Q: But if a Christian remains in sin, knowing he is, they don't receive grace and mercy because we didn't repent, right?
A: Thanks for your question. A Christian does not need to repent in order to receive grace and mercy for their sin. What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor. What is mercy? Mercy is when you do not receive the punishment you deserve. In other words, we receive that which we do not deserve and do not receive that which we do deserve. The forgiveness of God is not conditional on whether a person has repented of their sins or not. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” God did not require that any conditions be met prior to the death of Jesus Christ. He did it out of His love for humanity. Remember, the wages of sin is death, not repentance. Repentance applies to turning from unbelief in Jesus Christ to belief in Him as your Savior. “The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:15)!" While a Christian may repent of a sin, acknowledging that it is wrong and taking steps to abstain from it, what happens if they fall back into that sin again? Does it mean they did not repent the first time or were not sorry for their sin? Furthermore, a Christian will always have some sin in their life that they are “remaining” in, to one degree or another, until they physically die.
It has been my experience that the sins that get the focus of Christians are the ones that are visible; i.e. sexual immorality, drunkenness, etc. However, rarely does anybody focus on the invisible sins like lust, envy, worry or coveting, which lead to these physical manifestations. Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (Matthew 15:19).” The area that needs to be addressed, but is rarely mentioned, is the heart issues behind why a person “remains” in the sins they are committing. It is not enough to know that a sin is wrong, but what is it that a person feels that sin offers them that they do not feel they are receiving from their God? God created us with needs. He created us with the need to be loved by Him. The deepest desires of our heart for unconditional love and total acceptance can only be met by God. When a person is being mastered by sin, remaining in sin, it is usually because they are motivated to try and get from sin that which only God offers them. How many sins have we all committed in order to be accepted or loved by others? Yet, God loves us unconditionally. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).” God accepts us perfectly. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God (Romans 15:7).”
If a Christian were not already receiving God’s grace and mercy for their sins, there would not be any Christians left alive! The wages of sin is death and Jesus is not coming back to die again. When you do not believe that God has forgiven all of your sins, you are guaranteeing that you will live a life of bondage. You will live a life of sin, repentance, sin, repentance, sin and repentance. There will be no joy, no rest and no receiving of the love of God because there will always be some sin you fear is coming between you and God. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18).” If you are in fear of not receiving God’s grace and mercy unless you “repent” of your sin, you will not be receiving His love for you. Think about it this way. What message will you be taking to the world? What “gospel” will you share with others? It will be a Gospel that says “Come to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, but if you continue to sin and do not repent of your sin, you will not have God’s grace and mercy.” That is not an encouraging message of love and hope.
Hebrews 10:26-27 says, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” What is the knowledge of truth that we have received? The knowledge of truth is that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was once and for all. “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12).” God took away our sins once and for all so that His indwelling life would never leave us. It is that life of God which teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and to love others with the love we are receiving from Him. If Christians do not believe that the sin issue is over between them and God, the one thing they need to repent of is their unbelief in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It is not an act of faith to continually ask God to forgive sins He is no longer counting against us, no longer remembering and has taken away for eternity. The only way to overcome sin is to trust in the forgiveness you have received and let God lead you from within. May God continue to reveal to you the blessings you already have through faith in Christ Jesus.
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