What Happens When A Christian Sins?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHRISTIAN SINS?

PSALM 51

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that if we believe in Jesus and have put our trust in Him, then we are His, and nothing or no-one can change that. How wonderful it is to know that we are secure in the Lord Jesus Christ!

WELL THEN, SINCE THE CHRISTIAN IS SECURE IN CHRIST, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHRISTIAN DELIBERATELY SINS?

Now before we go any further I should explain why I have chosen to use that antiquated word, ‘sin’.

Firstly, I use it because the Bible uses it. In the NIV translation, the word sin, (not to mention words like sinner, sinning, sinned, sinful etc), the word sin alone is used 346 times in the OT & 127 times in the NT. And I checked ½ a dozen other translations out & came up with similar results. I think the biblical writers, under the guidance of God the Holy Spirit, saw the concept of sin as fairly important.

Secondly, I use it because it conveys more meaning than any other word in regard to wrong doing. It carries with it the following concepts:-

Rebellion & Lawlessness

Perversion & immorality

Evil

Breaking God’s laws

Falling short in our very character

Being unfair

Being unkind

Being selfish

Living in ways contrary to the will & nature of God

Not worshipping God as we should

Not loving our Lord with all our heart, mind, soul & strength

Not loving our neighbour as ourselves

Missing the mark – at times not even understanding what God wants

Doing the things we shouldn’t & not doing the things we should

Thirdly, I use it because it is a word we can’t escape, we can’t shift the blame. If we were to use words like my weakness, my inadequacy, my mistakes, my problem we can comfortably lessen the impact. After all doesn’t everyone make mistakes, doesn’t everyone have some weakness etc.

WELL THEN, WHAT DOES HAPPEN WHEN A CHRISTIAN DELIBERATELY SINS?

When a Christian sins relationship is NOT altered, position is NOT altered, BUT fellowship is broken.

I suppose we could compare this to the relationship between a child and his or her parents:-

For eg. if I hurt or angered my parents by doing something bad - my position remains the same - I am still their son, BUT I might not feel worthy of fellowship with them, or they may not feel confident to share with me, until I have shown remorse for what I have done. My relationship as son remains the same, but my fellowship has been disturbed.

SO HOW DOES THIS DISTURBED FELLOWSHIP EFFECT ME?

In 2 Samuel 11, we have the account of king David’s fall. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that David was a ‘man after God’s own heart’. He was one of the giants of the faith - yet he fell into terrible sin with his tragic involvement with Bathsheba.

David provides us with an example of gross, extreme sin, sin which led him to the depths of deceit, adultery, murder & misuse of privilege and power. His sin was a ‘bobby-dazzler’ & probably most of us, even if we have dreamt of committing sin like his, are not in a position to be able to carry it out! You need a lot of authority to be able to do what he did.

Let’s turn to 2 Samuel 11 and briefly look at David’s sin - I have just picked out several verses rather than reading through the entire chapter ( I am reading from the NIV ) -

Verses 2–5, "2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,

3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant.""

And now down to verse 14 through to 15.

"14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab (the Commander of David’s army) and sent it with Uriah (remember Uriah is Bathsheba’s husband).

15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.""

And finally verses 26 & 27.

"26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.

27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD."