Flesh and Spirit

LOT also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.” – Genesis 13:5–8.

““Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” – Galatians 6:7. Those words spoken by Paul apply not only to the sinner, but to the believer in particular. The fact that we are saved and are God’s people does not mean that we will not suffer for our mistakes and pay the price for our disobedience. God will and God does judge His people. The believer should not sin, but the fact is that he too often does sin. Not in vain, therefore, does John say in 1 John 1:8:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

And again in verse 10:

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

These words were addressed to believers, and John includes himself when he says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” And yet the believer ought never to sin, for John also says in 1 John 2:1:

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.

The very fact that we are so prone to sin should put us on our guard against that very possibility. But in spite of the fact that we ought not to sin, we all too often do. If we are honest, we will have to admit this. Our Lord knew beforehand that we would sin after we had been saved, so He made provision for those sins. He says in 1 John 1:9:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And again in 1 John 2:1-2:

And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

How grateful, therefore, we should be that our Saviour, knowing beforehand our weakness and that we would fail after we were saved, made provision for our forgiveness and cleansing.

Adapted and modified excerpts from Studies in the Life of Abraham by M. R. De Haan (1891-1964)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.