How Does God Respond When I Sin?
And 7 things he does not do
We all stumble from time to time. We all make mistakes. Even you.
Even though you are 100% righteous and holy in Christ, your behavior is not 100% righteous and holy. From time to time… you sin.
And what does God do when you sin? Here’s a list of 7 things God doesn’t do when you sin:
- God does not smite you with judgment
- God does not condemn you
- God does not scourge you
- God does not give you sickness
- God does not withdraw his presence from you
- God does not kick you out of his household
- God does not unadopt you
Sinning is destructive. Sinning has consequences. But the consequences of sin are the fruit of our actions. They are not God’s divine judgments.
If I drive drunk and run over a nun, that’s on me, not God.
If I cheat on my wife and destroy my marriage, that’s entirely my fault.
This is obvious, right?
Yet manmade religion has got us blaming God for all the bad stuff that happens to us.
“God is punishing me.” No he isn’t.
“I’m a terrible sinner.” Maybe you used to be, but not anymore.
“I deserve all the hardship God is giving me.” What hardship? God is a Blesser, not a curser. He’s a Giver, not a taker.
It is not true to think that God is punishing you. All the punishment for sin was placed upon the Son (Is. 53:5).
If God were punishing us for the sins Jesus carried, he is an unjust God.
How does the Holy Spirit deal with our sin?
From time to time we make regrettable choices. When we do, the Holy Spirit will seek to bring about a life-giving course correction.
He doesn’t do that by applying the rod of correction or scourging us with sickness. Instead he reminds us that we are God’s beloved children and he steers us away from danger and back towards the way of life.
He might do this a hundred different ways, but the Spirit of Grace is typically gentle and he always leads us with grace. (I provide a couple of personal examples here.)
Yet again, manmade religion sometimes portrays the Holy Spirit as the sheriff of heaven. Religion says:
- the Holy Spirit is recording all your sin (nope, he chooses not to remember them; see Heb. 10:17)
- the Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin (no, he will convict you of your righteousness; see John 16:10)
- the Holy Spirit wants you to confess all your sins (no, he wants you to confess that Jesus dealt with all your sin once and for all; see 1 John 1:9, Heb. 9:26)
- the Holy Spirit will unleash God’s judgment (no, he will pour out God’s love; see Rom. 5:5)
- the Holy Spirit will withdraw from you until you lift your game (no, he will never leave you; John 14:17, Heb. 13:5)
How does God respond when we sin?
He heals and restores us. Why? Because he loves us.
When you stumble, you can be sure that God does not write you off or wash his hands of you. He redeems the messes we make leaving us breathless with gratitude.
He truly is a good Father who loves us through thick and thin. Nothing we do – no matter how stupid or destructive – can separate us from his love.
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Escape to Reality 
Excellent post Saint Paul. I especially like the meaning of confess vs the man made religious definition. In fact all of this is wonderful contrasting of biblical truth (about God’s character) vs the lies that we continue to believe (usually from religion).Thanks for this and multiple blessings back to you!
Warren (SC-USA)
Hallelujah!!!
So, are the references to the Spirit’s work, convicting the world of sin and righteousness, not the two sides of His work? Though reminding me that I am a child of God, does He not reprove my ungodly actions as conviction, then remind me of my status as a child of God?
The Holy Spirit does not convict anyone of sin – how could he when God is no longer recording our sins and chooses to remember them no more? More here.
The Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers of the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ (John 16:9). Believers are convicted of righteousness so we remember who we are in Christ (John 16:10).
Excellent JB.
Wow.. Thanks for this post, Paul .. Amazing.
Allan Ross
NICE- not a whiff of “ bad press” about our Lord- just the lovely truth and real, true correct representation of Him – AGAIN!!! much appreciated and relished.
Love it.
Dr. Ellis, as usual, has written a good article on sin, and God’s response to our sins as a believer. Most of the article deals with what God does not do to us when we sin, which is correct. And God also does promote healing and restoration.
However, I am concerned that sometimes in our zeal to emphasize God’s grace, love, and mercy toward a believer’s sins, there is a tendency to overlook or downplay God’s attributes of holiness, righteousness, and justice. Sometimes, the mistaken assumption by some Christians who sin, is that God just winks at our sins.
Some extreme religious legalists have wrongly emphasized God’s punishment, wrath, and scourging as Dr. Ellis points out. However, we do grieve the Holy Spirit when we sin (Eph 4:30), and God may actively discipline, rebuke, correct, and chastens those whom He loves (Heb 12:5-8; Rev 3:19) to train and teach us as He matures and conforms us to the image of our Lord Jesus. Dr. Ellis’s last sentence is well worth remembering: Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus (Rom 8:35-39).