I want to highlight another common problem that appears to trouble the minds of many Christians. It is the problem of that ‘one sin’ committed in the past. This past sin comes up in your mind time and again. You analyze it, scrutinize it and condemn yourself because of it. It troubles you, and it robs you of joy and peace. Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones says: “I would say that in my experience in the ministry, extending now over many years, there is no more common difficulty. It is constantly recurring and I think that I have had to deal with more people over this particular thing than over anything else .” [1] For some people the thought of this one sin makes them believe that they may have committed the unpardonable sin.
The effect of this recurring thought is joylessness and unhappiness. They know that they are Christians, but they also know that they are not experiencing the joy that they are supposed to have. Jesus said to His disciples:“These things have I spoken to you, that my joy may be in you , and that your joy may be full.” (Jn. 15:11; 16:24; 17:13). You are designed by God for that happiness. These are not simply empty, wishful words from the lips of a motivational speaker. These are the words that your Creator, your Saviour speaks into your ear.
But now that joy seems illusive to you. That one sin does it for you.
We have asserted previously that an unhappy Christian is a contradiction in terms. An unhappy Christian is no great ambassador for the King and His heavenly kingdom. The ambassador does his very best to present his country’s most winsome face. Some Christians, because of this thing that is perpetually with them, look and act as if they did not belong to the land milk and honey, but to the land of vinegar and lemon juice!
The truth is that as ambassadors of King Jesus we are sent into this world with good news. These good news are spoken to set people free and not to enslave them [2]. The effect of the Christian gospel is to give joy in all circumstances [3]. So, it is important to know what to do with that “one sin “ from your past which robs you of your joy and which makes you depressed and ineffective as a Christian.
We seek a biblical example and solution to this common problem. As we do so, we must remember that this joy must be worked out in the midst of our life in a fallen world. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation“ (Jn. 16:33). We ought to be constantly amazed by that superficial view that so many hold in our day, that Christian people are somehow exempt from trials and tribulations. That this is simply not true. The Bible and life is filled with the examples of believers who suffer and who are in trouble for their faith. The Bible shows us that trials and unhappiness are a very common experience of the Christian life. The Psalms bear many examples of this. Peter says: “Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12). James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds…” (Jas. 1:2)
Recently we had completed a study of 2nd Corinthians in our evening service, in which we noted the sufferings of the apostle Paul. The sufferings of Jesus are ell known. Jesus said, “ If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you… if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you …” (Jn.15:18). Sufferings are part of our Christian experience.
Recently we had completed a study of 2nd Corinthians in our evening service, in which we noted the sufferings of the apostle Paul. The sufferings of Jesus are ell known. Jesus said, “ If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you… if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you …” (Jn.15:18). Sufferings are part of our Christian experience.
Some sufferings come about as a result of our own stupidity (1 Pet. 4:15). Other suffering comes because we are being sinned against.
Whatever the case may be …here is an important message for you: If you are unhappy or depressed because of what may have happened to you in the past, that is no indication that you are not a Christian! Yes, it is not a good thing to live in a state of depression, but the fact that you have troubles and the fact that you are depressed is not a sign that you are not a Christian. In fact, one could argue that if you had never experienced any trouble one might doubt that you are a Christian at all. The work of Satan in the Christian is to keep us obsessed with our past and with our troubles. He works hard to keep non Christian people blinded to the truth of Christ and his work (2 Cor 4:4). But after one becomes a Christian, Satan's chief work is to keep you from seeing the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). He is committed to harass you and to rob you of the joy that you have in Jesus. He knows that a joyless Christian cannot really export his faith!
Whatever the case may be …here is an important message for you: If you are unhappy or depressed because of what may have happened to you in the past, that is no indication that you are not a Christian! Yes, it is not a good thing to live in a state of depression, but the fact that you have troubles and the fact that you are depressed is not a sign that you are not a Christian. In fact, one could argue that if you had never experienced any trouble one might doubt that you are a Christian at all. The work of Satan in the Christian is to keep us obsessed with our past and with our troubles. He works hard to keep non Christian people blinded to the truth of Christ and his work (2 Cor 4:4). But after one becomes a Christian, Satan's chief work is to keep you from seeing the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). He is committed to harass you and to rob you of the joy that you have in Jesus. He knows that a joyless Christian cannot really export his faith!
So then we ought to know HOW we may overcome our depression. We need to know HOW to live as a Christian when joylessness and depression threaten us.We need to keep the realities of life in this fallen world in mind.
I refer you therefore to the good example of one who had come out of a real problematic past - the apostle Paul. Read again what he writes to Timothy: (read 1 Timothy 1:12-17) and ask the question,
How is the apostle Paul a good model for those who feel that there is no cure for their particular sin?
1. Paul is a supreme example of a forgiven sinner: He holds himself up as a supreme example : i.e. as the foremost sinner (ESV)/the worst of sinners (NIV). Notice how he qualifies that in v.13. He said that he was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, a rude man and the foremost – the worst of sinners (vv. 15,16).Was he overstating the case? Was he being overly dramatic? No! Think of how he blasphemed the Lord Jesus Christ before he became a Christian (Acts 9). Think of how he persecuted the church (Acts 8; Gal.1:23)giving approval to the execution of some of the finest Christian men and women (8:1).
Now here is the first application for you: Think of his case and say to yourself, “If he is the worst of sinners“ then there must be hope for me and my sin."
2. Paul’s thinking is not dominated by depression because he knows the Saviour and His work so well! How could Paul be so sure concerning the forgiveness of his sin – so much so that he could not be oppressed by his past sin?
Look at his language :
(i) I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service …
(ii) I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
(iii) But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.
We see very clearly that Jesus was at the center of Paul’s life. He knew what Jesus had done for him. It is because of this that he could write to the Roman Christians in 8:1, “ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Paul understood the doctrine of salvation.
Here lies the big problem for so many Christians who keep on battling with their past sins. It is an ignorance concerning the completeness and the fullness of Christ's saving work on the cross.
Dr Lloyd Jones has very helpful counsel at this point. “Let me put this plainly and bluntly in order that I may emphasize it even at the risk of being misunderstood. There is a sense in which the one thing that these people who are in this condition must not do is to pray to be delivered from it! That is what they always do … Now the Christian must always pray … but this is one of those points at which the Christian must stop praying for a moment, and begin to think, for there are particular problems in the Christian life concerning which I say, that if you do nothing but pray about them you will never solve them. You must stop praying at times because your prayer may just be reminding you of the problem and keeping your mind fixed on it. So you must stop praying and think, and work out your doctrine (of salvation).”[4]
So what must you think about? You must think biblically about the doctrine of salvation. You must see how Paul deals with it - firstly in his own life. Look at how he deals with his very sinful past. He clearly intends his own experience to be an example of Christ’s sufficient grace for every Christian. You cannot read his testimony without realizing that Jesus has provided him with a full, comprehensive salvation! Christ has given him strength to have faith. Jesus has given him mercy despite his wickedness. Jesus came into the world to completely save the worst of sinners – and here, says Paul, am I , …a perfect example and proof of that free sufficient grace.
Someone may interrupt at this point and say, “Yes, but you don’t know how bad my sin was!” What you are really saying is this, “My sin was worse than Paul’s! My sin is even to big for Jesus to handle!” Do you really believe that? This is bad, unbiblical doctrine on your part!
If you have not yet seen in the scriptures that any sin (no matter how big or small) is sufficient to condemn you, and if you have not seen yet that the blood of Christ is more powerful than all your sin (it can cover the sin of this world and infinite world’s over!), then you must not be surprised that the devil takes your poor theology and turns it on you, so that you are doomed to be perpetually down in the dumps!
Don’t let a poor grasp of Scripture and of the person and work of Christ send you back into bondage. (*this was ultimately the problem of the Galatians and the Corinthians)
1. You need to know that if you believe that your sin cannot be fully dealt with by Christ then you really do not believe the Scripture. Then your ultimate trouble is unbelief. You are not accepting the Word of God planted in you. Therefore do not go on praying about that ‘one sin’,seeking deliverance from it from this faith healer or that one. You have but one duty: Believe the Word of God. Don’t ask God for a message of forgiveness. He has given it to you. Your prayer may well be an expression of unbelief at this point.
2. Make sure that you understand what Jesus achieved on that cross. Remember that Jesus purchased salvation… full freedom.. for those that He came to save … for those that believe in Him. It is a finished work. There is nothing lacking. It is done. It is completed.
3. Make sure that you understand the nature of justification. Remember when the death of Jesus is imputed to you, then you are righteous – permanently righteous. You are clothed with Christ’s righteousness. Your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col.
4. Understand the fact of your union with Christ. You are one with Christ. That is what salvation amounts to. “ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
Conclusion
Don not let your past life lead you to despair. With Paul you must say: “That was my former life! I am forgetting that now. I am straining forward to what lies ahead" (Phil. 3:13). And never forget to praise God for that completed work! (1 Tim. 1:17) That is how Paul completes his thoughts when he writes in v.17: " To the King of ages, immortal , invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen
[1] D. Martyn Lloyd Jones : Spiritual depression: It’s causes and cure , p. 66
[2] This was the problem found in the Galatian church . They were set free through Christ , but they allowed themselves to come under the yoke of the law again. ( see Gal 5:1)
[3] Paul had learned this .( see Phil 4:11-13)
[4] P. 69
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