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Someone once said, “One can acquire anything in solitude except character.” The scriptures clearly recognize this sentiment. Throughout the New Testament, sanctification happens more in corporate contexts than in isolation. Paul wrote mostly to New Testament churches, teaching these local communities how to live well together. According to Paul’s theology, individuals were an essential means of grace in helping others grow into Christian maturity. The primary roadblock to personal growth and relational harmony is sin: sin in our own lives, sin in others, and sin in a fallen world.
Do you remember the first time you heard yourself on an audio recording? Were you surprised at how you sounded? Guess what: no one else was surprised. Everyone in the room—except for you—knew how you sounded. You were the last to know what everyone else already knew. As this experience demonstrates, the value of people’s input into your life cannot be over-estimated. One of the many kindnesses of God is that He gives us people who are willing to help us grow closer to Him.
A rich man is a person who has mature Christian friends who are willing and able to help him grow into spiritual manhood. A wise man is a man who makes it easy for his friends to care for him by insisting that they be honest in their assessments. Ken Sande confronts the foolish man’s selfish responses to this kind of care in this passage from his book, The Peacemaker:
The Bible teaches that we should see conflict neither as an inconvenience nor as an occasion for selfish gain but rather as an opportunity to demonstrate God’s presence and power. It encourages us to look at conflict as an opportunity to glorify God, serve others, and grow to be like Christ.
Like death and taxes, sin is inevitable. We are fallen people living in a fallen world. Sin happens to all of us. The sad truth is not so much that sin happens; we understand why sin happens. The unfortunate truth is that most Christians are ill-equipped to respond godly to the sin that does happen. Reflect on these biblical teachings on sin:
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come” (Luke 17:1).
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed (James 5:16).
If we (Christians) say we (Christians) have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any [sin], you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted [to sin] (Galatians 6:1).
If sin is sure to come, small groups provide fantastic contexts for the people in a local church to apply the gospel to their sins.
We see our family in a similar way to small group life. The point of our parenting was not to stop our children from sinning. That would be a frustrating and impossible task. Our goal was to provide a context for our kids to succeed and fail and to respond godly to both inevitabilities. We wanted to encourage, motivate, and celebrate with them when they succeeded, and we tried to comfort, confront, and encourage them when they sinned. What better place for our kids to sin than in our family, where we can equip them for a better life? Similarly, a small group is a great family context for success and failure. A strong small group embraces the positive and negative of people’s lives while coming alongside their members to equip them for life.
I realize it will not surprise most of you to hear this, but I will say it anyway: we are not in heaven yet! The obvious implication is that when God saved you—assuming you are a Christian—you were not sanctified entirely. You have not reached perfection. From a Christian worldview, we understand complete sanctification to happen only when we reach heaven. The sobering reality for all of us is that the time between God saving us and God bringing us to our eternal home is a progressively sanctified kind of life. With that in mind, there are at least two ways we can respond to the doctrine of sin as it intersects with the doctrine of man.
Have you ever heard that the gospel is for our salvation and the gospel is for our sanctification? I firmly believe this statement is true and would further assert that any Christian who wants to live wonderfully and victoriously in this life must embrace it. However, when I or anyone else says the gospel is for our salvation and the gospel is for our sanctification, there is an unspoken and undeniable implication that sin is involved in some way. The gospel always implies that sin is present. If there was no sin, there would be no need for the gospel. The introduction of the gospel (Christ) came after sin entered the world (Genesis 3:15). If Adam had not fallen in the Garden of Eden, he (and we) would not need a Redeemer.
But we do need a Redeemer, and He (Christ) implies sin, and sin implies Him (the gospel). Most people understand and readily accept this truth when it comes to salvation. They know they need salvation from their sin, but where the rub comes into play is how we think and live between the time God regenerated us and the time He takes us to heaven. My response to this concern is revealed in the statement, “The gospel saves us (redemption), and the gospel sustains us (sanctification).” We never come to a place in our lives, pre- or post-salvation, where we do not need the gospel. We need the gospel to fight sin! Whether someone needs to be saved or sustained, they need the gospel. Over the years, I have run into three general categories of people who struggle with the “sin is present with us” concept.
The Deniers: This group of sincere Christians says that sin does not exist once you become a Christian. They say, “I am dead to sin.” This concept is a gross misinterpretation of Scripture and is a product of legalism. Legalists try very hard to separate themselves from sin, even to the point of denying it.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world (1 John 2:15-16).
They misinterpret John’s understanding of worldliness by teaching that worldliness is in the world as opposed to being in the person. John placed worldliness in the heart. For the deniers to be true to their theology, they have to ignore, re-categorize, or justify their sins. These options are untenable because they lead to personal frustration, self-deception, and relational conflict. Eventually, they can harden their hearts such that their sin is imperceptible to them.
The Avoiders: This group puts their fingers in their ears and screams, “Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-” ad infinitum. They are sincere and want to live for Christ, just like the deniers want to live for Christ. Sadly, they are stricken with the same—dare I say it—sin. “If you say you have no sin, you make God a liar, and the truth is not in you.” Those are John’s words to Christians in 1 John 1:8, not mine. To be an avoider, you have to recategorize, ignore, and rationalize your sins. Avoiders go from conflict to conflict, rarely ever resolving the trouble in their lives or relationships.
The Fearful: This group knows they sin, but they try hard to ignore it because they don’t want to be found out. Transparency is a frightening proposition for them. To be open and honest about their most personal struggles is not a best-case scenario for the insecure. This posture toward their sin is self-righteousness, as they present an artificial righteousness that does not belong to Christ. Many times, these people come from dysfunctional and critical familial relationships. For example, they may have had harsh dads, or they were part of a legalistic religious culture. They hear about the grace of God and His lack of judgment, but overreact by denying the truthfulness of their sinfulness. They honestly can’t juxtapose sin and grace the way Paul did. (See 1 Timothy 1:15-16).
To avoid, deny, or respond fearfully to the real and objective sin in our post-salvation experience is to mock and devalue the gospel. To say we have no sin is to say we do not need the gospel. This anti-gospel worldview is a dangerous and heretical position for any believer (or unbeliever) to take. If the unbeliever or believer rejected the truth about sin as though they did not believe in its reality, there would be no need for the gospel. Jesus did not come for the healthy. He came for sick people, which brings us to the value and efficacy of small groups for those who are willing to deal with their sins. Sanctification is a community event, a shared life between fellow sinners who God’s grace has saved. A small group that embraces the reality of sin and the potential conflict it brings will position itself to resolve its conflicts in ways that glorify God and transforms the members of the group.
If you answered “yes” to my questions, how are you setting the example by personally confessing your sins to others and letting others know and experience your care for them when they sin? See 1 John 1:9; James 5:16.
Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.
In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master’s University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).
