From the beginning of life there is yes and no. We create lists of do nots. This lifestyle turns into a: “look you did this against the rules.” We, as a society, create legalists from birth. God has become the checklist or rule book. We feel bad because we have transgressed against the rules and gotten caught. We have made a god out of the rule good. The problem with that is this is not how God works; sin is not like this. When we sin we sin against God, the creator and redeemer of the world. Our sin is not just a small thing but a cosmic rebellion from the holiness of God. We do not want to think this way, why? Because it creates too much pressure on us. When realize that everything that we do, do not do, think, move, and react can all have sinful elements to it that are acts of rebellion against an all powerful and wrathful God there is a weight that we are unable to bear. So, how do we deal with the weight? There are potentially two ways:
1. We cast it off by dismissing it because we do not know how to change it. We are weak and lazy. We get hard hearts and are given over to lusts of our heart because we do not want to deal with our sins. This is one of the reasons why people are hesitant to become Christians. They see it as a ‘religion,’ first and foremost, that puts a bunch of not fun rules on them, which is contrary to the reality of the purposes of God.
2. We realized that we cannot alone get rid of these offenses against God (not the list) and we need a savior who has overcome all things. No longer is the list the measure of a man but the measure is the God-Man, Jesus Christ. He is the bar and there is no other. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. This is what we strive for, to understand the process of throwing off sin, who helps us and that it is not fast nor easy but as a surgeon with a scalpel but will be removed totally in the life to come. The list no longer applies and restricts buts shows us the continued need for Jesus and the freedom of the reality of the world in the way creation was intended in the beginning.
Something to try: Instead of saying do not do this, we need to put ourselves in a position to succeed. That does not mean in a box but toward things that connect heart and mind to the Cleansor of all sin.
Adoption Day
11 years ago