I sometimes notice that people do not fully understand what the Lord Jesus actually means by the grace He wants to give to us. I personally think this is because you have to assume that every human being is sinful as a result of the Fall. The moment you do not perceive yourself as a ‘sinner,’ it is also difficult to understand that you need grace to truly be set free from those sins.
‘I am a good person’
‘I believe that every person has something good within them’
‘I believe that man is good by nature’
‘There are no truly bad people; everyone has a good side within them’
Committing sin is not exactly the same as being a sinner.
I know that I am a sinner and am inclined to sin every day (= to be disobedient in the things God asks of me), and from my position as a sinner, I therefore need grace for that. An unbeliever is a sinner, but the believer is also a sinner.
Romans 6:10-13
‘He died to put an end to sin once and for all; and now that He lives, He lives for God. So you also should view yourselves: dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, do not let sin reign over your mortal body; do not give in to your desires. Do not submit yourselves any longer to sin as instruments of injustice, but submit yourselves to God.
Think of yourselves as living beings raised from the dead, and submit yourselves to God as instruments of righteousness.’
I came to conversion when I was 25 years old. I had grown up in an unbelieving family and knew nothing of God, the Bible, or the church. But even at a very young age, I felt that there had to be ‘something.’ I searched in all kinds of directions for many years until I started reading the Bible. After I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus, however, I continued to struggle with the concept of sinner + sin. Given my upbringing, this was simply difficult to grasp. But as soon as I understood it, the Bible came alive for me… through that, I came to understand that I must come to repentance anew every single day.
Every day, I give my heart to the Lord Jesus again:
“Lord, my heart belongs to You. I am Your child, and You are my Lord.”
In the Old Testament, King David already cries out for grace…
And in the New Testament, the apostle Paul writes…
I am grateful that I may receive grace from the Lord God anew every single day. The freedom I feel because of this is not comparable to the worldly view of freedom, but is very different… it is the feeling that, no matter what happens in the world, I am safe with Him.
Workbook
Consider how you were raised and to what extent that still influences you today regarding your ideas about sin and being a sinner.
What thoughts about sin and grace come to mind during periods of grief?
Can you, just like King David, tell God how you feel and then ask for grace?
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