PART 3 OF 3: THE CAPACITY OF GRACE
This article is part of a three-part series on sin in the church, written in light of the Caleb Flynn case. Flynn, a worship leader in Ohio, was convicted by a jury on September 29 of murdering his wife, Ashley, while carrying on an affair, and his lawyers have said they will appeal. I am not writing to judge him, since the courts are doing that work. I am writing because this tragedy forces us in the church to look honestly at ourselves, which fits the theme of this year’s International Summit for Expository Preaching on November 4-7.
Part 1 looks at what sin destroys, part 2 at the accountability and transparency that keep sin from growing, and part 3 at the forgiveness and grace that have the last word. May we read, repent, and rejoice in the Gospel.
[Picture borrowed from the internet]
The Flynn case is dark, and I don’t want to attempt to soften it. But it would be poor of me to end with despair. The Gospel is not only a warning about what sin does; it is the announcement of what Christ has done. Sin is real, but it does not have the last word. Paul says it this way: “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).
First, we must say it plainly: In Christ, we are not condemned to sin. Paul writes, “Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). And in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will provide the way of escape.” There is always an exit. There is always a choice not to sin for believers. It is possible not to sin, because Christ has broken sin’s power.
Every step into sin is a choice made while an escape door stood open.
Second, the gospel offers forgiveness, even for the worst. Paul called himself the foremost of sinners and said that Christ came to save them (1 Timothy 1:15). “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). Forgiveness from God does not erase earthly consequences, and courts rightly do their work.
But no sinner is beyond the reach of the cross when he comes with true repentance.
Third, I was moved by the grace shown by Ashley’s family, speaking forgiveness toward the man who took their daughter. This is not weakness and it is not denial of justice. They can grieve, and they can ask for justice, and still release the debt before God. That is the Gospel in flesh. Paul says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus taught that those forgiven much must forgive much (Matthew 18:21-35).
Forgiveness of this kind is the supernatural fruit of a heart that has been forgiven by Christ.
🖐🏽 What does this mean for our churches? We need to become communities of confession and forgiveness. James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” If confession is dangerous in our churches, people will hide. If forgiveness is rare, people will not confess. We must make it safe to say, “I have sinned,” and we must answer with Christlike mercy and with the truth that sin has consequences and needs repentance. Grace does not cancel accountability; it makes accountability bearable and encouraged.
Broken sinners forgiven by grace can relate to one another in a way the world cannot. We do not pretend to be strong. We do not rank sins. We do not compete about sin. We know the same Cross rescued each of us. We know that the same grace has been extended to each of us by the same God. A church like that is a living sermon.
🙏🏽 Today, if you carry sin, confess it. If you carry bitterness, release it. If you offended another believer, go ask for forgiveness. Sin may leave wreckage behind, but the One who rose from the dead has the last word. He speaks it over His people: forgiven, cleansed, restored. And Ashley’s parents reaction to Caleb Flynn’s story demonstrates this.
