The Danger of Living in Past Sin; Or, How to Become a Better Story-Teller

I argue that re-living past sins keeps us in turmoil and hinders us from seeing the future glory God has for us.

Wisdom is a gift from a generous God (Prov. 2:6-9; James 3:17-18). It comes from the hard work of decision-making in the context of a healthy community. Decision-making under such a rubric becomes a central duty of godly saints. We become wiser with age, but only if aging allows us to think wisely about our past. If we fail to read the past well by meditating on the goodness of God throughout our lives, we will not grow in biblical wisdom. Gray hair is a crown of splendor only to those who walk in righteousness (Prov. 16:31).

Our Sinful Past

For instance, how many struggle with past decisions and wonder what would have happened if they had taken a different route?

“What if I had sought better friends?” “What if I had loved my children more?” “What if I had spent more time with my family?” “Why did I wait so long?” “Why did I marry this man/woman?”

The entire process of contemplation becomes endless and easily results in a fruitless consumption of shame and guilt. When a man wonders, “If I had not pursued this immoral lifestyle for most of my youth, I would be in a better place right now,” he is becoming the wrong kind of storyteller. Good Christian storytellers remember their sinful pasts in light of the forgiveness they have received. The more they grow in wisdom, the greater redemptive re-tellers they become. They look at their past as painful lessons of rebellion but cannot dwell on them lest they become tedious tellers of time.

The bodies of the Israelites in the desert serve as testaments that the road to the Promised Land is filled with those whose stories wished to return to the “abundance” of Egypt.

Past Paralysis

When Christians become paralyzed by their past, they are not submitting to the God of the future. Every poor decision does not demand penance but a repentant heart that can see a new trajectory being formed. That new trajectory is filled with opportunities for new decision-making exercises. New decisions made in the context of the good and true allow saints to view past sins anew.

When God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103), he is granting us the gift of living in the place of blessing without being overwhelmed by the place of sin; they can now live in light of the new life instead of allowing the old to control their actions. God gifts us with the mind to move forward in faith, knowing that our new story emerges in a land flowing with milk and honey despite our long sojourn in the wilderness.

I am not arguing that heinous sins don’t linger in the imagination, but that heinous sins should not control the imagination. Christians are, after all, people of wisdom. They fill their lives with the nurture of heaven, which keeps them grounded in earthly duties. For this reason, the best decisions we make stem from a heart filled with gratitude to a God who has forgiven us and accepts us in the Beloved. We move forward as creatures bound by a future-making God who decrees all for his glory and pleasure. 

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