But, what if we do fall?

‘My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world’, 1 John 2:1-2

While it is true that in Christ Jesus, ‘He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’, and that, ‘sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under law, but under grace’, and that, ‘the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit’, and the kingdom has come and we have been bought and ransomed for God by the death of Christ, nevertheless we are still free agents and we can still choose to follow the desires of the sinful nature; [1 John 4:4 – Romans 6:14 – Romans 5:5].

And sometimes we do!

So what should we do when that happens, and we choose to follow through on the desires of the sinful nature, and as a direct result we ‘sin and fall short of the glory of God’, and we spoil and tarnish our fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

This is what we should do.

1. Say sorry to Jesus straight away. Do it quickly. ‘If we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness’, 1 John 1:9.

2. Don’t wallow in your failure! One of the devil’s leading strategies against Christians is to blame them and tell them they are hopeless after they’ve fallen and sinned. He accuses you – he tells you that you are a failure. He makes you feel useless. He tries to make you depressed. He lies and tells you you’ll always be a failure. He tells you to give up.

Don’t believe him! Hold fast to what your heavenly Father says about you!

‘We are God’s children now’ 1 John 3:2

‘You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, … now you are the people of God, …now you have received mercy’, 1 Peter 2:9-10

3. Rejoice that Christ’s atoning victory is so very great that ‘there is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus’, Romans 8:1 and, ‘Who will bring any charge against those who God has chosen. It is God who justifies, who then is the one who condemns? No one! Romans 8:33-34.

4. If your sin involved hurting others, apologize and repair the situation and the relationship as soon as possible. In Ephesians 4:26 Paul tells us to sort it out before bedtime!

5. Stand up and walk with Christ. He’s forgiven you – receive his forgiveness! Ask for his help and think if there’s anything you can do so you don’t fall into that temptation again.