Marred, But Not Ruined

After salvation, some people have one of two ideas: (1) that they will be perfect and that salvation provides some miraculous shield from sin or (2) that they now have a license to sin and that they can do whatever they want because of grace. Both of these ideas are absolutely wrong. The only difference between a saved sinner and a lost sinner is the final destination. Salvation does not make us sinlessly perfect, nor does it give us the “privilege” to sin without consequence; rather, it gives us the power to overcome sin.

Unfortunately, we will still sin after salvation because we are still sinners. This fact does not give us an excuse to sin but should cause us to acknowledge that we cannot expect perfection. Far too often, Christians have this strange notion that if they sin after salvation, their lives are ruined and they cannot be used of God. This thought often keeps them out of church and far from the work of God.

Friend, I am here to say that this is the farthest thing from the truth. The Bible is filled with examples of people who committed horrible sins and were still used by God. Just look at David, the prodigal son, and Peter, to name a few. David committed adultery and ordered a man to be killed, but when he repented, God still used him. The prodigal son traded his privileged life with the father for a putrid life with the pigs, but when he repented, he was restored. Peter cursed and denied Christ but later was used to deliver the Pentecost message. God was able to use these men once again because they repented and returned to Him. Do not believe the devil’s lie that our sins are so bad that God cannot restore and use us again.

Now, let me clarify. God has an original plan for each of our lives; He has a direction in which He wants us to go, things He wants us to do, and a purpose for us to fulfill for Him. As described in Isaiah 64:8, we are the clay and God is the Potter. We are the work of His hands. God intends to make us into a certain vessel, but sometimes He must change His intentions.

Jeremiah 18:4 explains that the clay sometimes gets marred. Though we are in the Potter’s hand (we are saved), sometimes we give in to sin. Sin mars the vessel that God intended us to be. It does not mean that we are ruined or that we no longer have a purpose. It just means that the Potter needs to make us into another vessel that seems good to Him. The Potter may have originally intended for the clay to be a vase, but because it was marred, He needed to remove the impurities and make it into another vessel—perhaps a mug.

Our lives are not over because we committed adultery, drank alcohol, took drugs, got divorced, etc. Our vessels have been marred, not ruined. In the hands of the Potter, the clay can be shifted, shaped, and made useful once again. It will not be used as originally intended, but it can still be useful. The key is yielding ourselves to the Potter and allowing Him to make us into another vessel. The only way that we will become useless is if we refuse to allow the Potter to shift and shape us again.

I have seen far too many people throw their lives away because they thought that God could no longer use them. Please do not listen to the devil’s lies! God can and will use us again. I know from personal experience! I was marred, but God shaped, and made me into another vessel. He has used and is using me today. Praise the Lord that, although we may be marred, we are never ruined when we rest in the hands of the Potter!

by Crystal Collingsworth

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