Living in Hope: Delighting in God’s Forgiveness when Temptation Comes
- Chuck Lawless
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
If you’ve been following this series of articles on “Living in Hope,” you know that we’ve covered these topics in the last few weeks:
This week, I want to talk about hope that all of us need: that is, hope when we find ourselves still struggling with temptation and sin. When I became a believer at age 13 (many years ago—decades, actually), I was excited because I assumed I would never deal with temptation and sin again. Those were the immature thoughts of a brand-new believer who had not been raised in a Christian home, though, and it did not take long for me to learn otherwise. Even as we grow in Christ, still we do things we don’t want to do and don’t always do the things we know we should do (Romans 7).
Let me start with a caveat, however. In no way do I want to suggest in this article that we somehow have no responsibility to seek the face of God, to strive for godliness, to flee the devil and run from temptation, to live out our spiritual disciplines that Back to the Bible so strongly emphasizes for believers. God’s willingness to forgive us for our ongoing wrong should never give us license to sin; in the words of the apostle Paul, in no way should we think that way (Rom 6:1-2). Rather, God’s grace should instead drive us to Him in gratitude and even greater obedience. In We should sin less often – not more often – because God is so good to us.
Nor do I want to suggest that there are never consequences for our sinful choices. Even believers must face the reality that the scars of forgiven sin can still be painful. Many of us know believers who live painfully with the repercussions of their wrong actions even while they weep silently in gratitude over the magnitude of God’s grace. Still, let me tell you—or better yet, let the Word of God tell you—why we can live in hope when we quickly run to God in temptation or later in confession and repentance if we do fail:
God has separated us from our sin an immeasurable distance: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psa 103:12).
He has dropped our sin to the bottom of the ocean: “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic 7:19b).
He has blotted out our sin: “It is I who blots out your transgressions for My own sake” (Isa 43:25b).
He remembers our sin no more: “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin” (Jer 31:34b).
He has cleansed our sin: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool” (Isa 1:18).
He has cast our sin behind His back: “for You have thrown all my sins behind Your back” (Isa 38:17).
He has forgiven and covered our sins: “How joyful are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered!” (Rom 4:7).
He does not count our sin against us: “That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor 5:19).
He laid all our sin upon His Son: “We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6).
He takes away our sin: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29).
Take a minute and read this list one more time. Slow down, and let the Word of God settle in your heart right now. See the pictorial images of forgiveness the writers of the Word paint for us. It’s as if the writers were saying, “In no way can we fully capture the glory of God’s grace toward us. The best we can do is draw on human images that help us think in that direction, but that can never fully get us there. God’s forgiveness toward us is simply a concept far beyond our comprehension.”
Indeed, it is.
It’s so deep and transforming that living in the light of its truth should change the way we face temptation today. The temporary, fleeting pleasure of sin should pale in comparison to basking in the joy of obedience, to experiencing the undeniable, unexplainable peace that comes when we say “yes” to God and “no” to the world and the devil. The sweet sleep of obedience is always much, much better than the fretful sleep of disobedience.
We can live in hope today because God’s Spirit indwells us, God’s Word guides us, and God’s people walk with us. Even when temptation comes this day, we are God’s children made new by His grace (2 Cor 5:17) and filled with gratitude for His indescribable gift to us (2 Cor 9:15). Victory is already ours in Christ, so live that way today. Run to Him when the enemy’s arrows hit. Lean on Him for obedience. And, should you fail, confess your wrong, turn from it, and cling to the hope of His forgiveness.
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