Bible Reading: Psalm 51:7
If, when we accept Christ as Savior, God has forgiven us of all our sins, why do we still suffer?
Look at it like this.
If you painted a wall black then regretted it and decided to paint the wall white, would the black paint go away just because you were sorry that you’d put it there?
No.
You can admit that you were wrong to put black paint on the wall. You can be sorry you put the black paint on the wall.
You can be forgiven (by yourself and others) for putting black paint on the wall, but, the black paint will still be on the wall!
In order to have a pure, white wall you would have to do some work to undo the “damage” done by the black paint.
There are consequences or results for every sin.
We can admit that what we did was sin.
We can be sorry for our sin.
We can be forgiven by God and by others for doing that sin. When we do, God will make us clean. Psalm 51:7 says, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” When we admit our sin, are sorry for our sin, ask God’s forgiveness, and accepting Christ’s death as the punishment for our sin – we are made clean, whiter than snow.
However, while accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior makes us clean, it doesn’t change the fact that the sin was still committed and its results still exist. We have to work to repair the damage done by that sin. Sadly, undoing the damage cause by sin isn’t as simple as scraping paint. Sometimes, the damage can’t be completely undone. The only way to avoid the damage of sin is to avoid committing sin in the first place.
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7 & 8
Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive my sin and help me to repair as much of the damage that it caused as possible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.