The Sin Whisperer

“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.” (II Corinthians 7:8-11 NIV)

I don’t know about you, but I often hear a whisper in my ear reminding me of various past sins.  The intent of the one behind the voice is to keep me enslaved to regret and despair.  It took me awhile, but like Paul, I am aware of his schemes.  

The sin whisperer is the devil and his hold on us is dependent, in part, on his ability to get us to regret our sins.  You might find this curious and ask, shouldn’t we regret our sins?  Based on what Paul tells the Corinthian believers, the answer is no.  If we spend our time regretting our past actions, he says we are stuck in “worldly sorrow.”  On the other hand, if we repent (truly turn away from our sin), then we have no reason to regret because repentance sets us free to focus on the future rather than the past.  John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)  In other words, the sin is gone and never to be held against us.  So if it no longer carries any penalty, then there is no reason for regret.  We can move on from it into freedom.  

But the devil prefers us to remain in bondage to our past, so just as we are moving on, he whispers into our ear, reminding us of our ugly choices and that we do not deserve grace and forgiveness.  Rather, if we took sin seriously, then we should continue to regret what we did. And thus remain captive to our sin and under his control.

This sin whisperer is a clever one.  He speaks to our sense of fairness and rationality.  I did wrong and therefore deserve punishment.  It sounds right and true.  But it is a lie, for the truth is no one who knows Jesus as his Savior and Lord is condemned (Romans 8:1) Grace has declared us innocent of the charges and has set us free from the punishment of sin; thus, there is no need for regret, which only leads us back into bondage.  

Today, what sins in your life are you regretting?  What lies is the devil whispering in your ear?  Know that his scheme is to keep you in bondage so he remains in control.  But here is the truth: If you have confessed and repented of the sins he keeps bringing up, you are forgiven and have no need to regret those choices. Under God’s grace you are innocent and have no need of regret.  You are free to move on and leave the past in the past.

© Jim Musser 2016