That’s what the sign said. Right there in a small store that made custom signs, it said, “sin, repent, repeat.”
I assume it was meant to be funny. Maybe it was sarcasm. Either way, it too accurately displayed the actions of too many people. How many times have we seen a person do something wrong, claim regret and remorse, and then slide back into the same behavior once again?
If you need an example, I volunteer. Maybe you haven’t done it but I have. Sinned. Felt terrible. Begged God for forgiveness and then promised that I would NEVER do that again. Then, after time passed enough for the guilt to fade, I found myself headed right back to the same temptation again. The decision to commit the sin the second time wasn’t made when I reached the temptation but on the way when I shut down and refused to feel so that guilt wouldn’t stop me from getting there.
Sound familiar?
When I describe that to church audiences, I see heads across the room nod in grim recognition. That process isn’t limited to Joe. If it continues, we finally quit praying, believing God doesn’t want to hear from a such a hypocrite.
What’s the answer?
Grace. Knowing that God does forgive but more than that; knowing that each time we sin He loves us enough to forgive us again but that forgiveness isn’t granted lightly. It causes Him pain, just as it does when our own children do the same.
If we learn to love Him deeply and fully appreciate what forgiveness really means, surely we would find the courage to leave off the “repeat” part. To help, we all need spiritually strong people in our lives that care enough to demand we live righteously.