I wrote a letter earlier to cause you sorrow. Although I regretted it later, I do not regret it now because I know that the sorrow caused by that letter was only temporary. Now I rejoice, not because you are sad, but because your sorrow brings remorse. If you grieve according to the will of God, you will not suffer any loss because of us. Because sorrow according to the will of God produces remorse without regrets and leads to salvation; but worldly sorrow kills people. You see, when you grieve according to God's will, you will give birth to diligence, self-complaint, self-hatred, fear, longing, zeal, and punishment. In all these things you prove yourselves to be clean. (2 Corinthians 7:8-11 Union Version)
In yesterday’s devotional, we saw from the Bible that we are no longer condemned after we believe in Jesus, but we still need to confess our sins and repent. And when we really get into the scriptures, we know that those who enter into Jesus Christ by faith are not condemned. It does not mean that sins are not condemned. Those who are outside of Jesus Christ have not been cleansed because of their sins. Yes, their sins have been condemned.
So if we confessed and repented when we believed, do we still need to confess and repent for sins we commit later? First of all, we have to ask whether we will sin after we believe in Jesus.
John said, "Whoever abides in Him does not sin." This means that people in Jesus Christ will not sin, and when people sin, they do not abide in Christ. When people believe in Jesus, they should abide in Jesus Christ and not sin. When people sin, they fall out of Christ. That’s why Paul said, “Brothers, if anyone is overcome by a sin accidentally,” it shows that a person who has received grace may also sin and fall by chance, but he must still return to Christ. Therefore, John also said, “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he must pray for him.”
What should that person do if he believes in Jesus but is occasionally overcome by a transgression? Do you want to repent of your sins and turn back to Christ? We can see from 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 that Paul previously accused the Corinthian church of various sins. After the Corinthian church realized its sins, it became sad and overcame remorse from its sorrow. They relied on God It means that sorrow produces repentance, which leads to salvation. Therefore, from Paul’s perspective, if a person does not repent of his transgressions, he is very likely to lose his salvation. And John also said that when people sin, they belong to the devil. Therefore, if people do not turn back from their sins, they will return to the power of the devil and even lose eternal life (1 John 3:15).
How to solve this problem of sin can be seen in the above spiritual practice of the need for repentance. 1 John 1:9 also tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”