“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.” (Hebrews 6:1 NLT)
It’s not uncommon for we who have been in the faith for a while to get frustrated with the “baby” Christians who seem to never tire of repeating their favorite sins…until we look in the mirror! Burk Parsons nailed it when he wrote: “The church is not full of hypocrites—it’s full of repentant sinners. Big difference. Hypocrites pretend to be what they never intend to be, but Christians repent.”
Too often we tend to relegate repentance to a category of fundamental teaching, which, of course, it is. But as the writer of the Hebrew letter rightly noted, our maturity in Christ isn’t the failure to ask for forgiveness, power, and help in dealing with our “evil deeds,” it’s continuing to live in them without thought or desire to repent – to turn from them.
There are a few reasons for that. For one, we wrongly believe “they’re no big deal, nothing to be concerned about, just a part of who I am!” Yes, they may have been a part of who you WERE, but they cannot continue to be a part of who you’re becoming in Christ. We too quickly forget the fundamental truth that Jesus followers confess their sin and turn from it.
But that relates to another reason we don’t turn away from our evil deeds. We stop believing we can. We confess and confess and confess (usually when we get caught or convicted by the Holy Spirit), believing the Lord is going to “take it away.” Matt Chandler said: “Immaturity talks when it should listen, and is silent when it should speak.”
We tend to “talk” repentance but are “silent” when it comes to positive action. When I was plagued by lustful thoughts, I begged God to take them away, but that’s not how it works. It’s the same with viewing pornography, drinking, smoking, drugging, gossiping, or any other addictive behavior. We can beg God all day to “Do Something,” but He seems silent. Why?
Because He’s already done everything He needs to do: He’s saved us and filled us with His Spirit, He’s given us brothers and sisters in Christ who are dealing or have dealt with the same addiction(s), He’s given us a heart to desire Him above all else, so why doesn’t any of that help? It does if and when we seek the help we need.
Being a Jesus follower isn’t a “solo” act, it demands partnership. The addictions with which most believers deal are far too often carried out in the “closet” of isolation. We don’t want anyone to know (as if they don’t already)! We fear if anyone really knew who we are and what we’re doing (have done), they’d reject us and write us off as a friend. And, honestly, some will, that’s why you need to follow the Lord’s directives when He leads you to someone you can trust.
Personally, I’ve found that the vast majority of genuine Christ followers are eager to step up and help one another. Why? Because we’re all in the same boat. We’re all dealing with something. It’s called sin, and it comes in all sizes and shapes. We’re all dealing with our sinful urges and desires and the only way to keep them under control is to face them, share them, and seek counsel in dealing with them. A good rule of thumb is we can’t give up a sinful action unless and until we replace it with a godly and positive one.
Let’s pick this up in tomorrow’s post.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 