Theology is a wonderful thing. You can spend a lifetime studying and never come to the end or run out of questions to pursue. However, even with a thorough mastery of homiletics and hermeneutics, there comes a time in every Christian’s life when the lessons of personal experience supersede study.
God is past finding out. The strongest man of faith will never understand the mechanics of how He restores sight to the blind. Yet, the newest babe in Christ is capable of understanding, “I was blind but now I see.”
For most of his entire adult life my father refused to accept Christ. He feared that once accepting he would stumble over sin again and thereby fail God. If a Christian sins, even willingly, is he immediately a hypocrite; a liar; or deluded in his faith? Is a Christian’s faith worthless if he fails to mirror Christ at every moment and under every circumstance? Experience and scripture say--no.
The Bible is filled with stories of those who trusted in God only to yield to their humanity and sin anew. What is it that separates Peter from Judas? David from Saul? Esau from Jacob? I believe it is the willingness to rise from defeat, broken and contrite, and be remade. Why God sticks by fallen Man is beyond the human heart. We may only say with David: “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities; And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy...”
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