CHARLES HARRIS: God will not overlook unresolved sin

In the 1800s, millions of children in America learned to read from a McGuffey’s Eclectic Reader. In the 1836 edition, the author published this paragraph that seems prophetic:

If you can induce a community to doubt the genuineness and the authenticity of the Scriptures; to question the reality and obligations of religion; to hesitate, un-deciding, whether there be any such thing as virtue or vice; whether there be an eternal state of retribution beyond the grave; or whether there exists any such being as God, well you’ve broken down the barriers of moral virtue and you’ve hoisted the flood gates of immorality and crime. … Every bond that holds society together would be ruptured; fraud and treachery would take the place of confidence between man and man; the tribunals would be scenes of bribery and injustice; avarice, perjury, ambition and revenge would walk through the land and render it more like the dwelling of savage beasts than the tranquil abode of civilized and Christianized men.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:14-19, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

The apostle Paul rebuked the church in Corinth for ignoring sin and for their arrogant attitude about sin. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 says, “It’s actually reported that there is fornication among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” Paul rebuked them, for tolerating the sin instead of taking action against the man who committed it.

The inspired apostle then does take action. He writes in verses 3-5, “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you’re assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you’re to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

Love and faith lead a Christian to please the Lord in every respect. Christians who love the Lord are not content to lead their old lives of sin. They want to grow in their faith, their holiness, and their love for God and man (1 John 3:1-3).

Our tolerant culture may overlook your sins, but God will not overlook unresolved sin. God instead wants you to repent; He wants to cleanse you of your sin by the blood of Jesus. And He loves you and He sent His Son Jesus to the cross to forgive you. Why not come to Him for cleansing?

“The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop at late or early hour. To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed. To lose one’s health is more. To lose one’s soul is such a loss that no man can restore.” Somewhere in the world thirty people died while I was reading that short poem. One hundred twenty people die every minute. Their spirits return to God to be judged for the lives that they’ve lived.

You might ignore the sin in your life today, but you cannot ignore it forever. God expects you to turn your life around and to put your trust in Christ Jesus. At the time of baptism, God washes away all our sins (Acts 22:16), and He does it through the blood of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:5). He adds us to His church, He makes us His child (Acts 2:47).

That’s why we should come to Christ in true repentance and be baptized, just as Peter taught in Acts 2:38. And if you’re a Christian, maybe you’ve fallen away, and you need to come back to the Lord. Today is the day to do it.

The Beattie Road Church of Christ meets at 1731 Beattie Road in Albany. Our times of services are Sunday: 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m. and Wednesday 7 p.m. If we can assist you in your spiritual journey contact us at (229) 435-2193 or (870) 500-5535. You can also visit us online at beattieroad.com.