In a recent sermon, my pastor stated, “If you have any exceptions in your obedience, you are not a Christian.” It’s a bold statement that might cause you to form an immediate objection. After all, who are we to say who is or isn’t a true Christian? Once you get past the initial shock of the bluntness of the statement, you will see that it is in line with God’s Word.
The problem is we skim over the parts of the Bible that are too convicting or too hard to follow. My pastor’s words are not a new teaching or even controversial when held up to the light of scripture. What we are reacting to is the fact that obeying God’s Word without exception is not something most are willing to do.
Remember the words of Jesus in John14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” I love that Jesus gave no loopholes. His statement is not in any way ambiguous or open to interpretation. If we love Him, we will obey Him without exception. If we do not love Christ, we do not know Him because He is the embodiment of everything love is. He is the source and author of all love. If we know Him, we will know love, and if we know love, we will obey Jesus.
The Apostle John writes, if we continue to live in the habit of sin, we do not know Christ (1 John 3:6). No one who repents of their sin desires to continue in it (Romans 6:1-2). To repent means to turn away from that thing. Pressing the pause button on a behavior is not repentance. When we confess our sins to Christ, we ask Him to take them away from us. We are a new creation and are no longer beholden to past attitudes and habits (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In another teaching of Jesus, the Lord explained we will know whether someone is born again by examining the fruit of their life (Matthew 7:16-20). We know the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We also know the fruits of darkness: “Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The practice of sin reveals what none of us want to admit: we do not know the Lord.
Indulging in sin does not eliminate you from the Kingdom of God. Indeed, after giving his list of sins, Paul makes it clear that we used to be just like those people (1 Corinthians 6:11). The difference is we gave all those things up in exchange for the grace of Jesus (Titus 2:11-12).
Once we have experienced a genuine regeneration of the heart, we cannot return to a lifestyle of sin (1 John 3:9; Hebrews 10:26-27). The blood of Jesus washes us clean (1 John 1:7). Just as we must obey without exception, He also forgives a repentant soul without exception. No sin we commit is beyond the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. There is forgiveness, and we confirm our forgiveness by obeying His commands, without exception. If you are still practicing the sinful nature, repent today. As long as you are breathing, it isn’t too late. Repent, believe, and obey. These are the marks of transformation and evidence of your salvation (Acts 3:19; John 14:23; Romans 10:9).