About three weeks ago, I received the words “Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you”. When I referenced them with scripture, I found James 4 vs 8: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. I loved the first part of the verse but the second part… not so much, because I did not think of myself as a sinner having accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour. So how did this verse even apply to me or any born again believer?
Let us begin by asking the question – can a born-again believer sin? I believe the answer is Yes. Romans 3 vs 23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The word “all” means everyone. I suppose however that it would depend on ones definition of sin. I used to believe that sin constituted physical acts that harmed either yourself or others such as murder, theft, violence, adultery, substance abuse, alcoholism, gossip, slander, and lying; but my definition was somewhat inaccurate.
Yes, it does include the aforementioned but believe it or not, we can also sin in thought and harbour issues in our hearts that displease our Heavenly Father such as lust (1 John 2 vs 16), anger (Matthew 5 vs 22), greed or covetousness (Luke 12 vs 15), jealousy, selfishness (James 3 vs 16), a rebellious attitude, stubbornness (1 Samuel 15 vs 23), hatred (1 John 4 vs 20), pride (James 4 vs 6) and unforgiveness (Matthew 6 vs 14 – 15).
Now that we have a more comprehensive definition of sin, let us go back to James 4 vs 8. Although we may not have committed acts of murder, theft, violence, or adultery; we may have gossiped or exaggerated the truth – lied at some point. I know I have. We may have sinned in thought or harboured lust, anger, greed, jealousy, selfishness, rebellion, stubbornness, hatred, pride, and unforgiveness in our hearts. Some of us may still be harbouring a couple of these issues at present.
These issues or sins can prevent us from drawing near to God by creating spiritual blockages. When we “cleanse our hands” – repent of our physical acts of sin, and “purify our hearts” – repent of the heart issues that we harbour such as anger or bitterness, those blockages are removed.
Some time ago, I was verbally insulted at a grocery store. Though I did not retaliate, I was very angry and wished the most awful things upon the person who insulted me. In the days that followed, I really struggled to pray and spend time with my Heavenly Father because my anger created a blockage. Every time I closed my eyes, I would relive that moment of insult and that anger would resurface again. This continued until I chose to forgive the person who had insulted me and repent of my anger.
I believe the words “double-minded” are a further indication that this verse is for believers. We often serve our Heavenly Father with “one foot in the world” so to speak, meaning that our heart conditions, thoughts, desires, actions, and reactions are very often still worldly. An unbeliever cannot be double-minded because his or her mind and heart are only in one place – the world.
When we draw near to our Heavenly Father, He will draw near to us. But to do so we need to be pure in mind and heart because our Heavenly Father hates sin, hence the need for surrender and repentance called for in the second part of James 4 vs 8. Repentance though is a constant process, not a once off event. Even mature believers sin. We may inadvertently lose our tempers, exaggerate the truth to close a deal, or give in to anger, lust, or jealousy.
The moment we become aware of that sin however, we need to come before our Heavenly Father and repent of it. 1 John 1 vs 9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God is in the process of transforming and refining us. The surrender of our sins and heart issues to Him are part of that process. 2 Corinthians 3 vs 18: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.