Lesson for October 9, 2022

Problem-Solving Devices

#1 Problem-Solving Device – Rebound

The Ten Problem-Solving Devices encompass every aspect of the Christian Way of Life, the victorious life that God has planned for every believer. The Problem-Solving Devices are to be used as a system of problem solving for every Christian, regardless of their stage of growth in the Christian life. In other words, no one ever outgrows the need to use all ten. Depending on the problem to be solved, the believer may use one or several of the devices simultaneously as the solution to any of life’s challenges. When learned, believed, and applied, this system will stabilize, sustain, empower, and liberate a believer. Consistent utilization of the system will advance a believer far beyond what they can imagine, to a lifestyle of a relaxed mental attitude toward circumstances, toward self, toward others and most importantly, toward God, by realizing that He is a God of love and grace – not vindictive.

The Basis for Rebound

The scriptural basis for Rebound is found in I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus Christ was judged for all sins in human history and therefore these sins cannot be judged again. God was completely satisfied with Christ’s substitutionary payment for our sins. This is the Doctrine of Propitiation. The blood of Christ, pictured in the Old Testament as animal sacrifices, is a technical, theological term for the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross. Christ’s spiritual death is the foundation for all forgiveness, both at salvation and afterwards, when a believer confesses his sin to God. The Word of God is very clear that the result of Adam’s original sin, which is passed to every human being, is death. This refers not to physical death, but spiritual death (separation from God for all eternity). Christ paid the penalty for all sin by dying spiritually on the Cross; He then died physically by dismissing His own human spirit. Both deaths and the resurrection of Christ are part of our salvation. (II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10:10-14; I John 1:6-10; 2:2)

The Mechanics of Rebound

The Greek word for confess is “homologeo” and it means to name, admit, acknowledge, or cite (as in a courtroom). Rebound is a word used to describe confession because it means to bounce back. We rebound after sinning by naming, admitting, or citing a particular sin directly to God. All believers in this age are priests and represent themselves before God. We are not to confess our sins to another human being. Another human being, regardless of religious title, has no authority to forgive sin. Only God can forgive sin. The Greek word for “confess” literally means “same name.” In other words, call it what God calls it. If it’s resentment, call it resentment, if it’s being judgmental, call it being judgmental, etc. 

The second part of the Rebound Technique is to isolate your sin, put it behind you and forget it. This should eliminate any feeling of guilt for past failures. Remember that God casts our sins as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more. (Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 8:12) We need to learn to do the same. The final part of Rebound is to resume your spiritual life – move on under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Rebound means to be restored to fellowship with God, which results in being filled with the Holy Spirit. Confess it, isolate it, forget it, and move on! (I John 1:6-9; Hebrews 10:17; 12:1-2; Philippians 3:13-14)

Divine Discipline Related to Rebound

The Rebound Technique can halt divine discipline and turn potential cursing into blessing. We are told continually throughout Scripture to evaluate ourselves. We are to be constantly checking our spiritual health. Often God has to send suffering our way in order to call attention to our spiritual health. Failure to properly evaluate ourselves and correct the problem results in divine discipline. God is a good father, but He is also a patient father and will give us every opportunity to correct our own sinful practices. When God has to discipline us, it normally begins as a gentle reminder, but failure to heed the warning signs can result in more severe punishment. 

(I Corinthians 11:31-32; Hebrews 12:5-7)

The Purpose of Rebound

The three primary reasons God gave us this wonderful system of recovery are:

• To restore fellowship with God. (I John 1:5-7) God desires to have fellowship with His children. Sin separates us from fellowship temporarily, until we confess our sins. The Christian life includes the study of God’s Word and God the Holy Spirit is ultimately the teacher of the doctrine found in the Bible. Therefore, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit when we study His Word and Rebound accomplishes this.
• To avoid being condemned with the world system. (I Corinthians 11:32) God wants us to be happy and He knows that sin puts us under the control of the sin nature and can only make us miserable. Therefore, God desires that we live as spiritual royalty, separated from the negative effects of this world system.
• For the production of divine good. (Galatians 5:16) Through the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit, believers can execute the Christian Way of Life, which results in a life of divine production. This can be either overt or invisible production.

The Sin Nature

The reason we need the Rebound Technique is that we all are born with a sin nature from which comes the temptation to sin. Temptation is not sin but succumbing to it is sin. It is important that we understand the sin nature if we are going to be successful in controlling it. The sin nature has both an area of weakness and an area of strength. The area of weakness tempts us to commit personal sins, such as mental attitude sins, sins of the tongue and overt sins. The area of strength produces deeds of human good, which we have studied as wood, hay, and straw. These are good things performed by a believer who is being controlled by their sin nature.

The sin nature has two trends. One trend is toward legalism and the other is toward antinomianism. Legalism is the futile attempt to earn salvation, spirituality or the approval of God through morality or human works. This person is often self-righteous and arrogant. Antinomianism is lascivious lawlessness or unrestrained immorality. This person is most often seeking self-gratification in his rebellion against God, which is also arrogance. This is not to say that we don’t all have trends toward both, but most of us tend to go toward one or the other when we are out of fellowship.

The sin nature also has a lust pattern. Lust is an illicit desire of either trend of the sin nature. Lust causes a person to become a slave to their desires and to become divorced from reality. Lust includes power lust, sexual lust, monetary lust, revenge lust, approval lust and many more. Controlling the sin nature stifles these lust patterns and allows the believer to live a victorious Christian life. The Rebound Technique, of course, is the beginning of the solution to these problem areas.

The Absolute Standard of God

As a believer, you are either 100% spiritual or 100% carnal at any moment. Most Christians are shocked by the sins of others, failing to see their own sins. Overt sins are what most people are shocked by, but God is not shocked. As a matter of fact, in the list of sins in Proverbs 6:16 that God hates, only two of the sins listed are overt. The rest of these sins are either mental attitude sins or sins of the tongue. We need to stay with what the Word of God says and apply God’s solution.

There are two ministries of the Holy Spirit we need to clarify and understand. First is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Upon faith in Christ as Savior, every believer is permanently indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. Regardless of carnality or spirituality, this indwelling can never be lost because it depends upon the faithfulness of God, not the person. Second is the filling of the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is temporary and lost when we sin. This filling is obviously dependent on ourfaithfulness. These are two distinct ministries and not to be confused. Filling means to be empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit and is optional on the part of the believer. 

The Prodigal Son

A perfect illustration of the Rebound Technique and forgiveness is the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. In this parable, Jesus illustrated the extraordinary forgiveness of God. We have three characters in this parable, the father, the older brother and the younger brother. You’ll remember the story of how the younger son took his inheritance and departed to a far country. He squandered all he had and ended up living with the pigs. This son is a perfect example of the believer continually out of fellowship through “chain-sinning.” The consequences speak for themselves. Once the younger son exhausted his inheritance and realized his terrible state, he decided to return to his father. Luke 15:19 is the prodigal son’s prayer of rebound, but he was confused about forgiveness. The son convinced himself that his father no longer loved him or even considered him a son. Therefore, he began to think the same thing many Christians do. He thought he had to do some sort of penance to “make up” for his sin, to “pay” for his sin. Of course, he was wrong.

The story ended with the father seeing the son coming, and the father running to greet his son with loving embraces and kisses. This is a vivid portrayal of how God forgives us. God’s righteousness and justice insure forgiveness through Christ’s payment for our sins. When we name our sins to God, it is as though He is lovingly embracing and kissing us, as He welcomes us back into fellowship. This is truly the grace of God in action.

Finally, the Rebound Technique does not give believers a “license to sin,” as some legalistic Christians would suggest. Though some may be guilty of thinking that, God, as a good father will discipline accordingly. God gave us a system of recovery so that we could execute His plan by living our spiritual lives under the control and power of the Holy Spirit and spend a maximum amount of time in fellowship with Him. Rebound has to be the first of the Problem-Solving Devices, because none of the others can be used unless a believer is in fellowship with God which results in the filling of the Holy Spirit.