NEWS & THOUGHTS ARCHIVE

Stagnant Christianity

Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
May1, 2009

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 Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” 

While all of us are mesmerized by the presence and performances of a newborn infant, none of us would want to see them remain an infant. There is infinite joy in the heart of a parent, not to mention a grandparent, as they see the child develop, taking its first step, cut its first tooth, and begin to communicate in broken sentences as they begin their journey to adulthood. It is disturbing to discover that your child is not progressing in the natural processes of life that are consistent with normal growth patterns. Every parent desires to see their children grow! What is physically true for an earthly parent is spiritually true for our Heavenly Father. God wants His children to grow. When writing to the believers a Ephesus, Paul admonished them with these words, “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14). This passage reveals that there is to be growth in discernment. II Peter 3:17-18 reveals that there is to be growth in divine influence, “grow in grace, and in the knowledge.” Christians are admonished to grow in their diet, “desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow” (I Peter 2:2, also see Hebrew 5:12-14). 

The Proverbs 28:13 presents one of the major causes that attributes to the lack of spiritual growth in the life of the average Christian, hidden sin! We are immediately confronted with sin’s curse, “shall not prosper.” The word “prosper” means to push forward, break out, to be profitable or to make prosperous. Sin kills any potential chance for spiritual growth and prosperity! Sin killed the potential of divine power in Samson’s life, “Samson . . . said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him” (Judges 16:20). Sin killed the potential of divine peace in Davis’s life, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house” (II Samuel 12:10-11). Sin killed the potential of divine perception in King Saul’s life, “And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets” (I Samuel 28:6). Sin brought with it the promise of death in the first Adam and the promise is equally true for all of Adam’s children! God cannot and will not bless sin! It makes no difference whether it is in the life of a sinner or a saint; sin carries the curse of death with it! 

The second thing that we notice is sin’s covering, “He that covereth his sins.” There are two thoughts projected by the word “covereth.” The word means to cover by clothing or secrecy. In an effort to hide their sin, most begin with the idea of concealment. Just keep it a secret! This is what David tried to do with his sin concerning Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David used every means possible to keep that adulterous relationship covered. Calling Uriah home from the frontlines, David tried the natural affection of the flesh. Uriah would go home to his wife and no one would know that David was the father of the child, but Uriah would not go home. Having failed with that maneuver, David tried to intoxicate Uriah. May be in an intoxicated state Uriah would drop his standards of honor and commitment and go home to his wife. Having failed again, David would stoop to have Uriah killed by the hand of the enemy. With Uriah dead, David supposed himself to be free from detection the of sin and the destruction it was sure to bring. That was until God spoke through the mouth of Nathan the prophet and said, “Thou art the man” (II Samuel 12:7). David quickly discovered that sin cannot be hidden from God! When it becomes evident that we cannot avoid detection, the alternate plan is camouflage. If we cannot cover our sin with secrecy, we cover it with cloth. If sin cannot be hid; we camouflage it by dressing it up so it doesn’t look like sin or at least not a bad sin. We no longer call it murder, adultery, drunkenness, or abomination. Society and religion now has quaint little names for these hideous sins so no one is shamed or feels uncomfortable with their sin. If renaming it proves to be ineffective, we label it a sickness rather than calling it a sin! Try as we may, God still sees it and it still carries with it, the curse of death. 

The good news is there is an answer for sin and its curse, sin’s confession, “but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” The thought of confession is more than just saying “I’m sorry.” It is not so much an act with the lips as it is with the life. I believe the Word of God uses the words “confesseth” and “forsaketh” to describe a single act. There is confession with the hands. The word “confesseth” means to hold out with the hand, to throw away, to revere with extended hands. Sin cannot be embraced, it must be extracted! To admit that you have sinned is only the beginning. The potential for being blessed begins when sin is held forth at arm’s length. It is no longer given a place of residency in the heart and life of the believer. But, confession does not stop there, it includes the habits. The word “forsaketh” means to loosen, relinquish and leave destitute. Once sin has been dislodged, the believer turns their back to sin and walks toward God. Sin is deserted and left with nothing to feed on. In that state sin dies to the believer and the believer dies to sin! Sin is like a parasite; it feeds and grows off of the life of the individual. It draws its life from the one that gives it a place to live. When sin is cast out and deserted, it dies! 

It is a simple, but profound truth, either sin is growing or the saint is growing, but not both! You make the choice. Many have settled for stagnant Christianity. 

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