Lesson7-Day 2 Healthy Churches Address Sin with Honesty and Grace

There is truth that if we pursue holiness from the inside out then the right environment for addressing sin will exist. This is true because we will be exposing our own sin that is being convicted of our own sin by our pursuit of holiness.

However, I get the sense that in this lesson Jerry Sheveland is looking at "hidden" sin. I will describe hidden sin as that sin which an individual commits which he/she does not know is a sin or with knowledge that it is a sin, he continues in the sin. This to me is where a spirit of honesty and grace come into play in dealing with sin openly and gently.

Here is where we must lovingly yet firmly seek to have our friend repent and be restored. This stresses the importance of brothers and sisters in our lives with whom we can be honest with and who know us enough to hold us accountable to being honest about our pursuit of holiness.

A small group (cell group) is a place where this type of accountability and correction can occur. Even better is one or two brothers who are holding each other accountable to the pursuit of holiness.