Sin & Grace

13/7/11 Isaiah 15-18; Hebrews 10

S: Hebrews 10:16, 17 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:18-22 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:26-27 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Hebrews 10:31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

O: Here we have the contrast – on the one hand, we can freely enter the Holy of Holies any time, which under the Old Covenant, only the High Priest could after purifying himself, and at that, only once a year on Yom Kippur. This is because Christ's blood has purified us.

But on the other hand, it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God if we deliberately keep on sinning.

Does this mean that if we sin again after receiving Christ, we will be doomed forever? No, there are other scriptures that make it clear that we still do sin even after receiving Christ, but that we should quickly confess and repent. E.g. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

A: We must live in light of what God has done for us and live pure and holy lives. We can go to God any time.

Sin is a serious matter. It is a perversion of Christian doctrine to say that since there is now grace, we can continue to sin so that grace may abound. (Romans 6:1)

So, we must strive daily to live holy lives. But if we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). So we must quickly confess and repent and receive God's forgiveness. Our lives must be characterized by holiness, not by sin.

At the same time, we can rejoice in the intimacy we have with God because of what Jesus has done.

P: Father, I am tempted daily to sin. I come before you in the Holy of Holies to ask for your power to resist the devil and discipline my own flesh. I confess my sins to You and thank You for Your forgiveness bought by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for the intimate relationship we can have with You because of Your gift. Amen.