“All things for good.” Sin too?

All sin is evil. No sin is worth it. It’s always better that we not sin. However, sin is also part of the “all things” that God works together for the good of His people (Rom. 8:28). Consider 12 “goods” that can result from sin that is repented of and forgiven.

1. We are humbled: When we fall into sin we realize our pathetic weakness and vulnerability. We are not as strong and impregnable as we thought we were.

2. We are sensitized: We often fall into sin when we are spiritually hard and cold, but when we are humbled and broken by the Holy Spirit, our spiritual senses are revived and re-stimulated, making us tender and sensitive again to God’s Word and Spirit.

3. We are silenced: We so easily get arrogant, self-confident, and full of ourselves, with an opinion on everyone and everything. But when we are convicted of our sin, we talk less favorably of ourselves and less judgmentally of others.

4. We are drawn nearer: Having wandered slowly and imperceptibly away from the Lord, we are now shocked to see how far we have travelled, how distant we have become. We find ourselves longing for the nearer presence of the Lord again as He begins to woo us back to Himself.

5. We are dependent: Sin is usually the result of relying on our own strength and wisdom and failing to pray, “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” When we are convicted by God’s Spirit, we learn to depend on the Lord like a little baby on her mother. Looking away from ourselves, we do nothing without seeking God’s help and blessing.

6. We are careful: Often our sin comes about when we have been spiritually careless. We’ve played with temptation. We’ve walked too close to the edge, then fallen over. Now, our scars and memories make us much more cautious about letting even the first thought of sin to lodge in our minds and hearts. We run away from the edge of the cliff.

7. We hate sin: When we see the evil of sin and the misery it produces, we no longer view it as harmless or humorous. We hate it with a passion and want to kill it at the roots.

8. We fight the devil: Looking back on our sin, we see the role that the devil played. He was well-disguised, for sure, but now we seem Him unmasked in all his hideous ugliness. We resolve to go to war with him, and never again to let him seduce us.

9. We are disciplined: When we re-trace our steps, we realize that we had become irregular and half-hearted in our Bible reading, prayer, family worship, and church attendance. We now realize how much we need to use these God-given means to keep us on the right track and become much more regular and disciplined in our daily and weekly use of these resources

10. We love Christ: Whether or however we loved Jesus before, we love Him all the more now. He who has been forgiven much, the same loves much. We are even more thankful for Christ’s atoning work and gracious salvation. We love His cross, we love His mercy, we love His love.

11. We are helpful: Having experienced the power of the Gospel to forgive and restore, we are better able to draw alongside others and humbly apply the Gospel to their sinful failings and faults.

12. We long for heaven: Oh to be free from sin, to never want to sin, to be with and like Jesus!

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). The mourning is essential, but it’s not the end, it’s not the destination. Comfort is. And part of that comfort is seeing how God can bring spiritual good from even our worst sins.