God’s restraining grace is something we often take for granted. It’s even present to some degree in the lives of unbelievers. The Puritans called it common grace. It’s seen in the work of the conscience and in society’s acceptance of certain basics of right and wrong. But is it possible to lose God’s restraining grace?

While there is no sin in our lives that is too big or for which God won’t forgive us if we are truly repentant, that doesn’t mean we can sin with impunity like children with our fingers crossed behind our backs. The person who thinks he or she can do whatever and ask for forgiveness later is in rebellion against God.

One of the consequences of willful sin can be the removal of God’s restraining grace where He steps back and allows us to do what our sinful heart desires.

Without that restraining grace, we may find that the sin we thought we could control is controlling us.

Today’s Readings:

2 Samuel 11 & 12
Psalm 65.9-13
Proverbs 16.22-24
John 6.22-51

Could You Lose God’s Restraining Grace?

2 Samuel 11 & 12:

David, Bathsheba & the Loss of Restraining Grace

Here in chapter 11, David sees a beautiful woman bathing on her rooftop and lustfully sends for her, knowing that her husband, one of his faithful men, is away on the battlefield. When she becomes pregnant, he tries to hide his sin and when that scheme fails, he orders her husband into the most dangerous part of the battle where he hoped he would be killed.

Referring to David’s attempts to hide his sin, including killing Uriah, John MacArthur says in his Daily Bible notes:

This is graphic proof of the extremes people go to in pursuit of sin and in the absence of restraining grace.

In Romans 1.18-32, we see what we call “the downward spiral of sin.” That passage illustrates how, as we willfully continue in sin, God may begin to remove his restraining grace from our lives. When he does, we can and will do things we never thought we could do. God “gives us over” to what fills our sinful hearts (Rom. 1.24, 26, 28).

So as we see, David’s sin didn’t stop with the adultery, as God began to remove His restraining power, he sinned further in his attempts to hide his actions and eventually ordered an innocent man to death.

A Sad Chapter

This is a sad chapter in David’s life story, one that would define the rest of his life and his reign. Even though God forgave him when he repented, the consequences of it were great!

Neither is there any sin in our lives that is too big or for which God won’t forgive us. But knowing that God will forgive us, doesn’t mean that we can sin without consequences. When we think we can do whatever we want and ask for forgiveness later, we are actually in rebellion against God. The psalmist said God will not even hear our prayers when we are in that kind of willful sin:

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear (Ps. 66.18).

Romans 6.1-2, 15-16, 21 says:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? … What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? … Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

And Galatians 6.7-8 says:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

The Cost of Losing God’s Restraining Grace

So what were the consequences of David’s and Bathsheba’s sin? 2 Samuel 12:

¹⁰ Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ ¹¹ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

¹³ So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴ However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 

So first, their baby died. And while the baby went immediately to be with God (v. 12.23), David and Bathsheba had to live with the loss.

But the consequences didn’t end there. The remainder of David’s life and reign was colored by the betrayal of his son Absalom and a close friend, Absalom’s threats and his attempt to overthrow him as king, and a plot to keep his son Solomon from succeeding him.

Our Sin & God’s Glory

God is sovereign and all-powerful. He could have stopped David from sinning or not allowed Bathsheba to conceive (1 Sam. 1.5, 19-20). So, why did He allow Bathsheba to become pregnant as a result of their adultery?

We don’t know specifically, but we do know that Romans 8.28-29 says, “God causes all things to work together for good … For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son …” And Isaiah 43.7 says that we were created to bring Him glory.

Sometimes our sin must be exposed and dealt with in order for those things to happen. So there are times when God allows us to sin (or be sinned against) and to experience the natural consequences of our sin so we can see it and repent. That includes sinful thoughts and attitudes as well as sinful actions.

Sins like adultery don’t “just happen.” There are things going on in our hearts and minds long before the physical sin manifests itself. In the case of adultery, there are often sins of discontent and comparison long before the lustful thoughts begin.

You Are the Man!

So, how did God confront David about his sin?

Some time had passed, possibly as much as eighteen months. Perhaps, God was giving David time to repent. When he didn’t, God sent the Prophet Nathan to pay him a visit.

Nathan told David the story of a man who stole and killed a poor man’s little lamb. David was incensed and demanded to know who the man was:

So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity” (12.5-6).

Romans 2.1-3 tells us that often those who judge others the most harshly are guilty of the same. Matthew Henry in his commentary on those verses says:

… but it behoves those especially to consider it who condemn others for those things which they themselves are guilty of, and so, while they practice sin and persist in that practice, think to bribe the divine justice by protesting against sin and exclaiming loudly upon others that are guilty, as if preaching against sin would atone for the guilt of it.

But then came Nathan’s pronouncement, “You are the man!” (v. 7).

When David was confronted, he responded, “I have sinned against the LORD.” He repented without blame-shifting or making excuses, an attitude that marked David’s life even in his weakness.

How Does God Confront Us?

How does God confront us when we are in sin? Sometimes He uses people. But often, He confronts us through His Word … the Word we have hidden in our hearts (if we do) or as we read or listen. How do you respond? How do I? With repentance and confession or do we push that conviction away? Do we respond to people in anger and blame-shifting or do we humbly accept rebuke and correction? One response takes us farther into sin and risks our losing His restraining grace. The other leads to His abundant grace and forgiveness.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 65.9-13:

Praise Him for His Goodness

The psalmist continues to honor and praise God for all His goodness.

Proverbs 16.22-24:

A Wellspring of Life

Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly (v. 22).

The New Living Translation says it this way:

Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it,
    but discipline is wasted on fools.

A wise man listens to advice and gains understanding but a fool cares little and continues in his foolishness!

John 6.22-51:

Saving Faith

In verse 29 after the people asked Him how to do the works of God:

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

We cannot “do” what pleases God without beginning with saving faith in Jesus Christ. Verse 40:

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

God is the one who saves because of His mercy and grace, but we receive it through faith. Saving faith is an “unquestioning belief” in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, which will be reflected in our lives (Jn. 14.15).

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about true friendship and the various reactions to the claims of Christ. We’ll also discuss the question: Are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit?

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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.