God has brought you out of the bondage of sin. Caused you to flee from the wicked land you once lived in. Now He is leading you to the promised land. Where you will find eternal peace and security with Him in the place prepared for you. Because He brought you out you can trust that He will not leave you now. Just as He didn’t leave the Israelites who were quick to give the credit for bringing them out of bondage to a golden calf formed by the hands of a man.
Nehemiah 9:18–19 (ESV)
18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go.
Too often even Christians view God as mean and looking to punish. Believing that if we mess up after salvation God is going to cast us away. No longer willing to be the guiding light in our lives. Hear our prayers. Accept our worship. Or forgive us for our mistakes. But that isn’t the God we serve or the one we see described in the Bible. Instead, we see a God of mercy as described in the prayer of Nehemiah above. As well as in other areas of the scripture in which we read that God’s mercies are new every day.
Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
God has brought us to where we are today and He isn’t going to leave us just because we mess up. God is always willing to look past our mistakes and offer us another chance if we admit our shortcomings and return to Him. As John says the goal is to not sin but if we do sin we have an advocate with the father. Of course, God’s desire is to see us live a life free of sin. But He also understands our human nature and is willing to forgive and still accept us when we turn back to Him in repentance.
1 John 2:1 (ESV)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
It is like unto the parable of the prodigal son. A lesson taught by Jesus to help us understand the mercy of God. God is willing to let us walk away from Him and go our own way. It breaks His heart but He allows us to use our free will. But even though He lets us go, His love for us never changes. Instead, He stands waiting for us to return so He can accept us back into His arms with rejoicing and gladness. Like that shown by the prodigal’s father.
Luke 15:17–24 (ESV)
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
What we have to understand is that we were saved because of the deep love God has for all people. Offered salvation not because of good behavior but because of God’s grace. The Bible says that God made a way for us to be saved while we were yet sinners. In light of this, we must understand God isn’t going to leave us simply because we have fallen back into sin. God rescued us while we were sinners and He is willing to do it again.
John 3:16 (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The God of the Bible is not a God of only one chance or even of a second chance. Oh no the God we see described in scripture is the God of endless chances. Willing to always forgive those who turn to Him repentance. Regardless of how many times they have fallen before. The same God who instructed us in His word to keep forgiving will do the very same for His people.
Matthew 18:21–22 (ESV)
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
All this being said the God of the Bible is just and will uphold the fullness of His word. Those who live sinful lifestyles will receive the penalty for it. God will never leave us or forsake the Bible clearly states that. But if we choose to leave God after salvation and live in sin we cannot expect to receive salvation if we never turn back to Him in repentance. It will be those who live a continual lifestyle of repentance that will receive the reward of Heaven. The very ones who rise up from their falls seeking the mercy God freely offers all people.
Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6–8 (ESV)
6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (ESV)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 John 1:9 (ESV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I hope that you have been able to see the keys in this. God is never going to leave those He has brought out. Even if they try to run from Him He will always be close by. Just hoping that they will soon return to Him in repentance so He can continue guiding them through this life. But that’s the other key: while God will not leave us He also will not allow us to inherit Heaven while living in sin unrepented. Instead, when we allow ourselves to fall back into sinful behavior we must repent again if we want to be saved.
Being able to live a continual lifestyle of repentance is a great blessing from the Lord. Allowing us to receive forgiveness when we succumb to life’s temptations after salvation and still be eligible to receive the reward of Heaven. But we must use it as the blessing it is and not a free pass to sin. As Peter says, do not use your freedom as an excuse for wickedness. God’s grace is not something to be trampled on but to be grateful for. God knows the heart of every person. Those hoping they can indulge in sin and escape punishment will be sadly mistaken on judgment day.
Jeremiah 17:10 (ESV)
10 “I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
God has brought you out and is taking you where you are meant to go. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that one mistake will cause God to leave you forever. Destroying everything you have worked to build up in your life serving Him. Instead, see the mercy of God displayed throughout the pages of scripture. Know that God will never leave you but will always accept you back again. That is when you turn back to Him humbly seeking forgiveness for the mistakes you made.
It can feel as though God is far from you when you mess up. But the Bible assures us that He is never far from anyone. Especially those He has brought out because His desire is to see them make it to the promised land. Not to leave them without His love, help, peace, guiding Spirit, or salvation.
Acts 17:27 (ESV)
27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
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