Christians Who Sin... and Sin Wickedly

Sometimes Christians sin... and sin wickedly. Sometimes we fail in the struggle with our flesh

and look like our pagan neighbors. We love sin and hold on to it with white knuckles like Gollum with his "precious". When we do that, we destroy our own lives and tarnish the reputation of the church, but it does happen. Sometimes we can be very slow to repent... And it takes even longer if we fail to understand the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Then our propensity is to hide in fig leaves because of slavish fear. As Walter Marshall puts it, we have a "secret suspicion that God is really our enemy." We think that we have trusted Christ as Savior, but the Father is an angry tyrant, and we are very slow to return to our God. And why would we, given our misperception?

But there is a God Who paved the way from eternity past to be in loving fellowship with us through Jesus our Substitute, Mediator, and Advocate. He is longsuffering, patient, kind, and moved with compassion. "He remembers that we are dust." And He draws us with cords of love. We return when His Spirit sheds His love abroad in our hearts; when we begin to understand that His love for us really is greater than all our shame, and greater than the wrath we deserve. It is only then that we begin to desire Him in return, and can live at rest instead of running in vain; instead of clinging to that which destroys. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A21%3B+1+Timothy+2%3A5%3B+I+John+2%3A1%3B+Psalm+103%3A12-14%3B+Hosea+11%3A4&version=RSV