Many Christians find themselves often repeating the same sin over and over again even after they surrender it to Jesus. As a result, they may think that God could not possibly love them after they repeatedly humiliate and malign God. But that's not what God says.
God desires for all believers to truly live a life of Godly repentance -- one that leads us to turn 180 degrees away from sin and toward Jesus -- and He gives us all ability to be able to do so. 2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed."
But God is also a God who is patient with us and allows good, steady and progressive work to happen in us. Sometimes there are just heart issues that take longer than others to surface and be resolved. During that time, you may fall into the same sin over and over and over again, but we can be assured that in all that time, God loves you immensely nonetheless.
Romans 5:8 describes God's unconditional love for us by saying, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." There is no love greater than God's love for the sinner and we are recipients of that love, every single one of us. It doesn't matter if you haven't fully changed your ways yet because God will love you still.
Jesus loved you when you were lost and broken. Jesus loved you as He endured every lash, beating and wound for the consequences that we should have received. Jesus loved you yesterday when you were a sinner and He still loves you today even though you're still a sinner.
But as we become recipients of this great love from Christ, it does not just justify our sins but it sanctifies us -- removing the power and bondage of sin in our lives. God will love us even if we do not change, but as we continue to experience that love from Jesus, His love will change us from glory to glory.
Galatians 5:1 tells us, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." God's love and grace for us is so much more than simply a license to sin. It is an authority and explosive power through the Holy Spirit that teaches our hearts to say no to pride and selfishness, training us to become more like Christ everyday.
Through God's love, we are not only accepted, we are made right. That's how powerful the love of Christ is.
