WHAT ACTIONS SHOULD A CHRISTIAN TAKE AFTER SINNING?

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<p>Identifying as a Christian follows being a human. Humans naturally are born sinners because our forefather—Adam sinned and automatically passed that down to us. A precursor to Adam's sin displays the original nature of the human race as designed by God. A faultless and blameless nature, one that appealed to God because it was perfect. However, a twist in this plot led humans to where we are. A dirty, soiled, helpless person unfit to have fellowship with our Father – God. Sin put a restraining order on us and totally shut us out from God. But with our new identity as Christians, do we still get shut out when we sin?</p>

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<p>Nevertheless, God put another plan in place so that humans can relate to their original nature. He sent Christ to die for us. As many who embrace the plan become reconnected to God and now have a father-child relationship with Him. As a born-again Christian, it is not in your nature to sin, but you could trip. You could make a mistake and find yourself in sin. Maybe it was a temptation you couldn't overcome or you didn't realize you had sinned until the Holy Spirit through your conscience nudged you. Perhaps, you willingly strayed from the Father. Now you feel miserable, you've supposedly hurt God and cannot call Him Father any more. Alienation appears to be the safest option at the moment. What will make it crazier is that Satan will manipulate you into thinking the same.</p>

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<p>After sinning, what should a Christian do? Foremost, remember that God is not holding your sin against you. And you do not have the nature of sin any more. Hebrews 9:26b says, “But instead, near the end of time, he offered himself once and for all, so he could be a sacrifice that does away with sin.” The implication of Hebrews 9:26 is that you do not have a sinful nature because the issue of sin has been abolished once and for all by the sacrifice of Jesus.</p>

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<p>Hence, if you find yourself doing things that you ought not to do, what do you need to do? Repent. What is repentance? A change of direction. Just say, no, I shouldn't be doing that. And you know how you get to repentance? Repentance is not lying on the floor putting on ashes and sack clothes and grovelling in the dirt. No. repentance is coming to awareness and acknowledgement that this is who you are in Christ, and these behaviours do not line up with who you are in Christ. Once you can realize that hang on, I'm royalty and royalty do not act like this, that realization alone is bringing you back to the Father. Remember, the Father never left. You are the one that sort of strayed away because of the behaviour, but the Father is always with you. Run back to your Father, whose arms are constantly opened wide to hold you in a warm embrace where you are safe and snug. And if Satan shows up to exploit you, tell him this is a family matter and the intruder's opinion is not needed.</p>

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<p>Remember, though, not to persist in behaviours that do not relate to or align with who you are in Christ. Even though there are no repercussions from God's point of view, naturally, it affects you and other people around you.</p>

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