Believers are at great risk…not of atheistic ideologies or political agendas, but of comfortable familiarity.
As believers, we have the assurance that the blood of Jesus is the all sufficient payment for our sin and that because we have given our lives to Christ, we no longer have to worry about our sin sending us to Hell.
This is wonderful news, but we should not get so comfortable with the assurance of our salvation that we become comfortable with our sin.
Leviticus chapter 5 talks about the variety of ways we can so easily fall into sin, as well as the fact that sin must be addressed in a specific way. This chapter reminds us that sin is serious and demands the following:
- Confession. We must recognize and openly admit our sinful attitudes and actions to God and to others.
- Sacrifice. Our sin can not be over-looked or swept under the rug. Sin is rebellion against the person and principles of God and requires nothing short of one’s very life. This is why Christ shed his own blood in our place. He became the sacrifice for our sin. (1 Pet. 3:18)
- Intercession. We need someone to continually apply a sacrifice toward our on-going debt of sin. Just as the priest was the one to repeatedly take the sacrifice to God on behalf of the individual, so Jesus continually intercedes for us by presenting His death to God on our behalf. (Heb. 7:25)
Yes, we have forgiveness and freedom from our sin, but we can never forget that with our every sin, the One who died for us and now lives to make intercession for us must present his sacrifice fresh and anew.
We must not let down our guard, take our sin too lightly, or become too comfortable with the great sacrifice that was paid for us.
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.