Placebo Effect

What does our sin say about us?

Seriously. When do you reach the point where you won’t screw up?

If you never reach the point where you don’t make bad choices or choose selfishly, then what does sin say about you?

All have sinned and fallen short… Yes, I know. Dig deeper. Why do you hide your mistakes? Why do you think of good excuses, should they get found out? Why does your opinion about someone else change when their selfish secrets get exposed?

Sins aren’t supposed to have weight, but in the lives of friends and lovers, they most certainly do and saying the contrary is as contrived as a condescending would-be who gets a buzz off of being a little bit better than everybody else. - Grace Is For Sinners {page 190}

We know the way it’s supposed to be, but our actions, when the situation gets real, are where we can find the evidence of our faith.

Your sin says nothing new about you. If the Bible is true, then God knew all about you and your mistakes long before you arrived at the day of making them.

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. - Psalm 139:16

When God tells you He loves you and when he calls you into purpose, he is doing all of that knowing exactly who you are and what you’ll do. This removes the power of sin to change our course. It may surprise you, but it doesn’t surprise God.

Your sin has not messed up God’s plan for your life. Your sin does not have the power to relabel you. Your sin is why Jesus came. If you could have avoided sinning, he could have avoided dying for it.

Anyone who gives up on you because of your failure, anyone who expects the worst from you because of your past mistakes, anyone who cannot restore you to an upright position has no clue who God is or what the work Jesus did on the cross means. Their ignorance has the potential to destroy you if you don’t understand it either. It’s the placebo effect run rampant! We behave according to what we believe and if we behave as though sin has the power, then it’s your belief that gave it that power.

“If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?” -John 20:22

Now, regarding the one who started all this—the person in question who caused all this pain—I want you to know that I am not the one injured in this as much as, with a few exceptions, all of you. So I don’t want to come down too hard. What the majority of you agreed to as punishment is punishment enough. Now is the time to forgive this man and help him back on his feet. If all you do is pour on the guilt, you could very well drown him in it. My counsel now is to pour on the love. -2 Corinthians 2:5