“But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9
A daily rhythm of the Christian life includes repenting of our sins and turning from our wicked ways. Dr. Ron Rhodes reminds us that after we have done our part, we need to trust in the Holy Spirit to do His. He speaks to the importance of depending on the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
“Once you confess your sins that you’re aware of consciously, you’re forgiven. Not just for that, but for the entire slate and even some sins you may have forgotten to confess, it’s wiped clean.”
“If God wants you to deal with something, the Holy Spirit is going to work in your life. That’s one of the Holy Spirit’s ministries, He brings the conviction of sin. God doesn’t heap this unhealthy guilt on you where you feel like a worm before Him, that’s the work of the devil. But God does use godly sorrow through the work of the Holy Spirit to get you to turn from any particular sin you might be engaged in, and He calls you to confess.”
Far too often we think that our salvation depends on our own works and we forget about Christ’s work in us through the Holy Spirit. Ron encourages us to walk out our dependence on Him.
“Your first priority when you get up in the morning is not to do X, Y, and Z, your first priority is to walk in dependence on the Holy Spirit. As you walk in dependence on the Holy Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit that empowers you to live the Christian life.”
“Don’t think that in your own human strength you can do X, Y, Z and make God like you; you need to walk in His power. You need sort of think in terms of that metaphor of a branch being plugged into a vine and Jesus is our vine.”
As we stay plugged into Jesus, Ron says we’re going to be able to turn from our sins and have a newfound appreciation and desire for holiness and righteousness.
“If you want to overcome that daily sin in your life, your first best choice is to choose to be in a dependent relationship with the Holy Spirit because He’s the one that empowers us to resist those sins.”
God accepts and loves us for who we are. It’s not because of our works, but because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. We can rest in that truth today.
Dr. Ron Rhodes received his Th.M. and Th.D. degrees in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating with honors. He is currently the president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries, an apologetics organization located in Texas.
Every month, we have Bible scholar Dr. Ron Rhodes on the program to tackle your questions about the Bible, faith, and Jesus. Call during the live show, or submit your questions through the Live the Promise show page.
Bible Answers with Ron Rhodes - Hour 1
