reach an intended end or a completion and is often translated “mature” (1 Cor. 2:6; 14:20; Eph. 4:13; etc.). Since Jesus Christ is our intended  goal to emulate, then our whole life from salvation should be to be more like Him each and every day. So, what Jesus Christ expects from us, He also gives us the will and power to do it and this especially is true with sin and sinning less. 

The Christian is to live out of gratitude for God’s grace, not take advantage of God’s grace. The balance is found in Jesus’ words to the woman taken in adultery. After refusing to condemn her, He said, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). If someone literally saved your physical life, you would be so grateful and would honor them for the rest of your and their lives. That is Paul’s point. Some of you may be familiar with a story I have told several times in church on the life of John Newton. 

“John has served on the seas since he was 11 years old. His father, and English shipmaster in the Mediterranean, took him aboard and trained him well for a life in the Royal Navy. Yet what John gained in experience, he lacked in discipline. He mocked authority. Ran with the wrong crowd. Indulged in the sinful ways of a sailor. Although his training would have qualified him to serve as an officer, his behavior caused him to be flogged and demoted. In his early twenties, he made his way to Africa, where he became intrigued with the lucrative slave trade. At age 21, he made his living on the Greyhound, a slave ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, while on one voyage he was harpooned at sea and nearly died. 

He carried for the rest of his life a scar so deep into his abdomen that he could put his fist into it. John ridiculed the moral and poked fun at the religious. He even made jokes about a book that would eventually reshape his life: The Imitation of Christ. In fact, he was angrily degrading that book a few hours before his ship sailed into an angry storm. That night the waves pummeled the Greyhound, spinning the ship one minute on the top of the wave. Plunging her next into a watery valley. John awakened to find his cabin filled with water. A side of the Greyhound had collapsed. Ordinarily such damage would have sent a ship to the bottom in a matter of minutes. The Greyhound, however, was carrying buoyant cargo and remained afloat. John worked the pumps all night. For nine hours, he and the other sailors struggled to keep the ship from sinking. But he knew that it was a losing cause. 

Finally, when his hopes were more battered than the vessel, he threw himself on the saltwater-soaked deck and pleaded, "If this will not do, then Lord have mercy on us all. Sustain us with Your grace." John didn't deserve mercy or grace, but he received it. The Greyhound and her crew survived. John never forgot God's mercy shown on that fearful trip on the Atlantic. He returned to England where he became a prolific composer. This slave-trader-turned Christian-songwriter stated that God took his fear and turned it into faith. For nearly 50 years he preached and wrote songs. This slave-trader-turned Christian preacher and songwriter was John Newton. One of his songs goes like this:

"Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I found, was blind, but now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed! Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ‘Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God's praise, Than when we first begun” (Source: Max Lucado, In The Eye Of the Storm: A Day in the Life of Jesus, pp. 205-207).

Back to Romans 6:1 one more time: “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” (NASB). The Greek New Testament word Paul uses that is translated as “continue” is [ ἐπιμένω, epicene} means carries the idea of habitually continually improving that sin. It is the same word used in Greek to express a person’s permanent or continual residence or home. Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:

“Paul was not speaking of a believer’s occasional falling into sin, as every Christian does at times because of the weakness and imperfection of the flesh. He was speaking of intentional, willful sinning as an established pattern of life” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Romans,” p. 316).

Paul’s rhetorical question goes like this: “If sin brings grace, and lots of sin brings a lot more grace, shouldn’t we sin as much as possible in order to keep grace flowing from heaven?” It is the lie from hell that says the more I sin, the more grace from God I get  . . . to sin more. 

And in Romans 6:3-4 the Apostle Paul asks another question, “How can we we have died to sin still live in it?” The answer is obvious: we can’t. Why? We have a new nature and that new nature hates sin. That new nature confesses sin out of obedience and gratitude to the One who saved us from our sin. So, if you have some physical ailments and sicknesses, it may be due to unconfessed sin in your life. 

Questions To Consider

1. Do you take your own sin seriously because God hates all sin? Do you call your sin -- sin or do you excuse it, rationalize it, excuse it or overlook it? Why do you think we tend to overlook or excuse our own sin but cna quickly point it out in others? What is the main hangup for you confessing your sin to another believer? 
2. Is it possible that some of your physical, or emotional, or psychological or spiritual ailments and sicknesses is due to unconfessed sin? If so, what will you do and why?
3. Did John Newton deserve  God’s grace? No, but he sure did need it. “Coming clean about our sin” tells us the results — we are clean. Would you say that your character is more like Jesus’ character in every area of your life? If not, which ones are not and why? Jesus Christ has done His part for you. What should you do about it for Him?

Scripture To Meditate On: Acts 19:18, “Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I want to be obedient to You and Your Word. I know it is my pride that is keeping me from confessing my sin to anyone. I don’t know if the physical or emotional or psychological or spiritual problems are due to unconfessed sin, but if they are, I will obey Your Word on this. I don’t want just healing, I want restoration and reconciliation. If I am harboring a grudge, I will confess it. If I am nursing bitterness and resentment, I will confess it. Jesus, I want Your character to become my character. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!—Pastor Kelly