Failure.
Again.
I prayed about it, asked for help. And still, just a few hours later…failure.
It’s humbling, frustrating, and discouraging. My heart resonates with Paul’s exclamation in Romans 7:15: For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. On days that I stumble yet again and commit the same old sins for the millionth time, my defenses go down, and the enemy goes to work. His whispers of condemnation and accusation echo in my head, as my grip on truth slackens. I know I should pray, but no prayer of forgiveness seems quite adequate enough. Instead, I can get stuck in a pit of self-flagellation and desperation. What can I do? Where can I turn?
Though we must not overlook sin or continue in it so that grace may abound, in moments like these, we must turn back to the Gospel and allow its truths to wash over us once again—not for salvation, but for renewal of our minds. If you’ve struggled like I have, with feelings of guilt and despair at committing the same old sin yet again, fight against the devil’s lies and return to the truths of the Good News.
- “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Rom. 8:1)
The enemy loves to tell us that the sin we committed is just too bad. We really crossed a line this time. Our own hearts condemn us, and we wonder if we could possibly be saved if we did such a thing. Or we think that we’ll be in God’s doghouse for a while over this one. Not so. The Gospel promises us that all the condemnation for all of our sins was laid on Christ at the cross. “It is finished” (John 19:30) - “We have an Advocate with the Father” (1 John 1:2)
While believers are called to put off the flesh and walk in the light, we still struggle with sin. It’s just a fact. While we await the glorious day when we will be freed from the presence of sin and in the bodily presence of Christ, we can hold onto the glorious truth that we have an Advocate—a defense lawyer—with the Father. The Son pleads His own righteousness on our behalf. Because He satisfied the full measure of God’s wrath on the cross, He now intercedes that propitiation in our stead. - “I am crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20)
Though it’s one of the most prolific doctrines in the New Testament, union with Christ is one the most under-taught and most-needed doctrines in the Church today. Union with Christ is the glorious truth that I am in Christ and He is in me. I am united with Him, and His righteousness has become my own. His compassion, His strength in the face of temptation, His mercy, and His wisdom—all of this is mine in Christ. On days that I fail over and over again, I wonder if this could really be true. In those moments, I must return to verses like Galatians 2:20 and remind myself that I really have been grafted into the vine. I must abide in Him, the true Vine (John 15:1-8). - He will complete the work He began in me (Phil. 1:6)
I’m not much of an artist, so I’m familiar with the glory of a blank slate. When the picture isn’t turning out like you want it to, get a new piece of paper. If what you’re sculpting out of clay starts to look a little janky, just smush it back into a lump and start over. We all have enjoyed and benefited from a “mulligan” every now and then. But God never needs a do-over. We can’t do anything to make Him think that He really messed this one up and He ought to start over with a whole new lump of clay. No, the Master Potter knows exactly what He’s doing. No sin—no matter the size—will make Him start over. He has promised that He will continue to work on us, just as we are, until He finally brings us to our perfect, glorified state. - I am not a slave, but a child of God (Gal. 4:1-7)
A slave doesn’t inherit from his master. While we could probably find some books or movies where a faithful slave is made heir instead of an estranged son, that’s just not the way it worked in the first century. Heirs inherit. Slaves don’t. Without Christ, we’re a slave—a slave to sin, a slave to our lusts, and, ultimately, a slave to Satan himself. And, as a slave, we would never inherit a thing. In Christ, however, we have been adopted as sons and daughters. Some days we choose to live more like a slave to our passions than a son of the King. That’s when we need to grab hold of our identity and live like what we are. - He is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9)
“Really? Again? You’ve got to be kidding.” I often put these words in God’s mouth when I’m coming to Him yet again for forgiveness for the same sin He’s forgiven a thousand times before. Without the promise of 1 John, I would have no hope that He’d do it again. I’m sure I wouldn’t, if it were me. But, thankfully, we do have the promise of God’s forgiveness. Because of the Gospel—because Christ paid for all our sin—the Father is not only faithful but just to forgive us. To do otherwise would compromise His very nature. And that can never happen. For that reason, He’ll never turn us away when we come once again seeking His forgiveness. - “Nothing can separate me from the love of God” (Rom. 8:38-39)
Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Nil. Zero. Bupkiss. Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not my sin, my circumstances, my family or failures; not the government, social media, news media, or streaming services. Nothing can separate me from the love of God. I don’t have to endure a period of “coolness” where God walks off His anger; I don’t have to wait for 24 hours to get back into God’s good graces. I can come to Him and expect Him to dote on me—and discipline me—as His child. His love is never in question.
If you’ve had a rough day, week, month, or year, take some time to let the bedrock truths of the Gospel wash over you. Renew your minds with the good news of the cross. Yes, sin matters. We must put it to death. But, in the wake of failure, we can wrap our arms around the God of the Gospel, trusting that He has never let us go.
Bible Study Nerd 