Grace and Sin

The following blog is the newest installment in our Classics Series, where we revisit posts from days gone by. This blog was initially posted in July of 2015.

I never realized how amazing grace was until I saw how offensive sin was. Yet I still find myself giving in to my desires that are against God’s perfect nature. I tend to resort to my old ways and forget that God has saved me from my sin so I can live for Him. But how do I feel after I have messed up? Guilty? Ashamed? Do I feel like I am not good enough? These emotions tend to overwhelm my mind and cloud my perspective.

To clarify, it was because of our sins that Jesus died. There is a seriousness to our sin in that God hates and reviles it. As a just God, He punishes sin. We could have never met God’s standard of perfection. Yet God, in His love, has saved us through Christ. So those who have repented, acknowledged that they are sinners and can’t save themselves, and have trusted in Jesus are saved.
 
We may find it difficult to believe that God has forgiven us when we sin. Sometimes I tend to wallow in my sin as a pig wallows in the mud. I feel ashamed and guilty, and unworthy. I feel like I need to clean myself up before approaching God. Do you feel that way? I think the problem is our understanding of grace.

Grace teaches us that God has saved us even though we don’t deserve anything. We can run to God when we sin because there is an ever-flowing well of mercy. God desires us to have broken and contrite hearts (Isa 66:2), hearts that understand that we have messed up and recognize our need for forgiveness. These hearts confess sin because they understand that sin affects our relationship with God. These hearts can approach the throne of grace and rest in the forgiveness that is in Christ. We must recognize that it is only by grace that we are saved, and it is only by grace that we have access to God.

So when you sin, may you run to the Father and His love, not because of your moral perfection, but because of Morality Himself.