1 Kings 8:33 “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you…

This verse and several others don’t say if the people sin, they say when the people sin. This is very much in line with Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:10, and various other NT passages that speak of universal human sinfulness. That we have sinful natures is a fact, but it must not be used as an excuse, as it often is. “After all, I’m only human.” There’s even a well-known proverb: “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” That attitude ignores two glorious NT realities. The first is that God’s grace is enormously expensive; it cost Jesus His life. We must not treat it cheaply, taking it for granted and presuming on it. The second reality is that anyone who is in Christ is no longer “only human,” because Christ lives in them by His Spirit. Paul dealt with that thinking in 1 Corinthians 3:3-4. On the contrary, the mystery of the Gospel is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27). The point of all of this in relation to being a disciple and making disciples is that we are not to be surprised by sinfulness, but neither are we to be satisfied with it. When we sin, it should be a matter of “Lord, I did it again. Forgive me, cleanse me so that I may live appropriately as Your child, Your disciple.” It is implicit in the idea of a disciple, (at least in the Japanese term, which also means apprentice) that they are going to make mistakes. We need to accept that idea, in ourselves and others, while at the same time striving for the full likeness of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

I’m certainly aware of my own imperfection! However, at the same time, I tend to demand perfection of others, and that makes for all sorts of problems. I need to rejoice in the grace of God without cheapening it, extending it to others even as I appropriate it for myself. Particularly as I make disciples for Christ. I am not to focus on the negatives (though I am not to ignore sin), but rather encourage to greater devotion and obedience. I have seen too much legalism and license in the Church, with some preachers focusing on the negatives and others saying anything goes. I think both are repulsive to God, and I need to seek His heart at all times. 

Father, this is a good reminder, with a couple of young grandsons arriving tonight! I am not to be overly indulgent, but neither am I to be a tyrant. Help me learn from this experience how better to deal with believers who are young in faith, encouraging, correcting, and admonishing them, steering them the right way without squashing them, so that together we may be the disciples You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!