The story of Achan in this week’s Sabbath School lesson teaches us about the dangers of cherishing sin in our hearts. Fortunately, we have a Savior who is always quick to forgive, time and again, and even cleanse us, time and again. Whenever I see someone mopping a floor and a child tracks dirt on the clean floor, I hear them say, “I just cleaned this floor!” And when I hear that, I am so glad my Savior quickly forgives and cleanses my heart time and time again, without sighing and saying, “But I just cleaned this heart!” Still, while we have a forgiving Savior who can clean our repentant hearts time and time again, we must be careful that we do not become comfortable in our sins. There is a fatal danger in cherishing our sins.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:47-50 NLT 

Notice that in this parable, the bad fish are not cleaned at the end of the world. They are either already good or already bad. There is no changing our characters at the second coming. 

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11 NKJV

in 1 Corinthians 15, we read a beautiful promise. 

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52 NKJV 

I will let you examine the entire chapter for yourself and decide for yourself, but as I read this chapter, I find that Paul is talking about our physical bodies, not our moral characters, which are being changed at the second coming. Paul gives us much encouragement that our moral characters can be changed by grace here in this life, well before the second coming. 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Titus 2:11-12 NKJV

How comforting to know that God’s grace enables us to live a righteous and godly life in the here and now, instead of having to bring all the destruction upon ourselves and others, as Achan did while he clung to sin. 

I love how the NLT puts it as we continue reading Titus 2,

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.Titus 2:14 NLT 

Jesus did not pay the price for our sins so that we could continue in sin. 

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?  Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. Romans 6:1-7 NLT 

We do not want this proverb to be about us.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. Proverbs 26:11 NLT 

Instead, we know that while Jesus did not die for us to continue in sin, He did die so that we can do what is right. 

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. 1 Peter 2:24 NLT 

In the Adventist church, I have noticed we seem to go from one extreme to the other. Let’s not go to extremes but remember that God’s power to keep us from sinning never removes His power to forgive a truly repentant heart, and His power to forgive never cancels His power to help us overcome in the here and now.

The story of Achan teaches us that while forgiveness is freely offered, clinging to sin will always prove fatal. Achan was found clinging to his trophies when He should have been clinging to God and His grace. As the old hymn says, “When at last my trophies I lay down, I will cling to the old rugged cross.” When Christ returns, let us not be found clinging to our sins and trophies, but instead to the old rugged cross. 

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