Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God;
Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Luke 24:47, “and that repentance for forgiveness of
sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from
Jerusalem.”
Acts 3:19, “Therefore repent and return, so that your
sins may be wiped away, in order that time of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 7:10, “For the sorrow that is according
to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation,
but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
I have a dear friend of mine,
one who I promoted, a person I trusted, someone I considered a godly man and an
example commit adultery, and have a 5 ½ month affair with a woman half his age.
But if that statement does not anger you, let me add some fuel to the fire,
because I want you anger to burn so that the Holy Spirit might quench it.
This man of course has a
wife, otherwise it would not be adultery. But he also has 2 children in the
most vulnerable years of their life who love their Dad very much. He also has a
ministry… a ministry of helping those with troubled marriages, various
addictions, and just the bumps of life. All of this “good side” of his life
have been forsaken… for what?
Apparently unrepentant… (I
can say that because Jesus said repentance bears fruit (Matt 3:8)) he continues
to cohort with his concubine. So is this one of those cases the writer of
Hebrews 10:26 speaks of when he says, “For if we go on sinning willfully after
receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins.” I pray not. But certainly this could very well be an example of too much
reliance on Grace without considering the value of repentance.
The very foundation of
Christianity is the principle of we are saved by grace through faith. That if
we will simply believe in the unseen, unmerited favor or God, then all things
will be all right. And modern Christianity understands this… or does it? What
is the extent of the grace?
In Romans Chapter 7 the
Apostle Paul talks about the everyday struggle with sin that WE ALL have, even
after salvation; and in conclusion of this thought he says it must be sin in
me, and not I that sins. To which he then says, that if it is Sin and not me,
then “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ…” And
so we use this to not judge and condemn behavior. We use it to justify our own
sin-- that we are out of control, but the grace of God will overcome, and there
should be no condemnation… and if no condemnation no consequences.
But for us the sinner there
still remains a responsibility. No there is no condemnation. Yes we are all susceptible
to sin. But Christ came to preach repentance for forgiveness of sin. The
kingdom of God is at hand… repent. Yes we all sin, but to those who are in
Christ… we feel sorrow for that sin. And that sorrow leads to repentance.
And so my babble comes full
circle. My friend is caught in open adultery. What do I do?
Well first I pray… a lot.
Second I try not to be
condemning in my communications with him. I do not tell him he is going to
hell, that is not my call. But I do as gently as I can share God’s word. I do
sometimes forcefully try to get him to acknowledge he is an adulterer. Let’s
get this clear, he is not neglected by his wife, he does not have a bad life,
there is no excuse for his choice.
Third, I wait for him to wake
up. And if he does not… then I will practice 1 Corinthians 5.
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