When sin has it way with us, we are often devastated and quick to believe Satan’s statements of shame that tell us that we are failures and we will never fly as high for Christ again. The book entitled, Seeking The Face Of God, speaking profoundly to this subject. Again, let me share some of the insight.
In this book, Gary Thomas states, “It would be heresy to suggest that we should ever sin so we can grow. Sin is always the wrong choice. However, when we do sin, we might as well cooperate with God in learning a lesson from our fall so we don’t repeat it. Genuine repentance renews the soul like few other activities and places us in a posture of learning.”
The reality is, as Thomas points out, we may actually feel closest to God right after we’ve blown it and met Him in repentance. This is because this pride of ours, that is at the root of all our sin and is so odious to God, is finally broken by sin. Sometimes it is even broken by temptation.
One of the ancients, Fenelon, said, “Thou allowest a mixture of good and evil even in the hearts of those most devoted to thee. These imperfections which remain in good souls serve to humble them, to detach them from themselves, to make them run more eagerly to thee.” (quoted by Gary Thomas)
Gary Thomas commenting further on this states, “When you sin, accept the lesson in humility and go to God in weakness. I’ve found I am rarely ‘stronger’ than when I am newly repentant and receiving God’s consoling forgiveness.”
I think Thomas a’ Kempis sums it up well. “Temptations are often very profitable to us, though they be troublesome and grievous; for in them a man is humbled, purified, and instructed.”
Let me reiterate that I would not advocate seeking out sin or even temptation but I would want every believer to understand that under the canopy of God’s grace, failure, even sin, can become a stepping stone to drawing closer to God and becoming more the man or woman of God that He so desires us to be. Be encouraged, God majors on sin shattered lives.
Dr. Byron Morgan