Walking with the Wise #142: The Susceptibility of Sin

“Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.”
—Proverbs 13:6

Sin makes you susceptible—to consequences, a guilty conscience, to conflict with those whom you have sinned against, and most of all, God’s wrath. God delights in those who live righteously—which means according to His commands. Ours is a righteousness that doesn’t come from ourselves, but from Christ. Through faith in Him, God takes the righteousness of Christ and appropriates it as our own. It is up to us to learn to walk and live in that righteousness. So, righteousness then has two parts—one that is positional (i.e., that is given to us), and one that is progressive (i.e., that we actively do).

Living a righteous life for the Christian means having both positional and progressive righteousness. It is by living that type of life that we are freed from the anxiety of consequences for sin, a condemning conscience, and the wrath of God.

Sin always has a consequence—and we can be sure that our sin will find us out (cf. Numbers 32:23). God is not mocked, He will be sure that we suffer the full consequences of our sin, as Paul wrote:

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life”—Galatians 6:7-8.

Endeavor to walk by the Spirit of God and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh, nor will you have to worry about your sin finding you out. You will have a clean conscience and will walk securely and with great integrity in the full knowledge that you are living the life God desires for you. Amen.