Corinth was one of the most wicked cities in New Testament times. Those whom become Christians still experience great temptations. Paul writes to the Corinthians to give them advice.

1 – The common experience of temptation (vs. 13)

There is no temptation that is unique to you. It is a very human and common experience. We all have to face it. E.g. Abraham, Noah, David, Jonah, Peter and Paul. Jesus was tempted. See Hebrews 4:15. The perfect Holy Son of God was tempted but never sinned. Temptation is not the same as sin. Yielding to temptation is sin. Don’t let it enter the room! Keep it outside. Let it die. Don’t feed it. It will come back for more.

2 – The controlled environment of temptation (vs. 13)

It is possible to feel guilty when you are not guilty of any sin. David felt guilty and he was right to feel this way! He was guilty! God sends Nathan to confront David about His sin and guilt. Nathan is David’s pastoral care! He tells David a story rather than directly confront the King. A smart move! David is outraged by the conduct of the rich man over the poor man. Nathan tells David that he is that man! He has taken Uriah’s wife for himself and killed the man. His sin is now out in the open. What will he do next?

3 – The admission of guilt (Psalm 51)

We can see from the title of the Psalm that David wrote it after Nathan’s confrontation. It was God confronting David about his sin and bringing his judgment.

• He accepts full responsibility for his sin – No one else is to blame. Notice he uses the words “me”, “my” and “I” throughout. He is finally taking responsibility. You need to do this if you are going to get well.
• He acknowledges the sinfulness of sin – He uses the words “transgression”, “iniquity”, “sin” and “evil”. It is important that sin is dealt with in seriousness. See Psalm 51:17 and Psalm 32:5. There is often a less judgmental correction of sins like lying and cheating. We have to acknowledge we have done wrong.
• He addresses his confession to God (vs. 4). A lot of people have been hurt by David’s sinful actions. The main person who has been hurt is God and only God can forgive sins.

4 – The answer to guilt

There are four things that happen when God deals with our guilt.

• Removing the sin – See Psalm 51:2. David asks God to mask out his sins from His records.
• Restoring the joy – When you don’t deal with sin then joy goes out of your life. See Psalm 51:12. David has lost the joy of his salvation but not his salvation. He is backslidden and needs to get into fellowship with God.
• Renewing the fellowship – See Psalm 51:11. David feared he might be lost.
• Refocusing on the future – See Psalm 51:12. David doesn’t want it to happen again. He wants God to take control of his future. See Psalm 31:1-2. No sin is too great for God to forgive. In David’s case adultery and murder were forgiven.

Categories: 1 Corinthians