Is it not wrong for a child of God to dwell on his sins?
A child of God, who knows what his inheritance is, will have something else to do, instead of dwelling upon his sins. "Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:9)
This text is considered in the answer to another question in this "corner," (See the next article, "Living Without Sin.") and so we will here only note that it teaches that a child of God cannot have sins to dwell on. He has a far better dwelling place. The psalmist prayed: "Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity." (Psalm 119:37)
And that means our own vain thoughts and actions as well as those of others. We all know the power of evil associations. We know that it is dangerous and demoralizing for anybody continually to hear bad language, and to see wicked deeds. Long familiarity with sin tends insensibly to cause us to lose the sense of its wickedness.
Now just as a wise parent endeavors to shield his children from evil associations and influences and to keep them from bad companions, so God wishes us to part company with our sins, and with all thought of them. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts." (Isaiah 55:7)
We may be contaminated by dwelling upon evil deeds that we ourselves have committed, just as surely as by reading or listening to tales of bloody deeds. I suppose that what you specially refer to is the sins that have been committed in former days. Now the Bible does not tell us to look backward, but always forward. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
We are to look at Jesus, not once at ourselves; and: "in Him is no sin." (1 John 3:5)
He has taken all our sins upon himself, and has hidden them in the crimson stream of His life, so that they cannot be seen; therefore as long as we abide in Him our sins are not in sight for us to look at. Moreover, we are to forget them. "This one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of Godin Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
When God himself casts our sins behind His back, and remembers them no more, we have no right to set them before our face, and think of them continually. We need something far better.
It is all right and necessary for us to remember that we are sinful creatures saved by grace, and that we stand only by faith; but what you mean in your question is the common practice of living in a state of self-condemnation, feeling that such unworthy people as we are, have no right to be glad. Now let us hear what the Bible has to say about this. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." (Romans 8:33-34)
This means that when we condemn one that God has justified, we condemn God. It is a fearful thing to lay anything to the charge of God's elect. We must not call a man guilty, when God declares him innocent. Who dare reverse the judgment of God?
But remember that this applies to ourselves as well as to other persons. I have no more right to condemn myself after God has justified me, than I have to condemn my neighbor. In either case, by condemning the justified sinner, I am declaring that the work of Christ is of no avail. I am denying the atonement. This is most surely inconsistent with a Christian life. "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)
Therefore as soon as with contrite hearts we have confessed our sin to the Lord, we are to have done with it, leaving it all with Him. From thenceforth the righteousness of the Lord is to be our song and our rejoicing.--Present Truth, September 27, 1900.