Your Sin Doesn’t Define You

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 
 
 
As a believer, I want to encourage you today that your sin does NOT define you. The church has gained a reputation of being hypocritical. And this is not to say that isn’t for good reason. But one of the first points you will hear is when a nonbeliever sees one of Christ’s followers commit a sin during the week and then go praise His name on Sunday. 
 
Now, this is a problem if this sin is repeated without any type of repentance and remorse. In this case, it is definitely hypocritical to repeatedly and unforgivingly disobey God and turn around and praise His name, knowing you plan on committing the same sin again, and again, and again. 
 
But for many believers, that is not the case. They struggle with sin, but it is not without remorse and repentance. Being a Christian does not make one immune to addiction and struggle. Just because you follow Christ does not mean you will all of a sudden stop struggling with all of the real-world temptations every other human being faces.  
 
There are believers who struggle with drinking, pornography, drugs, repetitive lying, and a whole host of other things. Being a Christian does not make you perfect. It makes you FORGIVEN. But this does not mean you are to manipulate God’s grace. 
 
As a human being, you will sin again. You will continue to struggle with sin. That is just part of living in a sin-filled world.  But 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  
 
As a believer, your sin does not define you. You are not “the addict” or “the hypocrite.” You are HIS. You belong to Him, and your identity is found in your relationship to Christ. He came to take away your sin so that you would not bare the weight of it. No matter what anyone may tell you, your sin does not define you. Only God can define you!