We sometimes have an odd perception of time. We often stress and worry about matters that must be dealt with in the short term. But when it comes to long term goals and preparations, we tend to take a casual approach to these matters. This is somewhat understandable. The short term matters require immediate attention, so we deal with them. But our long term goals and preparations must be dealt with as well. We cannot continue to put them off for more immediate matters or else we will eventually find that we are too late and have failed to meet those long term goals.
Sadly, this is the attitude many people take toward sin. They know they need to correct sin. They know they need to repent. They know that they must strive for perfection (Matthew 5:48). But they hold on to sin anyway. After all, there is plenty of time for correction later, right? Can we not enjoy sin for a little while now, and give it up at some point in the future?
While many people have a casual attitude toward repentance and obedience, the Bible presents these as urgent matters. When there are things in our lives that need to be corrected, we must do so without delay.
Notice the following passages:
“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain – for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).
The acceptable time to take advantage of God’s salvation is not some day in the future. It is now. Today is the day of salvation, as Paul says. If we need to give up sin, today is the day to do it, not some time later in our future.
“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
Our life is uncertain. We may see that we have sin in our life. But we may also reason to ourselves that we will have time later to repent. Will we? Tomorrow is not guaranteed. We hear all the time of people passing from this life prematurely. We cannot count on tomorrow.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
“For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3).
If we are among those who are alive when the Lord returns, we will have no warning of the event. Many people try to look for various signs to give them an idea of when that day will come. But God will not give any signs to alert us of Christ’s impending return. The Lord will come as a thief – unexpected and unannounced. Therefore, we must be ready at all times.
“And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household” (Acts 16:33).
Many in the denominational world diminish the importance of baptism, saying that it serves a purpose, but is not necessary for salvation. Peter, however, plainly says, “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). Salvation was so urgent for the Philippian jailer and his household that they did not wait to be baptized until the morning or until the church assembled. They were baptized at an inconvenient hour in the middle of the night. The lesson from this is that when we need to do something to make our lives right with God, we must do it right away.
The Tragic State of Unpreparedness
Despite these warnings, there will be many who neglect the urgent need to repudiate sin. But if we put it off and persist in our sin, we may find ourselves without time in the end to repent. Jesus offers two parables describing this condition in which He talked about the the rich land owner and the five foolish virgins.
“The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’” (Luke 12:16-20).
This man believed he would have plenty of time later to worry about the eternal state of his soul. Sadly, he did not have any more time. The need was urgent, but he did not treat it as such. As a result, he was lost.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’
“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:1-13).
We do not know when we will stand before the Lord. He could return at any time, as the parable of the foolish virgins teaches us. Our lives could end at any moment, just as it happened with the rich land owner. There is an urgent need to give up sin. If we do not appreciate this urgency, we will be more inclined to continue in sin. We cannot count on having tomorrow to make corrections in our lives. We must do it now. We must put away our sin and not return to it.
Summary
It is common for people to procrastinate. The consequences of this will vary depending on the activity or situation. But removing sin from your life is not something to procrastinate about. There is an urgent and immediate need for repentance. Death can come at any time. Besides this, the Lord could return at any moment. If you are going to be serious about overcoming sin, you need to live with the understanding that you may not have the time later to put away sin so you must take advantage of the time you have now.
This material is taken from the book, The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome, published by Gospel Armory, © 2010.
