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The idea of hiding from God after committing a sin is very familiar to most people. Behaviours such as no longer sitting at the front of the church, not attending service at all, and taking communion would be a hard no! These familiar behaviours all beg the question, what should a Christian do after committing sin? The Bible is the answer and guide for life. It is the best place to turn to for an answer on what to do after we have sinned.
After Adam and Eve had disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, Genesis 3:10 tells us that they hid from God because they were naked and afraid. Their awareness of their nakedness is like our experience of shame and embarrassment – our sin is uncovered, brought to light, and we are left feeling exposed. Adam and Eve’s sense of fear came from an expectation of judgement, punishment and once again, an awareness of simply not measuring up to the Creator. If you think back to when you felt a little inadequate amongst other people, you felt dread and fear, right? When I reflect on Adam and Eve’s experience, I wonder whether those are some of the thoughts that were on their minds.
Nevertheless, their feelings of shame and fear should not have determined how they reacted to God. You see, God was still calling out to them, He desired to be with them. This gives us a clue about what we should do after committing sin.
Here are four things that we can do after committing sin.
- Boldly Approach God
I know what you’re thinking – isn’t that a bit presumptuous and prideful of me to approach God boldly after I have just sinned? The answer is no, it’s God’s desire for you.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
After we sin, we are in a time of need – would you agree? Therefore the only way that we can obtain mercy and grace in that time of need is to boldly approach God. We can approach boldly because God’s forgiveness has already been freely given to us over 2000 years ago. God isn’t waiting for us to repent before he forgives us, He has already forgiven us!
So rather than hiding like Adam and Eve, after you have committed sin, go straight to your Father! Approach Him boldly knowing that He is calling out to you, He loves you and He has already forgiven you. - Repent
Repentance is your change of heart, your genuine desire to do something different. Repentance and confession are not synonymous. Confession is a spoken act; repentance is a matter of the heart. True repentance means our heart is in agreement with God and no longer desires to do that sin.
When our heart is not fully in agreement with God’s word we must pray ‘Lord, make me willing to be made willing. Help me to take delight in you so that your desires become my desires.’
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
Revelation 2:5
You are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus but that position requires you to live a life of repentance. So the second thing to do after you have sinned is to get your heart in agreement with God – repent.
- Allow God to minister to you
God has not called us to walk this Christian walk single-handedly. It is only through God’s empowering grace that we can live godly. It’s impossible to do alone.
Consider this thought. The Bible says that there is none good but God. Therefore if every element of God was taken away from us, our lives would very rapidly deteriorate into every sin imaginable. You might be thinking ‘well, I’d never commit murder’. Yes, probably not tomorrow or next year, but without the knowledge of God in your life and with the pressure of the enemy there is no evil that you wouldn’t do. Why am I saying all this? I’m simply emphasising the point that we have to allow God to continually minister to us.
Jesus told the woman who was caught in the act of adultery that He did not condemn her. That was Jesus ministering freedom, love and grace to her. I imagine she continued to live in the town where she was exposed, but those words of Jesus must have liberated her to keep pressing on.
After you have sinned, allow God to minister His love and grace to you. - Go and sin no more
This one has purposely been placed last because when we try not to sin without having first received God’s grace, we will be attempting to walk godly in our own strength.
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
Romans 6:16
This scripture tells us that we are obeying and becoming a slave of death when we yield to sin. We don’t want that!
Therefore, after having boldly approached your Father, after changing your heart towards that sin and after allowing God to minister His love to you, now you are empowered to go and sin no more.
If this article on 4 Things To Do After You Have Sinned has encouraged you, you can purchase my book Closer To Him and allow this 30-Day Devotional to guide you in your relationship with God.
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