When Jesus walked the earth, He displayed great compassion toward sins of weakness, especially those of fallen women. In Matthew 21:31, Jesus taught the corrupt religious leaders "...that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." Jesus did not say they were former publicans and harlots. In accordance with Matthew 18:21-22 and Luke 18:13, repentance consists of changing one's mind toward God about one's own sins and not an act of trying to give up one's sins. Giving up one's sins could be an act of bragging and self-righteousness. Matthew 12:43-45. Sometimes, God will heal a believer of a particular sin to which that believer is addicted. But if He does not, that believer still displays his faith and repentance by hating his own sins and begging God for His forgiveness and mercy whenever he falls into it because of his weakness. God prefers this type of repentance over that of pretended self-righteousness because true repentance displays humility before God. Luke 18:13; II Corinthians 12:9. In II Peter 2:7-8, the Bible clearly teaches that Lot was just and righteous even though he became as corrupt as were the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He even continued his sinful ways after God sent angels to rescue him. God could only have rescued and justified him because his righteous soul was vexed; that is, he hated his own corruption and sin as well as that in others. In his hatred of his sins, he humbled himself to God whom he knew to be holy, merciful, and righteous. The difference between Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, including Lot's own wife, were that they had no desire whatsoever to repent, whereas Lot did have that desire.
Most Christian people either do not have an addictive sin or they have been healed of one. Although they cannot be perfect, they tend to avoid sin because they love God and do not desire to grieve the Holy Spirit, and they hate the destructive nature of sin. Ephesians 4:30; Amos 5:15. But the sanctified Christian, who tries to do all that God requires of him, may, without realizing it, become tempted to fall into a different kind of sin. He may become proud of his righteousness and may secretly begin to ascribe it to his own efforts. This Christian has become self-righteous and feels in his heart that his righteousness has become somewhat independent of God's righteousness. This type of sin becomes much worse than if he became a worldly Christian because God hates pride more than any other sin. Proverbs 6:16-17. He becomes a lukewarm Christian who makes Christ sick to His stomach. Revelation 3:14-19. Sanctified Christians must always remember and be grateful to God for causing them to hate sin and avoid it, and that they possess the gift of righteousness only because of the power of the Holy Spirit within them. Romans 8:2; Romans 5:17.
God gave this same gift of righteousness, with innocence, to Adam and Eve. Born again Christians receive God's gift of righteousness but not the gift of innocence. Christians must battle the temptation to sin for the rest of their lives on earth. When Christians beat temptation and avoid committing sin, God should get all the glory because they won only because of the power of the Holy Spirit within them. But when Christians fail and commit sins, God never abandons them. God will still work in their lives to sanctify them, punish them for their correction, bring them to repentance and cleansing with the water of His Word, and eventually bring them back into fellowship with Him. Hebrews 12:6; John 13:5-10; I John 1:3. The key to remaining in fellowship with God is that the Christian must daily confess and repent of committed sins. I John 1:9. Christians who die in a state of unconfessed sin without repentance, Christ may temporarily punish them by separating them from God in a place called Death. Luke 12:58-59; Matthew 25:30; Revelation 20:13. This temporary punishment will cause them great remorse and anguish which will lead them to repentance, cleansing from sin, and restoration to fellowship with God. God will probably not hold them in this prison for long. Eventually, after the Rapture of the Church, Christ will present His entire Church to God being wholly cleansed and completely sanctified. Ephesians 5:23-27.
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