Sin Problem in the Christian Life, Part 1

Martin names a teacher with a cult-like following who says Christians should never pray Psalm 51; at most they should glance over their shoulder and say, 'Lord, that's where I goofed,' to enter immediate 'spiritual rebound.' An actual example of antinomian teaching gone to seed.

And if you should so much as be found pleading for forgiveness, grieving over your sin, indwelling or actual, if you are so much as found for one moment with any sense of holy mourning they say Aha You are casting aspersions upon the magnitude of God grace A true believer should never pray the 51st Psalm. There's a man in our day whose ministry goes around the world by the name of Robert Feene, who really has almost a cultic following. And this is his teaching. And thousands upon thousands have imbibed it.

13:41 - 14:24 Read in full sermon

Pastor Martin mocks the pious spirituality that measures holiness by posture: 'if you're on your knees crawling you're pretty holy; if you're on your belly crawling then you're really getting holy; if you're buried in the dust, then you're really making it.' He uses it to expose the false grief-equals-godliness error.

If you're on your knees crawling, you're pretty holy. if you're on your belly crawling then you're really getting holy and if you're buried in the dust then you're really making it.

17:28 - 17:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Wrestle with this question honestly: how can I honour both the God of justifying grace and the God of inflexible law without doing dishonour to either?

Addressing how a justified sinner should deal with remaining sin is 'spiritual neurosurgery,' Martin says - one little slip is fatal to the soul. The delicacy of the subject demands prayerful care.

and how can I do full honor to the God of justifying grace and glorify Him for His free and unqualified pardon of all my sins and yet still do honor to His holy law? That's the question. This morning and next Lord's Day morning, God willing, I want to give you four simple principles from the Word of God that I trust will help you in resolving this very sensitive question of the Christian life. It's what I call spiritual neurosurgery when we get into this realm.

19:53 - 20:31 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Sin in a justified person must always be acknowledged as sin.

The devil takes the truth 'where sin abounds, grace superabounds' and adds his own clause: 'then sin the more that grace may abound the more.' That is the devil's logic, not Paul's - and those who add it to the doctrine of justification distort it into poison.

It does no honor to the God of justifying grace to add the devil's logic to the doctrine of justification. You know what the devil's logic is, don't you? It's given to us in Romans 5. Paul says, where sin abounds, grace superabounds.

21:34 - 21:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Ask whether your professed confidence in Christ has made you more sensitive to sin than before, or whether you have secretly added the devil's logic to the doctrine of justifying grace.

Owen distinguishes two works of conscience: before justification it condemns the sinner for his sin; after justification the blood of Christ silences that, but conscience continues to condemn sin in the sinner. The distinction lets the believer grieve over sin without re-entering the courtroom.

As that old master of heart theology has said it so accurately, John Owen, listen to this statement. It's been a great help to me. The blood of Christ takes away conscience condemning the sinner for his sin. The blood of Christ takes away the conscience condemning the sinner for his sin, but it does not remove conscience condemning sin in the sinner.

33:51 - 34:26 Read in full sermon

The point: When you have sinned and feel aversion to God, recognise that aversion as a symptom of legal bondage and turn immediately to the finished work of Christ.

When Adam's conscience was stung by sin, he ran to hide. Aversion to God always accompanies legal bondage. If you find yourself wanting to avoid prayer and communion after sinning, you are under legal bondage and dishonouring the gospel.

Well, it's that sense of dread and terror in the face of sin. A dread and terror that has as its indispensable ingredient the thought that I'm out of sorts with the court of heaven and with the judge on the throne. Legal terror has to do with the awareness of a broken law in the face of a righteous judge and of an unchangeable law. it's always joined to a dread of penalty follow closely and an aversion to the God who inflicts that penalty when the conscience of Adam was stung with the awareness of his sin

40:08 - 40:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You never truly fear God with a proper fear until you've embraced His forgiveness. Legal fear is the fear of devils and of demons.

Legal fear is the fear that demons have - they believe and tremble. But the fear of a forgiven saint is permeated with love and delight in its object, and becomes the mainspring of a life of godliness.

And to give the evidence And to issue the sentence Who could stand? Here's a man taking his sin seriously But oh look how he took the gospel seriously In the next verse But there is forgiveness with thee That thou mayest be feared You see you never truly fear God with a proper fear until you've embraced His forgiveness. Legal fear is the fear of devils and of demons. They believe and they tremble.

48:24 - 48:57 Read in full sermon