05/19/26 NEW BEGINNING(S)
God is the God of New Beginnings. Not only do we get a new beginning when we first receive Christ as Lord and Savior, but we get new beginnings whenever we have rebelled and then repented.
It is possible to be a faithful, obedient follower of Christ. In fact, being a Christian means being a faithful, obedient follower of Christ. Being a faithful, obedient follower of Christ means we have turned from sin, we have been made righteous, and we are enabled to live righteously. Salvation is deliverance from sin's penalty, power, pollution, and presence. Jesus said that being His disciple starts with denying self, taking up our cross daily, and following Him. Faithful obedience is not the standard for a select group of believers; it is the norm for everyone who is saved.
While we are living in a faithful, obedient relationship with Christ, we cannot sin. The Bible says that the person who is presently born of God cannot sin. However, if we do not continue (abide, remain, hold on, walk in the light, grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ), then we are shifting our loyalty, our commitment, our faith away from Christ. When we are not living by faith, walking by faith, or continuing in the faith, we no longer have the benefits, protections, or strengths that come with faith in Christ. God's word tells us we can "sin not." But if we sin, we have an advocate. If we believe, confess, and repent, then we will have a New Beginning.
Being the God of New Beginnings means that a believer who has sinned (failed of the grace of God, fallen from grace, forsaken their "first love") is given a New Opportunity. As many times as a person rebels against God but then repents, that person is given Other Opportunities.
The Book of Judges records a period of Israel's cycle of sin and salvation. I remember an outline from my Bible College days: Rest, Rebellion, Rebuke, Repentance, Restoration, Rest...
The God of New Beginnings is the God of Other Opportunities. God is merciful, long-suffering, and forgiving. God has not only forgiven the brief and nearly unnoticeable sins of neglect or momentary drifting, but God has also forgiven the most heinous sins that backsliders have committed.
God is so good, so kind, so loving, so merciful, so forgiving, so redemptive. God loves, seeks, reconciles and restores the lives of people who repent after they turned against Him and denied Him and have wrecked and ruined the lives of family and friends.
But be aware, faith can change to presumption, and people can frustrate the grace of God. God does not force people to sin and He does not force people to return to faith.
(I don't use the term "Second Chance" for a few reasons.
* The term "Second Chance" is often used in reference to the erroneous teaching that a person who dies without Christ is able to receive Christ as Savior after they have died.
* The word "Chance" may convey the idea of "luck," "happenstance," or "randomness."
* The word "Second" limits the number of times).
The repentant sinner is blessed by God with other opportunities. But presumption will lull the unfaithful into eternity without God. Be glad for the goodness of God. Be transformed by the power of God. Be faithful in following God.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
