Too much focus on sin?

 

In the past week, I’ve heard Christians say that having a focus on our sinfulness can be morbid and discouraging. While that is true particularly for those who tend to be negative and pessimistic, it seems to me that the opposite extreme is far more dangerous. If I refuse or deny the sin in my life, I will never grow to be more like Jesus. Instead, I will be stuck in bondage to the things in my heart and life that deny His saving power.

When King David was confronted concerning his sin with Bathsheba, he said, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:3) The rest of this psalm is far from morbid or discouraging. It is a strong statement of God's forgiving and cleansing grace.

David also wrote the following psalm that first describes what happens if sin is not acknowledged. He then speaks of the joy that is ours when we take that sin to the Lord:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:1–11)

I’ve been mildly rebuked for defining sin as simply going my own way and not listening to God or regarding His wisdom. Many will define sin in degrees, even say, “But I have not murdered anyone” or done something illegal or disgusting. However, just going my own way involves listening to and following the world, the flesh, and/or the devil. Some of that can be subtle because it involves motivations rather than actions, particularly if the actions themselves seem innocent. For instance, I could take a pie next door to welcome a new neighbor — or to show off my baking skills. One is love; the other is pride and even that “love” could be pride if I brag about it.

Sin is subtle. Yet God does not leave it to me to examine my every thought, word, or deed. He does that. He will show me what needs to be confessed and cleansed. This part of being saved and sanctified is up to Him, not up to self-examination or what some call morbid navel-gazing. My part is listening and being honest with Him as He teaches me. It is also vital that I do as David did — praising God for His grace and for taking care of me, transforming my life, and not allowing sin to make me its slave.

PRAY: Jesus, confessing sin is humbling, yet You want humility, not pride. Admitting failure is not popular, but You want integrity, not hypocrisy. Your values are not the world’s values, and Your ways are so much higher than ours. Keep my focus on You, even when I’ve let myself slide back into the bondage of sin and need to again rely on Your grace and saving power. Far better to do that than any alternatives!

. . . a saved sinner

Someone said to me, “Being a Christian must get easier as you get older.” I laughed.

As I get older, I realize the important advice of: “Preach the gospel to yourself every day.” Those who get older and retain their determination to walk closely to God will struggle with increasing attacks from Satan and increasing battles against sin.

Walking closer to God does not make sin go away. David was called a “man after God’s own heart” but he was very aware of his sin . . . 

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:3)

Being someone wholly dedicated to God does not mean becoming sinless. It means being aware of sin yet also knowing what God has done with it. David sinned greatly, but he also confessed his sin. He wrote this too . . .

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah . . . .”

God also inspired him to say this . . .

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:1–11)

I need to realize my tendency to sin yet counter that with God’s full salvation. When I was a new Christian, my mentor challenged me to study everything in the Bible I could find about sin. it was devastating to read about the moral depravity of humanity and how everyone falls short of the righteousness God requires. The Old Testament says . . .

“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

The New Testament agrees . . .

“As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one . . . .’ (Romans 3:10–12) “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:22–23)

Rising up to God’s standard is impossible. I need Jesus Christ because without Him I fall short and am polluted by sin. This is not only about what I do, but about what I am.

David says this is true, but he also knows that God is merciful. Forgiveness and cleansing is for those who confess sin, agreeing with Him and from the heart. It is for those who can acknowledge guilt and depravity, the falling short of anything we consider righteous. It is standing with God against myself. It is saying with David . . .

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1–2)

It is also declaring and believing that through the merits of Christ’s righteousness and shed blood God is faithful and just to forgive iniquity, transgression and sin. This is the good news, the gospel.

Jesus, I do need to hear the gospel every day. It keeps me aware of at least two things: I am a sinner — and I am saved by grace. I often fail, but I am also forgiven and cleansed, renewed and adopted into the family of God — because Your blood was shed to set me free and give me new life.

From promise to reality

Deuteronomy 4:1–49; 2 Corinthians 1:17–24; Psalm 32:1–11

This Good Friday reading takes me to a great point in the history of God’s people. They have been delivered from Egypt, but refused to enter the Promised Land because they were afraid. Now, after many years of wandering, they are ready to go in. Moses is giving them final instructions. It is a solemn day.

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children . . . . And (God) declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess . . . . For I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of that good land. Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you . . . . know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” (Deuteronomy 4:9, 13-14, 22-23, 39–40)

Moses warned them about their biggest danger —idolatry. They could not see God, and like every human being, found it difficult to trust something they could not see. Moses also reminded them of the commandments. He didn’t say it, but the first one is the greatest . . .  to love God above all else. If that one is not obeyed, then none of the others can be obeyed.

Loving God above all else means also loving His Son, Jesus Christ. How do I love Jesus? By trusting Him, by believing all that He says and knowing that he is true and reliable. He means what He says, and when He said He would save me, I believe Him.

“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 1:19–22)

Just to help me out, because I believe in Jesus, I am sealed. A seal signifies identity. In those days, and even now, a physical seal can be a blob of wax imprinted with a metal stamp that belongs to only one person or institution. Using that seal puts a mark on a document to verify its contents. To be sealed by God means that He puts His stamp on my life. I belong to Him and to guarantee that ownership, and my destiny, He gives me his Holy Spirit.

This is not all that happens. Good Friday is a memorial to the death of Christ for sin. The psalmist looked forward in faith to the One who would deliver him from sin’s guilt and bondage. Now that Christ has died and rose again, I look back in faith to that event. He died for my sin. It is forgiven, not automatically for He requires confession, but it is forgiven.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit . . . . I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah . . . . You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah (Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 7)

Forgiveness is an amazing blessing indeed. God took the burden of guilt from my life and gives me Himself. I can depend on Him to take care of me.

All of this is made possible because He was willing to take my guilt and die for it. Yes, this Friday is a very solemn day too, but Sunday is just ahead!