I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:15,18-19, NLT)
If you follow professional golf, most certainly, you have seen a player lose their temper. Maybe he hit an errant drive and slammed his club down in disgust.
Maybe she missed a short birdie that would have catapulted her into the lead and tossed her putter in anger. Maybe you’ve even missed a shot and responded with some choice words.
We all would agree this type of reaction to a bad shot is not ideal. In fact, we could even say it is a moment that dishonors the Lord by those who profess faith in Him.
Does it mean the professional golfer we witnessed having a moment of visible frustration is not a Christian, even though they say they are? Does that act of frustration disqualify you from God’s grace?
Often, when we see a disciple of Jesus stumble and do something publicly they regret, we are quick to question their faith or whether they are walking with Jesus at all.
The short answer to the previous questions is no. My moment doesn’t disqualify me from belonging to the Lord (Isaiah 41:3). As Christians, we will battle the temptation to sin daily (Galatians 5:16,24), and at times, we will lose the battle publicly.
Why? The Apostle Paul helps us understand through this remarkable personal confession. In his plea to the Romans, he acknowledges that the Law (God’s standard for righteousness) makes us aware of our sin (3:20). Further, those who are in Christ are not to sin (6:11-14). Yet, because we still go to war with our flesh daily, we are prone to stumble, even though we strongly wish we wouldn’t.
So, when we mess up and do so publicly, are we no longer Christians? Absolutely not! We are, indeed, still Christians. What have we done then?
In one sense, we have hurt our witness. Scripture says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed.”
When we mess up, publicly or privately, we should respond as the Holy Spirit leads: We should show remorse for our sin against a Holy God, confess our failure to the Father and those who witnessed our sin, receive forgiveness, and resolve never to fall again. Finally, diligence in prayer strengthens us when the temptation comes again.
As Scripture reminds us, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”(2 Timothy 2:19)
From another angle, we have publicly expressed where we are in our spiritual journey. Acting out indicates our spiritual immaturity when we let a club fly or drop a curse word after a bad golf shot.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, instead of “Why’d I do that?” Let’s proclaim, “I’m glad I didn’t.”
Prayer: Lord, weaknesses in my life compromise my witness. Forgive me. May I resolve to fight when temptation returns.