The Error of a Misfocused Repulsion of Sin

Sin is a horrible thing. Sin has caused indescribable pain and destruction for billions of people, and has sent Jesus to the cross. Sin grieves the heart of God, originally disrupted man’s fellowship with God, ruins relationships (family, friend, business, etc.), and blinds men’s hearts from seeing God for who he really is.

Sin should not be taken lightly and should not exist in the life of a Christian. It should repulse us when it appears is our lives. We should hate the existence of both “big” and “small” sins.

But, in our repulsion of our sin, we need to guard against a view of sin that forgets the forgiveness Christ purchased for us. If the Bible says Christ’s sacrifice paid the debt of all our sins (Col 2:13-14), it is wrong for us to count our sins as unpaid. When I sin, sometimes I find myself feeling more forgiven if I have really “beat myself up” over a certain sin. This attitude is wrong because I cannot pay for my sins with anything, even remorse. Remorse is good except when we use it to make ourselves feel as if we have somehow paid a little towards the debt of our sin.

If we are Christians, I think we should feel nearly every kind of sick feeling toward our sin except the feeling of being condemned by God for an unpaid/unpayable debt of sin. Because He says our debt is paid, it would be wrong for us to live in a way that demonstrates we actually think we can add something to Jesus’ sacrifice.

Hate your sin, but not in the way of a murderer strapped to an electric chair about to pay for his crime. Hate your sin in the way of an unfaithful wife (“the church” Eph. 5) who has been forgiven and loved by a faithful husband (“Christ” Eph. 5) and has no merit to stand in his presence other than his forgiveness and acceptance of her.

Edit: I just came across this quote I had written down during college which I think is applicable to this post.

"Almost every generation has to rediscover grace because our human nature's worldly perspective wars with the notion that we can do nothing to gain God's acceptance." -Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching p. 290