Not Sinning Successfully

Charles Spurgeon once said, “God does not allow his children to sin successfully.”
The other Wednesday we dialogued in our Midweek Bible Study at First Baptist Church, Lake Wales about what Spurgeon meant by that quote. The discussion was worthwhile. That discussion then led into a look into David’s sinful acts in 2 Samuel 11. He certainly did not sin successfully.

As I approached the text for that study I asked the Lord to teach me about sin, in general, from David’s example. In other words, more than re-examining the historical narrative that many in attendance would already be familiar with, I wanted to extract lessons from the text that would help me learn about the nature of sin itself. I desired to grasp these lessons so that I could seek to avoid the absolute mess David found himself in. I know it is easy for us to distance ourselves from David’s sin if we can relegate it to a historical event or if we can put his sin in a category beyond us. Of course, the irony is, I think, there is no category of sin beyond us, or at least beyond me. So rather than despise David for his sin, I wanted to identify with him in it. For as a pastor I felt this was the best way I could help our people to be victorious over sin.

Obviously, I do not have time or space to relay to you all the lessons and verses in full form. Nevertheless, I do want to share them with you as readers in outline fashion in two parts. Here is Part I of the lessons I learned about sin from 2 Samuel 11.

The Occasion for the Sin (11:1) – A straightforward reading of verse 1 will show you the occasion for David’s sin. It appears that by not being where he could have, and likely should have been, David left himself vulnerable to sin. Likewise I set myself up to sin when I am not actively practicing spiritual disciplines or fulfilling my responsibilities from the Lord.

The Setting for the sin—temptation. (11:2) – Every sin has a setting. Every sin comes at us initially as a temptation. That is when we must turn away from it. When David arose from his rest on his palace roof and saw Bathsheba bathing in the nude he needed to turn away—or as Joseph did even RUN away! Instead, the progression of sin God presents to us in James 1:14-15 took place in David’s heart and mind. The temptation was not sin, but the lingering gaze was...and it led him more deeply into sin. Yet thinking on this made me realize that one way I can avoid sin is by avoiding those settings that cause desire to “give birth to sin”.

The Turn into sin & away from God (11:3) – As I reflected on all the Lord had done for David up to this point (read chapters 1-10) I realized how sadly and swiftly David’s turn was from the Lord. God had blessed David in wonderful ways, but that did not make David immune to sin. How grievous to realize that my sin is also a turn away from God’s goodness to me.

The willfulness of sin (11:4) – David’s willfulness in his adulterous relationship is obvious. He saw her, gazed upon her, sent for her, and initiated sexual relations with her. He could not blame the circumstance of seeing her or any force outside of himself. Despite his righteousness manifest in many ways before this occasion he now was fully responsible for his sin. He chose it. And any chance of victory over sin in my life and yours comes only once we acknowledge our responsibility for our sin. If we attempt to blame circumstance or others for our sin we are not only self-deceived, but more than likely perpetuating sin by that attitude.

The Unmanageable Nature of Sin (11:5-13) – Wow, isn’t this so true? Once Bathsheba rocks David’s world with the startling news that she is pregnant David has to get busy. He is into damage-control mode. Cleverly, David concocts the plan to bring her husband Uriah back from the battlefield so that it can appear that the child Bathsheba is now carrying seems to be Uriah’s. Uriah, to his credit, ends up showing more resolve and righteousness drunk than David did sober David is trying to manage his sin. He wants to contain it. But David found that it is like trying to scoop up a gallon of water in one handful–too much seeps through your fingers. You cannot manage sin.

A classic example of the unmanageable nature of wrongdoing and sin is the events of the Watergate break-in. Charles Colson in his writings has often mentioned how stunning it was that a small group of intelligent, tough, and determined men could not even keep their wrong-doing suppressed. Despite their mutual commitment to keeping the deeds done secret, the story still leaked out.

No, God does not want us to seek to manage our sin, but instead confess and renounce it.
As Proverbs 28:13 states, He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever renounces them finds mercy.

I am grateful God does not allow me to sin successfully so that I might see the futility and wickedness of them and therefore renounce all sins. I must tell you that I have similarly prayed that straying Christian friends would find no pleasure in their sin. Yes, one of my abiding prayers for those under my care in First Baptist Church is that they would, indeed, never be able to sin successfully.

Hating sin & loving Christ,

Pastor Scott