We all sin. That much is true. But after you sin, what should you do? But that question is important, and Psalm 51 answers it by giving you a process to follow after God convicts you of sin. Psalm 51 is like an instruction manual for dealing with your sin. Anyone who is serious about pleasing God will use it.

In this section of Habakkuk’s oracle, God narrates the prophesied destruction of Babylon, the evil empire that would crush rebellious Judah. Through this description of Babylon’s self-destructive actions and God’s just judgment, we receive timeless lessons on how we ought to live today. As we get ready for a new year, this text vividly showcases the folly of pursuing, placing our hope in, and worshipping idols, and the goodness of trusting in God, our Creator, instead.

This section of Paul’s description of the Christian life highlights an all too common experience - we fail to do the godly things we truly wish to do. And this conundrum baffles Christians time and again. It exists because we live in a spiritual war and the only way to effectually win any battles is by the Holy Spirit. By His grace and power, we can live victoriously over sin.

Perfectionism in the Christian life will drive you to despair. Licence in the Christian life suggests your faith is fake. What are we to make of all the commands to obedience? Is it okay to sin? What is “the flesh?” Is it related to our physical flesh, our bodies? Are we doomed to failure until glory? Is there any point to trying to not sin?

The interpretation of Romans 7 is disputed among Bible scholars. In particular, is Paul talking about a Christian or a person before they become a Christian? And what difference does one’s understanding of that make on what the text means? A key to understanding this chapter is remaining aware of what came just before it and what follows after. In the end, either view will lead us to love Jesus more for all He had done for sinners!

Why does God allow evil to persist? In Habakkuk 1:1-2:5, we find a dialogue between God and his prophet which helps answer that very difficult question. In this ancient conversation, we will be offered clarity and hope for today’s troubled world. While the righteous can make a valid complaint, they have great cause to live by faith in the God who is faithful.

If you’re not a fan of surprises here’s some encouraging news: you can be absolutely certain about what you’re future holds. Psalm 60 instructs us to pray and to wait on God to do what he promised us he would do. Even in our deepest trials, we can be confident God will accomplish his word.

Jesus often taught using stories. Romans 6 can sound a bit complicated at points, but a short story might help you to understand it better. While nowhere near as wise and powerful as Jesus’ stories, perhaps this tale of a Damian living in Thanatos under the tyrannical rule of General Diabolos will remind you of your life before God saved you? And perhaps hearing of Damian’s labours in Beulah for King Soterios will remind you of what the Lord has done for you? Even if it doesn’t, hopefully it will make you love the Lord even more for all He has done for us in Christ.

Having established what it means to be justified by grace through faith, Paul pivots to talk about how we must live as saved sinners. Instead of speaking of us as being living “weapons” of righteousness, now he describes us as slaves to righteousness. In both imageries, he is making clear that once God saves a person, the last thing they will want to do is sin. Instead, the whole object of their life becomes seeking to glorify God by their attitudes and actions. Does this describe you?

Satan is a liar. And one of the lies he never stops muttering is that the Christian has to sin. That there is no way to stop sinning… at least some sins. Hoogly. The real Christian is dead to sin. And he has become a weapon in the hand of King Jesus for righteousness in this fallen world. Now is the time for every believer to stand before God and say, “Here I am, Lord! Use me!”

Having spent an entire chapter unpacking some of the greatest blessings of being justified by God through faith, Paul turns to consider how we now saved sinners (or, Christians) should live the rest of our lives. In particular, what place should we expect sinning to have in our lives?

You cannot know every detail about your future, but your future isn’t completely unknowable. God makes promises in his word and his faithful character backs each of his promises up. If God has promised something, it will happen. So in a sense, your future isn’t completely unknowable - and thinking on God’s promises and character can be a huge encouragement to Christians in their suffering. Thinking on such things can also be a huge warning to the unbeliever.

The gospel calls for a response: Will you repent of your sin and trust in Christ, or will you reject His call and remain in your sin? Many who choose the latter cite a perceived lack of evidence or demand a clearer sign. In Luke 11:29–32, Jesus confronts this challenge and declares that His own life is the ultimate sign and the decisive evidence of the truthfulness of His claims. In the words of Christ and the facts of His life, we have all we need to accept, submit to, and boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

The fact that the Bible has so many different words for sin is a good indication that God takes it quite seriously. Not only that, such a comprehensive list of words helps us understand the breadth and depth of our offences. Rarely does a person appreciate the cure until they realize the extent of the disease. A deep dive into the sinfulness of sin should make our hearts sing with hope in the Saviour of sinners!

Every person in the world has a representative before God. It is either Adam (the first man), or Jesus Christ (God’s Son). Your eternal destiny hangs upon which of these two men represents you. You were born with Adam as your representative. You must be born again to procure Jesus Christ as your new representative. Only one of them will lead you to eternal life.

There are parts of your Bible that are not impossible to understand, but are easy to misunderstand or just breeze over. Romans 5:12-14 is one of those little paragraphs, but it sets up a vital foundation for what follows in the rest of this chapter. Most of us love the idea of Jesus becoming our representative before God. Where we struggle is in believing that we were born with Adam representing us, without any input from us whatsoever. Why all this representation and why must you have both or none?

Every good pilot follows a pre-flight checklist where he or she makes final preparations of their airplane and the way in which it will be flown. Even though these things are simple and routine, a failure to do them might result in catastrophic outcomes. So the Christian’s walk through this world of delighting in God must be maintained by certain choices and disciplines. None of them are all that startling, but the absence of any will greatly reduce our delight.

Delighting in God is the essence of the Christian life, but cannot be assumed. If we are not careful, we will replace delight with duty, rejoicing with works, and exultation with exhaustion. This series has aimed to refocus our lives on finding our greatest delight in the Person of God. It is something which every Christian needs regular reminders of and every unbeliever regular invitation to.