When the Christian Heart Fails in Sinful Temptation
Friday, April 11, 2008 | Labels: Christian Living | |When the Christian fails to avoid a temptation into sin they know is a sin a tremendous guilt typically follows. Guilt tends to be a cleansing agent for the heart of the Christian. It helps to identify our sinful nature apart from God. When faced with guilt no Christian needs Christ more - and it is in these moments that one must come to him in shame and humility.
Coming to Christ in these times is one of the most difficult things to do as a Christian. It is when a Christian fails in temptations that he is most shamed in coming to his Lord because he feels completely and utterly unworthy of even consulting him. Often times we attribute to this fact that we do not deserve forgiveness. "If I truly loved you Lord," we might say "why do I fail you as I do? Why can I not keep your commandments?"
It is amazing that most Christians do not realize just how powerful sin is over their lives. Many times the Christian knows they are sinning and giving into temptation in the process of doing so. If they are aware, though, ought they not be able to keep themselves from sinning? The tragedy of the Christian heart many times is that even though the Christian knows he is going to sin, he does it anyway - realizing the consequences of guilt that are going to follow.
This brings a whole new light to what Paul discusses in Romans:
"We know that the law is spiritual, but I am not spiritual since sin rules me as if I were its slave. I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate. And if I do not want to do the hated things I do, that means I agree that the law is good. But I am not really the one who is doing these hated things; it is sin living in me that does them."
- Romans 7:14-18
One important point to remember is that Paul was not excusing the sins in his life as if they were not his own responsibility. Paul realized, however, that there were two parts to him, and one part has a powerful hold over him and gets him to do things that the other part of him despised. In other words, Paul illustrated that the true person he desired to be loved God's law and wanted to keep it - but the other part of him had such power that he violated the law none-the-less. That part of him that drives him to violate it was not the man he desired to be.
The reality is that sin holds a deep power over the Christian's life. Coming to Christ after committing these sins and giving into temptation should be the first thing the Christian does to experience forgiveness. Acknowledging ones self as a wretch and unworthy before God illustrates that we understand just how much we need him - and his forgiveness gives us exactly what we need to get back on our feet from our failures and continue to do ones best in walking in godliness.
Any Christian will say experiencing Christ's forgiveness of one of the most beautiful experiences one can have.
Craig Chamberlin