Probably one of the top five problems amongst christians and churches today is how we deal with and look at sin. So many of us try to hide it, cover it up and pretend that it doesn't exist in our lives. Of course, when sin comes up as a discussion we will say "I sin all the time and I know my sin displeases God" and we are right to say that. But so often we are vague and sketchy about our sin when discussing it with other people. Why is this the case? I suppose the simple answer is found in the gospel of John "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." - John 3:19 . Yes as christians we are saved by Christ’s blood which covers all our sin, but we still sin and the sinful nature's reaction is to cover it up and pretend its not there. So here are five reasons to break this mould and to share your sin with those closest to you.
1. Accountability
The first thing to mention when searching for someone to have as a one to one accountability partner is that they need to be a christian, a close friend and dependable. Once that person has been found it's important to be completely honest with them. Pauls instructions for Christians living in Ephesians 4:25 say “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body.” If honesty is lacking in the relationship then the accountability sessions will be fruitless. However, once you share openly and honest with someone, they will then be aware of your particular sins and be able to look out, rebuke, encourage and correct you.
This is probably the hardest part of the whole process. We don’t like being completely honest about our sin and we like to cover things up. I know that is one of my traits and it has been a massive battle to face up to some of the things I’ve done. But take it from someone who has been through that fire, the rewards are life changing.
2. Study Together
One of the key ways of tackling your sin is studying with someone. This can be really useful as you can look at scripture in reference to sin or even the particular sin that you are struggling with. Studying God's word has a direct effect on tackling sin. David writes "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" in Psalm 119:3. See the link, when we study, meditate and keep Gods word it can keep us from sinning. God's word also gives us instruction in what to replace our sin with in Romans 6:13 "Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness." If we realise that we need to completely submit ourselves to God, willingly and gladly, then sin will have much less of a foothold in your life.
3. Pray Together
After studying, its always great to pray with each other and continue praying for each other as the week goes on. Sometimes it can just be a great encouragement and spur you on not to sin when you know a brother or sister in Christ is praying for you. We can also pray that God would help us to see our sin as He see's it. We know that God despises the sin that we do and that Christ has died for that sin. When we realise the anguish and pain it brought our Saviour, our desire should be to turn from it. James also encourages us to help each other in this. In chapter 5 verse 20 he says "Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Praying with each other means that you can lead each other to confessing your sin before God which in turn means you can both...
4. Lead each other to the Gospel
This is probably the most beautiful part of being accountable to someone. There can be times when you feel so weighed down and buried by sin that you cannot lead yourself to the cross and forgiveness. There have been so many times when I've felt like my sin was just too big for Jesus to deal with. There have been times when I've felt like I've hurt so many people in so many ways that there is no way God would want to hear from me. By God's grace, at these times he has always provided someone to give me a wake-up call and point me to the gospel. They'’ve brought me verses such as Ephesians 1:7 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace" and Acts 3:19 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,". My personal favourite is Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, that's how far God has removed our sins from us". God, because of the work of Christ on the cross, has banished my sins as far away as possible from me. He remembers them no more and I am clothed in the perfect life of Christ, a saint.
5. Understand Grace Better
The ultimate experience of this is that you have a deeper understanding of Gods grace which in turn leads to falling more in love with him. When we understand grace more then the more we will be gracious to others. Paul tells us to "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6. When we are more gracious to people, the more likely they will be to confide in you and the more likely you will be able to help them and build people up for the kingdom. Also, see how the process has come around full circle. We started off struggling with our own sin, and now we have come round to a position where we can help and guide other struggling christians.
So if you struggle with sin realise you are not alone. I have never met a christian who doesn't struggle with sin. Find a good christian friend, be open and honest and lead each other to the cross and the blood that washes us whiter than snow.
