A God of Second Chances

In Galatians 6, we see the law of sowing and reaping laid out, including the promise of reaping a harvest, of producing good fruit, to the glory of God.
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

God has establish certain principles, you could say laws - there are natural laws such as the law of gravity or the laws of thermodynamics, and there are spiritual laws, such as sowing and reaping.   We do reap the consequences of our choices - I believe that is a principle that's assured by Scripture.   But, even when bad decisions yield bad outcomes, we can rely on the faithfulness of a good God, not to relieve us of pain, but to be present with us in suffering.   And, when we do make mistakes, we can surrender to the God of second chances, who wants to free us from guilt and regret, forgive us of sin, and establish us in His ways stronger than ever.

Hebrews 4 reminds us that we serve a faithful God, who desires to heal and restore us as we surrender our lives to Him:
14Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.16Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In a new survey, almost half of those responding - 47% - say that they are dealing with the consequences of a bad decision.    But, there is an overwhelming number of respondents who believe that in the aftermath of such a decision, that they will receive a second chance.

The survey was conducted by LifeWay Research in support of a new Bible study called, "Bible Studies for Life: Do Over".

84 percent of those surveyed said they believe God gives second chances for those who have made a bad decision.  Now, the survey does indicate that between a-third and a-half of people think that the second chance is conditional.   19 percent of Americans believe God gives a second chance when a person depends only on God, followed closely by when a person makes restitution (18 percent), does enough good (15 percent) or promises not to repeat the mistake (11 percent). Fewer than one in six Americans say they are not sure why God gives second chances.

Ronnie Floyd, general editor for Bible Studies for Life says, “In all, some 44 percent of respondents believe God’s offering of a second chance depends on some kind of human action.  He adds that, "The problem with trusting in one’s self to gain a second chance from God is that we cannot trust ourselves to get it right." He believes that we shouldn't put pressure on ourselves to fix things, stating that, "The most scriptural response to a failure is to ask God to intervene to accomplish His will.”

There are essentially two issues here that are linked:  1) people are dealing with the consequences of their choices, and in some case, you would think that they are facing regret or guilt over the bad decisions that they have made, and 2) they believe that God will offer some sort of "do over", a second chance.

I do believe there is a principle of sowing and reaping - the Bible is clear that if we make choices according to the flesh, consistent with human desires and reasoning, then we will reap the consequences of those choices.   And, it's important that we accept that.   Even though we receive forgiveness from Jesus when we come before Him and confess our sins, that may not necessarily relieve us of the effect of that we have done.
The good news is that we can depend on the Lord for strength in our suffering.  And, we don't have to beat ourselves up - sure, we can make ourselves absolutely miserable with regret over what we have done. But, we recognize that what's done is done and we must move on and attempt to follow God's will more wholeheartedly, surrendering to His ways.  Past decisions can be powerful tools to teach us about how to choose more wisely in the future.   

And, as so many indicated in this survey, our God, who specializes in the turnaround, will give us a second chance.   Even when we blow it, we can rely on Him, not on ourselves, to forgive us and teach us in those areas where we stumble.   Not that He'll relieve the consequences, but He will walk with us to repair and reverse the damage that has been done.  The bottom line is that we can turn to Jesus, who can turn our lives around and be glorified, even in the aftermath of our own human failures - when we come to Jesus, He will affirm and establish our ways.