Leaving Old Things Behind

“…Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11

Last night, in Bible Study class, we had a very interesting conversation about the sins of others. Not our sins, but how the sin of others bothered us. The question or statement that kicked this conversation off was something to do about someone using profanity in this person presence, after being asked not too. We are not talking about an unsaved person but we are talking about another Christian using profanity and vulgar language. This was unsettling to this person who brought it up to the class, last night.

My thoughts this morning as God brought this scripture back to my remembrance is do we really take the advice Jesus give the prostitution in John 8 to leave her life of sin. How many of us professing believers in Christ are holding on to and trying to justify our reason for continuing to leave in or committed sin. It just seems like we cling to sayings like God is not through with me yet, God does not expect me to be perfect God understands my heart and God knows me!

It is true, God does know us. He created us, so I would think, He knows all about us. The book of Matthew says “He knows the number of hairs on our head.” Now, how many folks in our lives can say they know us that well?

Because the Father knows us and the Word says, He knows His sheep as recorded in the book of John 10:14. God knows how much we can bear that is why He said in 1 Peter 5:7 for us to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” He knows all about our weakness and temptations that is why the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

The book of Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” God has made every provision for us to no longer conform to the patterns of this world but to be renewed daily by the transforming of our minds (Romans 12:2). He sent His Son to die for our sins. He give us His Word to use as a guide and He give us His precious Holy Spirit to comforter us and to intercede on our behalf.

Yes, the saying, God is not through with me yet, is correct because as believers we are going through the sanctification process. The website http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/sanctification.htm describes the sanctification process this way: Sanctification does not stop with salvation, but rather it is a progressive process that continues in a Christian's life. Unlike the things and places that are sanctified by God in the Bible, people have the capacity to sin. Even though we have been "set apart" as God's children, we continue to behave in ways that are contrary. As Christians, we realize shortly after we have been saved that there is a new inner battle being waged within us - a battle between our old sin-lead nature and new Spirit-lead nature. Paul in Galatians best describes this inner struggle in Galatians 5:17: "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." That does not mean we use the saying, God is not through with us yet, as a clutch to continuing sinning. We as believers must strife each day to live a worthy life exhibited the fruits of the spirit gentleness, peace, love, self-control, faithfulness, kindness and patience.

So we must do as Jesus instructed the prostitution in the book of John “…Go now and leave your life of sin.” Knowing the One who called us out of the darkness into His marvelous light is able to keep us in the time of temptation and is able to deliver us from everything that is not of God.