LESSON 57

What if You Commit a Serious Sin?

Printed Edition

Even though you love Jehovah deeply and you try hard to avoid doing anything that would hurt him, you will occasionally make mistakes. However, some sins are more serious than others. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) If you commit a serious sin, remember that Jehovah has not stopped loving you; he is willing to forgive and help you.

1. What must we do to receive Jehovah’s forgiveness?

Those who love Jehovah are filled with sorrow when they realize that they have committed a serious sin. But they find comfort in what Jehovah promised his people: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be made as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18) If we sincerely repent, Jehovah will completely forgive us. How do we repent? Moved by deep regret, we stop doing what is bad and beg Jehovah to forgive us. Then we work hard to change the wrong thinking or habits that led to our sin, and we try to live according to Jehovah’s clean standards.—Read Isaiah 55:6, 7.

2. How does Jehovah use the elders to help us when we sin?

If we commit a serious sin, Jehovah tells us to “call the elders of the congregation.” (Read James 5:14, 15.) These appointed men love Jehovah and his sheep. They are qualified to help us repair our relationship with Jehovah.—Galatians 6:1.

How do the elders help us if we commit a serious sin? Two or three elders will correct us, using Scriptural counsel. They will also give us practical suggestions and encouragement to help us avoid sinning again. To protect the congregation from harmful influences, the elders remove from the congregation any who commit serious sins and are unrepentant.

DIG DEEPER

Deepen your appreciation for how Jehovah helps us if we commit a serious sin.

3. Confessing helps us to heal

Any sin we commit involves Jehovah, so we rightly confess to him. Read Psalm 32:1-5, and then discuss this question:

Why is it good for us to confess our sins to Jehovah instead of trying to hide them?

In addition to confessing our sins to Jehovah, we find relief when we seek help from the elders. Play the VIDEO, and then discuss the question that follows.

VIDEO: “Those Whom Jehovah Loves He Disciplines” (3:01)

In the video, how did elders help Canon return to Jehovah?

We need to be open and honest with the elders; they are there to help us. Read James 5:16, and then discuss this question:

How does being honest with the elders make it easier for them to help us?

Collage: 1. A brother is grief-stricken and buries his head in his hands. 2. The brother prays to Jehovah. 3. The brother talks to an elder on the telephone. 4. The brother meets with three elders. 5. The brother smiles because he has a clean conscience. — Confess your sin, be honest with the elders, and accept Jehovah’s loving help

4. Jehovah shows mercy to sinners

If a person who has committed a serious sin refuses to follow Jehovah’s standards, he is removed from the congregation, and we do not socialize with him. Read 1 Corinthians 5:6, 11, and then discuss this question:

Just as leaven ferments bread dough, how would socializing with an unrepentant sinner affect the congregation?

In imitation of Jehovah’s mercy toward imperfect sinners, elders reach out and help those who have been removed from the congregation. Many have returned to the congregation because the discipline, although painful, brought them to their senses.—Psalm 141:5.

How does the way Jehovah deals with sinners show that he is reasonable, merciful, and loving?

5. Jehovah forgives us when we repent

Jesus used an illustration that helps us understand how Jehovah feels when a person repents. Read Luke 15:1-7, and then discuss this question: