Freedom from the Presence of Sin

Posted by Pastor Pat on December 19, 2008

So…what does it mean to be freed from the presence of sin? First, it would assume we understand to even the smallest degree what impact sin has had on our lives and circumstances. Think of all the trauma and heartache that exists in the world. Think with me of every tear that has been shed from the complete and utter anguish of soul when it is visited by hopelessness and dashed dreams.

Even then our inability to comprehend fully the loss this entails calls me to be cautious in any attempt to describe what freedom from the presence of sin might be like. Nonetheless what says the Scripture?

Everything about our existence is marred by sin. Nothing has escaped the touch of sin’s denigrating influence. Everything is in decay. Nothing is sustained indefinitely. Our hearts cry out in pain. We cannot feel because sin has dulled our sense of touch. We cannot see because sin has clouded our vision. We cannot hear because sin has silenced the voice of God. We cannot taste because sin has made us calloused to the true things of God.

Our bodies are racked with pain. Our dreams continue to go unfulfilled. We are called upon to live by faith and not by sight because sin has blinded us to what is real. We think we know what reality is, but we cannot fathom the depth of our ignorance.

The penalty of sin has been broken. In its wake lies freedom from the power of sin. This is true now. What lies ahead is a liberating freedom from the presence of sin. In that day the siren voice of sin will be silent FOREVER.

Revelation 21 provides for us a beauty of what awaits those who are freed from

the penalty of sin. “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

I believe this is true for all those who know God. I do not believe this will take place only after the believer sits in utter shock and mournful regret for failed opportunities. There is coming a day when sin will be completely eradicated from the very presence of the believer.

When believers meet God for the first time, the very presence of sin will be completely removed. In time, the old self has been crucified with Christ. For us who believe today, our old self is judicially dead. But there is coming a day when believers will experience the actual removal of the old self. This will take place immediately upon either death or His return. The official event will be at the Bema Seat Judgment when Jesus Christ will make complete His cross work, when He will unveil for the first time the work of the Holy Spirit in and through His people. In that day, His people will see for the first time the full work of the Holy Spirit in them and through them to those around them. It will be a crushing moment of unbridled joy and celebratory worship.

It is a day when the glory of God will encircle the globe and everyone everywhere at all times will bow down before Him and worship Him. In that day, the residue of sin’s presence will be completely wiped out from the people of God. Wow, what a glorious day awaits the people of God! It is this hope that sustains us in our present pilgrimage. So today, as the people of God, let us joy in a future hope, a hope that penetrates and sustains in this present moment. May God continue to be glorified.

By Pastor Patrick J. Griffiths.  For more information see the Waukesha Bible Church series When Victory Seems Lost.