Two scriptures for this lesson: John 15:22 and John 9:41. “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin” (BSB). “Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, “We see.” Therefore your sin remains’” (NKJV).
We are perfect in Christ, and we’ll never be perfect. It seems like all the Christian life lies in such paradoxes. These two verses say that we are not guilty of sin we are ignorant of. Christ’s blood covers the unintentional sin, and we see that in the sacrifices in the Old Testament. So, we can be blameless in God’s sight, while still having sin in our lives that we aren’t choosing in rebellion to God.
These two verses also say that we are guilty of sin we know about. Sin separates us from a holy God. When we know it’s there, it’s got to go. The good news, the gospel, is that Jesus made the way for us to be saved, for us to be one with the Father, by cleansing us from all sin. When we come to Christ, we’re supposed to come in the fear of the Lord, recognizing that we are a sinner before a holy God. We see some of our sin and we confess our known sin. God is faithful and just to forgive us, and we receive forgiveness.
Later, God might show us something else in us that we didn’t realize we were doing wrong. Maybe we even knew we were doing it, but just hadn’t come to the realization that in doing so, we were sinning against God. We immediately change our minds about this sin, repenting. We confess our sin and get forgiven. We want the sin out of us. We hate the sin. We hate that we’ve been sinning against God. We ask God to remove the sin from our lives. He is faithful and just and cleanses us from the unrighteousness. When the temptation arises, you realize you have the power to refuse, because you now hate the sin. Something you hate is no longer a real temptation.
If you do sin, Jesus is praying for you. Thank Him for teaching you, and correcting you, and guiding you, and disciplining, and cleansing. Believe His Word is true, that He is able to deliver you from your sin. He will work His salvation in you as you work it out. You will be putting the sin to death. You are the victor in Christ Jesus.