• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sermo Humilis

Humble Speech

  • Home
  • Topics
    • Just a Thought
    • Who we Are Instead
    • Life in Christendom
  • Series
    • Topical
      • Words that Matter
      • Jesus Through all of Life
      • 8 Weeks Before Marriage
      • Life and Times of Jesus
      • Rock of Ages
      • The Ten Commandments
    • Bible Book
      • Proverbs
      • The Book of Ezra
      • 1 Corinthians
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Who we Are Instead / When We Fall

When We Fall

4 April 2019 By David Trounce

Reading Time: 4 minutes
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

When You Fall - sermo humilis

Have you ever fallen into sin so badly that you began to wonder if Jesus could ever look at you, much less welcome you again? You’ve made so many promises in the past. Promises to forsake your sin. But by breakfast you find that you’ve fallen again.

Many Christians struggle with a variety of ongoing and persistent sins. They see their weakness and their pride and they cry out to God for help. And then they tumble—again.

What should they do, and how should they think about these constant battles with sin?

First, Jesus is well aware of your sin and has dealt with the guilty verdict under which you once stood.

This might seem like an obvious thing, and given your current mental state, it may seem like small comfort. That’s because sin stings. Never-the-less, it is the truth from which all the other truths about forgiveness flow.

Thankfully, salvation is not contingent on how tightly we hold onto Him, but how tightly he holds onto us. Jesus saves, restores and holds onto people just like you and me. And He doesn’t let go (John 10:28)

Secondly, it is right to make war on your sin until the day you die; this is evidence of your faith. The unregenerate are not typically interested in this fight, but you are.

You may lose many battles but, with Jesus as the Captain of your Salvation (Hebrews 2:10), you will win the war.

If doing battle is where you are at, and you want some ammo, Sinclair Ferguson has a helpful article on Ligonier about how to wage that war.

Thirdly, if you have fallen today don’t compound the sin by lying about it.

You may be flat on your face, barely able to crawl toward Jesus, but if you are facing the right direction and willing to confess, you are going to be okay.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Dealing with the Shame

For some, the problem is not so much present sin, but the debilitating memory of past sin.

In our battle against sin, it is important not to conflate or confuse guilt and shame. Guilt is a judicial category, shame is a complicated emotion.

Because of what Jesus has done for you there is no more condemnation. The guilty verdict has been overturned. You are free.

But while Jesus promises complete and total forgiveness, while He has removed the condemnation for sin, the shame remains.

And why wouldn’t it? Why would we ever feel anything other than shame for our sin? Our sin should make us blush with shame (Romans 6:21).

Shame serves a valuable purpose. Shame in remembrance of our sin is an instrument that God employs so that we will lean more and more on Him for Grace.

So I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord, so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed… (Ezekiel 16:62-63)

Notice what God says here. He says that the shame will kick in after atonement for sin has been made.

Let shame do its work in you. Let it humble you.

If you want to feel less shame, then commit less sin. Start saying no again – to one sin at a time – and ask God to provide a way of escape.

When You Fall - Martin Luther - sermo humilis

Finally, remember that on the last day no one will enter into the kingdom of God because they had a clean run. We will be welcomed because Jesus has promised that,

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37)

Jesus knows that you have sinned. He knows the depths of the ugliness within each of our hearts. And yet He does not cross to the other side of the street when He sees you coming. If you come, He will not cast you out. He will welcome you with joy.

It’s astonishing but true. You may be ashamed of your sin but he is not ashamed of you (Hebrews 2:11).

He will welcome you because He loves you. You are loved more than you understand. God has always loved you. He loves you today and there is nothing you could ever do to make Him love you less.

Encourage one another with these words.

Related...

Old and Grey

Keeping up with the Cool Kids

Loving One Another, in Particular

Where the Kangaroo Falls, There is Holy Ground

Filed Under: Who we Are Instead Tagged With: Forgiveness, Grace, Sin


Writing Ideas on Sermo HumilisWhat do You Want to Read About?

 

Nothing like real-world issues to focus the mind. If you have something you would like me to write about, send me a message and let me know.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aaron says

    5 April 2019 at 9:23 am

    I’m greatly encouraged by this article, David. Thank you for covering this topic so well and so kindly.

    Grace be with you.

    • David Trounce says

      5 April 2019 at 1:57 pm

      Hey Aaron, thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear you are encouraged! Grace be with you too!

  2. Paul Koroma says

    18 April 2019 at 5:09 pm

    Indeed salvation is not by our works but it is received through believing in what Jesus Christ has done on the cross. Trusting and relying on Christ Jesus is enough because greater is He that is in me. He has worked my salvation and He is with me always to restrain me from falling into sin.

    He knows my level of weakness and this is the reason He doesn’t leave me alone. Fellowshipping with Him on a daily basis helps to lead you into your salvation.

Primary Sidebar

Sermo Humilis

For the love of all things true, beautiful and good.


Welcome to Sermo Humilis, a digital home for biblical discipleship and cultural Christianity. A few new thoughts every week.

Please remember to like, subscribe and share. It really helps me out.

Categories

  • Life in Christendom
  • Just a Thought
  • Who we Are Instead

Find us on Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Medium
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Support Sermo Humilis

If you enjoy Sermo Humilis and want to say thanks you can support me here.

Support

Series

Sidebar Series - 1 Corinthians Sidebar - Words that Matter Sidebar - Jesus Through all of Life Series Sidebar Series - The Book of Ezra

The Most Popular Guff

Wandering About in the Dark

In C.S Lewis' The Screwtape letters, a young demon by the name of

#05 House Hunting – OT Survey

Through Adam and Cain man became both homeless and disconnected from

3 Weeks before Marriage – Her House, His Fishing Gear

It's an easy mistake for a husband to make. He reads in the bible that

Beautiful Specimens of Human Loveliness

The more things change, the more things stay the same. The world of

The Road to Jericho

Moralism is the art of making every bible passage a lesson on

Jesus, Shaking Heaven and Earth

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus tells the disciples that He came to fulfil the

5 Weeks before Marriage – Walking down the Aisle

Irrespective of the current zeitgeist, the pattern for godly family

See and Hear

On the move? Weekly content can also be seen and heard via Youtube.

Topics

Beauty Charity Children Covenant Creation Death Discipleship Evangelism Faith Faithfulness Fear Forgiveness Gospel Grace Grief Guilt Holiness Hope Jesus Joy Judgement Kingdom Law Liberty Life Love Marriage Mercy Money Obedience Power Prayer Redemption Rest Resurrection Sacrifice Salvation Service Sin Suffering Truth Victory Weakness Wisdom Worship

Footer

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe to Sermo Humilis

Find us on Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Support Sermo Humilis

If you enjoy Sermo Humilis and want to say thanks you can support me here.

Support

Copyright © 2025 · Sermo Humilis

Thor's Oak

Around 723 AD, a missionary named Boniface entered Hesse in Germany. Upon finding a sacred tree named Thor’s Oak, he took an axe to it, cut it down and built a church. Many in the town, believing that the God of Boniface must be greater than Thor, left their paganism behind converted to Christianity.