Sin and Dysfunction – Part 2

Will God Bless You When You Sin?

Whether God will bless you if you sin is a heavily debated topic. I do believe that God can, and will, bless people when they sin. This is sometimes referred to as serendipity and we see evidence of it in the Bible, such as Abraham being made wealthy even when he lied to Pharaoh. Then there are the accounts we read about in the Gospels, when Jesus and His disciples deliberately flouted the religious, Jewish laws – but were justified.

But I notice that those people whose manner, attitude, behaviour and personality do not seem altogether right - tend to struggle somewhat in life. Conversely, I do believe that attaching to the idea that God punishes wrong behaviour, somewhat negates the work of Jesus on the cross. It seems like something of a conundrum.

In fact, the biggest opponent to Christians fully embracing the modern-day grace message appears to be the need to embrace the grace message, live in the freedom of the Gospel – yet somehow militate against wrong beliefs, attitudes and behaviour. It is this reluctance that often leads to heated debates on Christian internet forums.

Living in Freedom

So it seems that the Gospel permits us to sin – but if we love God and the Holy Spirit lives in us, would we really want to do those things that are inappropriate and harmful? Grace is often referred to as a license to sin. Even Darin Hufford of The Free Believers Network believes that this freedom we have in Christ should not be used as an excuse for behaving in a way that is harmful.

When a set of rules is created by a religious institution – it becomes stifling and prevents us from living in freedom. However, I believe that people ought to be allowed to develop their own convictions and opinions when it comes to how they live their life. It is important to find out, through experience, what works for you and what doesn’t – that’s freedom. There is also a need to relax somewhat when it comes to the incessant desire many Christians have, when it comes to forcing their opinions and beliefs on others. At the end of the day, a lot of what we believe is indeed nothing more than personal opinions and preferences.

The Bible says that the works of the flesh are evident (obvious). I believe that we don’t need a law that says we must not steal from other people or commit adultery – these things are obvious. If you need to be quoted a Bible verse that states you must love others, before you will love them – then there is something seriously wrong!