Danger Zone

The Bible clearly says that the world is in danger because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The world is also condemned because they have not put their Faith in Jesus Christ who can save them from their sin (John 3:16-18). But even though we have put our Faith in Jesus, yet engage in sin, we too will share in the same fate.

Sin disconnects us from God (Isaiah 59:2) and puts us in the danger zone. Rebellion, unrepentance, unbelief, lack of love, performing dead works, and following the flesh are all dangerous; this is why the Word of God urges us to avoid them:

Don’t let sin reign in your body for sin leads to death (Rom 6:12-18).
Don’t live according to the flesh or you will die (Rom 8:12-17).
Because of unbelief they were broken off, but you stand by faith (Rom 11:20).
Beware any of you who have a heart of unbelief, departing from God (Heb 3:12).
We’re of Christ, if we hold on to our confidence [have faith] (Heb 3:14).
They have damnation, because they cast off their first faith (1 Tim 5:12).
We aren’t those who draw back to perdition [losing the soul] but those who believe to the saving of the soul (Heb 10:39).

As Christians, we know sin is dangerous and leads to eternal death. But some believers have this misconceived notion that they can dip in and out of sin and escape the consequences, or perhaps, get as dirty as possible in their early years and return to God in the latter; but this isn’t wise. How do you know if you’ll be here tomorrow? Tomorrow is not promised.

We must strive to avoid sin today, and we must not excuse or minimize certain sins. All sins are repulsive to God. Some Christians act like they don’t know right from wrong. Whether some pretend to be ignorant of sin or not, the Word of God, our conscience, and the Holy Spirit are our guides to identifying sin. It amazes me how some Christians view arrogance, pride, gossip, and lying as insignificant. Check your Bibles, God hates this stuff, and because of it we are facing condemnation in the fires of Hell! But, “there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1).

Cleansed in the Blood of Jesus

The good news is: we can get out of danger by humbly submitting to God through confession, repentance, and being cleansed in the blood of Jesus. Jesus is like a boat, floating over a deep dark ocean full of sewage. If we stay in the boat we won’t get dirty and drown, but if we jump out, we only have ourselves to blame for our watery grave. As the boat represents Jesus, the water represents sin. We are commanded to stay joined to Christ. In some Bible translations, it refers to us as being “in Christ” (Romans 8:1); so we must stay in Christ.

Liberals say, “Jesus died for my sins, past, present and future, therefore I’m covered under his blood and God looks down on me and sees nothing but the righteousness of his Son”. This is true, but only if you are in Jesus. If you’ve left the boat and begun to swim around in the polluted waters of sin, the Father looks down and sees you in sin, not in Jesus. When we find ourselves in transgression, we need to get back into the boat of Jesus, confess our sin, repent and have Jesus wash and cleanse us in his blood. Then God will look down and see righteousness rather than a polluted soul drowning next to the boat of Jesus.

But once again, the Liberals think: after they become a Christian, all their sins, of all time, have been washed away; and now they are clean, no matter if they decide to take a dive into the filthy ocean again. For those who are considered “out of fellowship, out of agreement with God, and backsliders”; these people are floating in sin; and they need to hurry back into the boat. These Christians are not on their way to Heaven, but heading toward the waterfall of Hell. These unfaithful individuals should worry very much for their souls. Outside of Jesus Christ is the most dangerous place to be.

The holy, precious blood of Jesus was made available for our sins and we must go to him and be washed and cleansed each time we sin. We get clean through confession and repentance. The blood certainly doesn’t free us to sin without consequence, for the wages of sin is still death. So we must continue to get washed. If we jump back into the sewage we become dirty again, but the blood is still available to wash away the filth and make us clean. The same blood of Jesus (shed some two thousand years ago) continues to wash and cleanse us through our daily confession and repentance; this is a continual process we undertake; and Jesus doesn’t do it automatically. We must initiate it.

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you (Acts 8:22). But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9).

The word “confess” doesn’t necessarily mean to speak aloud our sins. A verbal confession likened to a felon and two police officers is not what God is talking about. And besides, if verbal confession were really required, this would really screw things up for a mute person. No, the word “confess” in the Greek text is defined as:

Acknowledgment and Agreement (G3670 – Strong’s Greek Dictionary).

So in other words: we need to acknowledge our sin (this may lead to verbal confession) and agree with God that he’s right and we’re wrong. Simply saying “I’m sorry” is not enough, we must acknowledge and agree with God in our hearts. This is real confession and is accompanied with repentance.

Intense personal Bible study helps us stay clean. Simple reading is not enough, we must study. We must approach the Bible with humility and patience, ready and willing to receive what God wants to give us. The more we study the Word, the more we will recognize sin and stay free from it and be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. When we study the Word and acknowledge our sins, we are washed clean and when the Father looks down, he sees the righteousness of his Son.

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