What should we do when we sin?

David W Palmer

(1 John 1:8–10 NKJV) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {10} If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

This passage is written to born again Christians by the Holy Spirit through the apostle John: “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin” (1 John 2:1 NLT). We all have to deal with the issue of sin; it is a present reality. After all, we live in the world’s atmosphere that has been sin-soaked since the fall of Adam.

Thankfully, as we have seen in this series of devotional studies, God has provided both forgiveness for sin and the power to overcome it. Consequently, he expects us to live in holiness and perfect love—sweatlessly. Moreover, as we have also seen throughout this series, the question is not whether we should be “holy” and “perfect in love”; but how are we to be holy and perfect in love?

We have already looked at God’s word on how to find the grace we need to walk in his holiness. From this, we have seen that we could sum up the “how” question in this verse: “Let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28 NKJV). God expects us to come boldly to his “throne of Grace” to “receive mercy” and to “find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16 DKJV).

Yet, because we have a real spiritual enemy; and because we inhabit a natural “flesh” body, we live in a battle zone—one in which we constantly “wrestle” to “overcome.” We “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12 KJV), and “we wrestle ... against principalities, etc.” (Eph. 6:12 KJV); we also “strive to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24 NKJV), and apply “violence” to “take” the kingdom by “force” (Mat. 11:12 KJV). In this combative atmosphere, we sometimes miss the mark; that’s why our Lord made provision for us to “obtain mercy” (Heb. 4:16 KJV).

We all need mercy from time to time. Mercy means we don’t have to pay for our sins and mistakes; and God gives it to us freely. (He can do this, because Jesus paid the full price for all we have done wrong with his innocent blood, death, burial, time in hell, and resurrection.) However, even though mercy is given to us freely, an important condition exists for receiving it; the Holy Spirit says we need to repent and confess our sin—as the passages above and below confirm:

(Revelation 3:19–21 NKJV) “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. {20} Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. {21} To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Jesus reminds us here of how important it is to him that we repent of sin. He goes on to say that he will reward those who overcome sin with very significant eternal rewards. We definitely want successfully to pursue this level of overcoming.

Therefore, we need to consider the process involved for obtaining mercy when we fail. This is part of the means of overcoming sin. A forgiven sin has lost its authority over us; its addictive power is broken, and the right it gives the accuser to accuse us is gone (See: Rev. 12:10).

Jesus has already done so much for us in this area: he has already died on the cross for our sins; and he has already risen from the dead victorious over all he carried to the grave. Now, we simply need to clarify our responsibility in the process of overcoming sin; what does Jesus require of us in this area?

(2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV) “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

In this passage, the Holy Spirit says that our responsibility is to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit”; the question again is, how? How do we go about cleansing ourselves in these two ways? To ensure that we have a true and clear understanding of how to do this correctly, let’s first go back to the beginning where sin first entered the human heart. Let’s look in the book of Genesis and see how Adam responded when he discovered the power of sin at work in his life:

(Genesis 3:6–10 NKJV) So when the woman saw that the tree was]good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. {7} Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. {8} And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. {9} Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” {10} So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

What did Adam do when he realised he was guilty of sinning against God? He feared and hid; he was afraid because, in God’s all-revealing light, what he did would be uncovered and known—he felt exposed. Adam was suddenly aware that he was naked; his sin was revealed, and he was ashamed. This is obviously not the way to overcome sin, but it is a natural response; guilt motivates us to hide from the shame and consequences of sin. Clearly, Adam’s example is not the correct response, so what does the Holy Spirit tell us to do when we sin?

(1 John 1:8–10 NKJV) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {10} If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

One thing that is abundantly clear in this passage is that we all will sin at some stage. Yet it is also unmistakably apparent that when we sin, we should not try to hide from God as Adam did; on the contrary, we should come boldly to God and confess our sins to him. We can do this personally in solitude with God in prayer, or in a trusted group of believers.

James 5:16 says that we should confess our faults and transgressions to one another that we may be healed. Certainly, if you confess them openly to faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord, you are confessing them before God. After all, Jesus did say that where even two or three are gathered in his name he is present (Mat. 18:20). Therefore, ultimately, whether confessing in solitude or in the trusted group, we are confessing it to God.

I encourage you today; first, face up to the truth that we all miss the mark in our lives—even though the frequency of this should be diminishing. Second, acknowledge that Jesus expects us to repent—turn from this with heartfelt regret and a correction of the mindset that commissioned and approved the sin. Third, confess it to God—alone or in the company of other believers. Fourth; make restitution for any harm done or property stolen, etc. Finally, accept God’s forgiveness for the sin, confess you are free, and confess his word that grants you the power to overcome that sin in the future; “find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16 KJV). Remember, after this process, live with the full knowledge that you are free, made holy and un-reprovable in Father’s sight; and that you are a graced overcomer—in line for an amazing reward:

(Revelation 3:19–21 NKJV) “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. … To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”