Sin. I don’t even like the word. It’s just nasty. Of all the New Testament writers, the apostle Paul was the most up front about sin. He said things like, “I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master.” This phrase is so strong many refuse to accept it as descriptive of a Christian, especially of themselves. I’ve been around long enough to have heard most of the rationalizations. We are expert in excusing ourselves, but the rationalizations all seem to be summed up in this claim…”Well, I’ve made some mistakes, but compared to most other people I look pretty good.”
The problem is, God doesn’t compare us to most other people. He sees us all by the standard he has set for us. We have set our eyes far too low, and we’ve plotted a low course for ourselves. But if we study the words of Jesus at all, he brings us up short and we realize we are far from the mark set for us.
Hasn’t it happened to you? You’ve got a short temper and then read, “If you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be judged.”
You’ve got wandering eyes and then read, “If anyone looks at a woman (or man) and wants to sin sexually with her (or him), in his mind he has already done that sin with the woman.”
You tend to exaggerate to make your point, or you love to embellish a story (I’m terrible at this!), and then you read, “Say only yes if you mean yes, and no if you mean no. If you say more…it is from the evil one.”
You enjoy letting people see your generosity and then read, “So when you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know what you are doing.”
You have a habit of categorizing people into neat boxes and then hear Jesus say, “Don’t judge other people, or you will be judged.”
We are walking civil wars, simultaneously struggling with the desire to do the will of God and the desire to conform to the standards of a human society that is warped by sin and its effects.
How welcome is Paul’s confession! How good to know he struggled like the rest of us. Those who have been amazed by grace have been equally amazed by their own sinfulness. Why do I say yes to God in one moment and yes to Satan in the next? Once I know God’s commandments, why am I not eager to obey them? Shouldn’t these conflicts cease now that I know the truth?
How paradoxical we are!
In the face of our weakness in the face of sin…our double-mindedness…I think we need to remember our position. We are children of God. When you came to Christ, did he know every sin you’d committed up to that point…and every sin you would commit in the future? We must say yes, for he died under the weight of all those sins. He is willing to call us his children even though he knows every mistake of our past and future. Your temptations are not late-breaking news in heaven. Your sin may surprise you, but it doesn’t surprise God. We have no reason to believe that the One who received us when we first came to him won’t receive us for all time. We are saved, not because of what we do, but because of what Christ has done. And we are special, not because of what we do, but because of whose we are. And we are his.
So, because we are his, let’s forget any shortcuts and stay on the main road. He knows the way. He drew the map. He knows the way home.
Prayer: “Father of Mercy, Thank you!!!”