A Prodigal's Path

At The Heart of Sin

We seem to talk a lot about sin . . . or about specific sins: lying, cheating, murder . . . you know . . . "The List." But there's seemingly little discussion on the source of our sin. Granted we are sinful by nature, but it's as if we willingly accept that flawed feature and move on through life trying to avoid over-doing "The List."

But why do we do the un-loving, un-caring, and un-thinkable things that we do? What is at the heart of our darkness? What is the splinter in our being that infects us with sin?

Here's why I ask: Because if I know "why" I sin, what is at the root of it all, then maybe there is a chance I can become more aware of why I do what I do and per chance do a little less of it.

Like most things, if you want to know the answer, simply start at the beginning. And the beginning of sin starts in The Garden.

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate," Genesis 3:6

And sin became born of greed.

"and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." Genesis 3:8-10

And like the second son . . . fear is born.

Read on and you'll find that Adam's and Eve's fear leads them to blame others for their behavior. Sounds familiar . . . because we all have our excuses, right? All too often we rely on our excuses and our crutched habits for causing our sin. Perhaps that's a symptom of not understanding the source of our errant behaviors.

The inner circles of Marketing, Advertising, and Sales all understand that the two biggest motivators of consumer behavior are Fear and Greed. Examine the message behind most good advertising and you'll soon discover the reasons you should buy are likely because: it's for a limited time, limited edition your neighbors have one . . . or worse yet may get one before you do . . . chicks will dig you (or not, if you don't buy one soon) . . . your family will be safer, healthier, and happier . . . you'll sleep easier, jump higher, feel more confident, look like you did in High School . . . and of course . . . you'll be smarter.

Examine the messages you get from why we do some of the shameful things we do and the message is much the same today as it was in The Garden . . . "you can have it all!" . . . and the "dark-side" is counting on your fear and greed for you to buy in.

On the occasion I sit and reflect on a day that hasn't gone so well relative to "good versus evil" I often find that my short-comings are a result of either giving into my fear or playing into the false hope of greed. Much like the "buyer's remorse" we often experience I'm confronted with one of two choices: either blame those around me for "making" me do the things I do . . . or dig deeply into the soil of my own Eden and attack the roots of my own fear and greed.

Complaint Line Forms Here . . .

. . . behind Job.

     Need new perspective on your worst day? Take a quick look at Job's:

     "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil." (Job 1:1 ESV)

     Satan Takes Job's Property and Children

     "Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and there came a messenger to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

     Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

     In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:13-22 ESV)

     I don't think there is much more that I can add other than that Job's reaction is stunning; it leaves me spiritually numb.

     Suddenly that flat tire, lost shoe, forgotten password, missed appointment, wrong note played, over-cooked steak, lousy slow driver in front of me, broken coffee maker, spilled water at the table . . . amount to much of anything worth complaining about.

     Now if I can learn to worship and praise God in those challenging moments.

 

“It’s My Sin” (part 3)

The Purpose of My Sin.

     I really thought twice about subtitling these thoughts "The Purpose of My Sin." I don't want to convey the idea that sin is a "good" thing . . . or that it should be purposeful in that we practice it with intention . . . but it, sin, is purposeful.

     James says that we should "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4 ESV).

     Although he doesn't explicitly say "sin", struggles and trials are the result of a fallen world . . . they emanate from sinful man. The struggles that Christians face are a product of our recognizing our errant ways and the process of our repentance and reconciling ourselves with our Father.

     The purpose of my sin then may be two fold.

     First, to keep me tethered to God.  My sin makes me reliant and appreciative of His grace, glory, incomprehensible love, and salvation.  It's to help me remember that I am man and He is God.  Without sin I might need no God. Indeed this is an odd thought, but that which keeps me bound, or reliant upon God, is that which He sets me free from . . . my sin.  My soul is stained so He cleanses me.  He cleanses me so He can love me eternally.  And for that I will be eternally grateful.

     Second, because God is all about God. If you read my recent post "God Is All About . . ." then you may recognize that what God chooses to do will always come full circle back to Him.  Sin exist in the world because man blew it shortly after week one.  God steps into a corrupt world and offers man a remedy, a way out, and a path home.  But He does so in a way that makes worshippers out of us all and in the completion of that "full circle" God brings glory to Himself as He brings salvation to man's doorstep. 

     In his book "Spectacular Sins" John Piper reinforces the belief that "History's greatest sins do not thwart God's purposes to save his people and glorify his Son; they fulfill them."  I've only previewd the book but if you've read it I'd love to know what your thoughts are.

     It's like this;  We are born, we fall down, God reaches out and lifts us up.  He saves us from drowning in our own sea of consequences.  We thank Him and offer our gratification through worship, praise, and seeking Him.  We fall down again and He forgives us.  And again we are re-focused upon Him, His love, His grace, and His salvation.  And in that process we praise, worship, and pursue Him to complete the circle that brings glory to His name.

     I'll never understand all the things that God does, why He does them or what the big picture of my life really is . . . but I understand that He loves me . . . He loves you . . . and that He waits patiently sometimes, with more patience than we possess, for us to "get it."  Sometimes he lets us tread water for a while until we turn and face Him, heads down and on our knees, in recognition and admission that He is God and indeed our loving Father.

     One has to read but Romans 5 & 6 to gain a lot of great insight in regard to God's great love, His fathomless salvation, and as how we, His children, relate to Him through His rescue. I would encourage you to take a few minutes today to read those two short, but graciously deep chapters.

     ". . . but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11 ESV)

 

“It’s My Sin” (part 2)

The Grace Excuse.

     Grace, God's free measure of forgiveness, is a tightrope of sorts to me.  I've come to the belief that if we are commanded to confront, confess, and turn away from our sin that in failing to do so we may make a mockery of grace.

     On one hand I am greatly aware of the meaning and purpose of grace as well as the fact that it is a gift . . . not an entitlement.  I haven't earned grace nor can I do so.  I don't deserve God's forgiveness or any measure of His grace.  Justice, in relation to my sin and God, says I'm deserving of nothing good.  Why He would choose to bestow such a gift of pardon on me boggles my mind . . . but I'm thankful that He did, and does.

     On the other hand I am a bit cautious and concerned about abusing His grace.  I worry about taking His grace for granted and seemingly using it as an excuse to pardon my purposeful and willing sin issues.  Yes, we all need grace and lots of it.  But can we arrive at a point of complacency about our sin that we are using and abusing His grace?  Perhaps.

     Consider this.  If all things work toward the glory of God, then "all things" would include His grace.  There is no denying that His offering of grace is one of His most egocentric attributes . . . only He can offer grace in the realm of eternal forgiveness resulting in our salvation.  As much as we imitate Christ and forgive each other our pardons will never amount to salvation.  And as much as we struggle at times to forgive each other . . . He does so freely, willingly, and patiently.

     Here's where and why I'm cautious of using "The Grace Excuse" to pardon and ignore my own sin.  If I'm commanded to confront my sin in a biblical fashion then I must confess and repent of it.  Part of repentance is the "turning away" from my sinful habits and in doing so the "goodness" of God's grace is able to contrast the darkness of my sin.  God's grace has just brought glory to God himself.

     However, if I grow complacent about my sin, if I recognize and enjoy my sin to the point that I'm purposeful and intentional about it, I'm not so sure I'm reflecting any serious measure of contriteness back to Him.  If I've reached the point that I'm so sure of my salvation that I can willing deny my own responsibility for coming face to face with my own darkness then I may have wandered off the path to the point that I'm now trampling grace under foot.

     Freedom under grace is freedom from the consequences of sin . . . not freedom to willfully sin.

     Sin is a battle. God's Spirit strengthens us to fight the battle against sin for the possession of our hearts, minds, and spirits. Sin is a suffering and rite of passage. And we can rejoice in, and worship our God for our assisted victories over our sin.

     "Let us rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" Romans 5:3-5

 

 

“It’s My Sin” (part 1)

Angry About Anger.

     Piper, Stanley, Driscoll, MacArthur, Swindoll, Lucado, Giglio, Chan. and Sproul.  I've read and love them all and countless others.  Since returning to The Church in 2003 I've amassed a small library that is now two rows deep on every shelf from the floor to ceiling of my office.

     What began nagging at me was the reoccurring thought that "I wish I were that good." Not as a writer. But as a Christian. I wish I were, or at least appeared to be, "that good." And maybe I do at times . . . maybe at least to a few people.  Like many others I suspect that I enjoy and prefer the "bright" side of Christianity. I look forward to coming together in community to worship and praise a God that will meet us there and touch our hearts.  We are His body. And a complete, wholly, and holy functioning body is a happy and fulfilled one.  It's easy to like the "bright" side of Christianity.

     It's the "dark" side that I wrestle and struggle with. It's the time when the Sunday morning costume seems to wear off and I drift off on my own throughout the week. It's the times when I'm "not so good." And if I had to admit, or confess, my greatest "not so good" it would be my anger.  And I'm "angry about anger".  I'm really not "that good."  At lease I don't feel I appear to be "as good" as my list of literary mentors, my pastors, and those appealingly more devote than myself.  "Yes," I understand grace, the cleansing of The Cross, the freedom of forgiveness, and the deprivation of shame.  I get all that.

     But this really isn't about my anger.  It's about the lessons learned as I've wrestled with my anger and what that struggle has taught me about our sin.  It's about the two paths we can choose from as we face our sin issues.

     The Easy Road.  I could make excuses that allow me to hang on to my sin. Modern psychology has conveniently provided me with a host of possible excuses for my actions and reactions. Psycho-babble has made it somewhat okay to blame my parents, my hometown, my first through twelfth grade teachers, and even my chemistry for my short comings.  But it's not about my past.  It's about my sin.  And we are all plagued with it . . . even the "good guys."  The problem is that there are no Biblical excuses that negate us from the consequence of our sin.  Accepting or using excuses only encourages and allows us to continue in embracing our bad "habits".  After all "it's not my fault I get angry . . . my second grade teacher made me that way."

     The Straight & Narrow Path.  The biblical alternative is this: That we must "own" our sin.  We are to recognize that we are faulty and need to admit it not only to ourselves, but those who are best equipped to help us out of the mire.  We are to bring it before our closest brothers and sisters so they may guide and prayerfully intercede for us.  And we are to bring it before our Father who can not only forgive us but can mold and shape our likeness to match that of Christ's.  We are instructed to confront, confess, and turn away from our sin . . . not to embrace the worldly-wise excuses that facilitate our bad behavior.  The key is Repentance.

     Repentance, or turning away, is the changing of our mind and attitude towards our short comings.  Hence, I am "Angry About Anger."  I've spent countless amounts of time wrestling with God about my anger and attitude at times.  I've asked for mercy, forgiveness, and a change of heart.  True to His promise He has afforded me the gift of grace and over time His Spirit has re-shaped my soul.  Gradually, as I've become aware of my heart issues, He has remained the faithful potter and His hands have removed the sand and stone that have polluted the clay that is my soul.  It's been a process and one that is on-going for all of us.

     The Exercise.  I love The Letter of James and my helpful "anger" reminder is James 1:19-21.  Specifically Verse 20: "for anger does not produce the righteousness that God requires."  But I think given some liberty we could each take our own, most personal, shortfalls and substitute it for the word "anger".  For "stealing, lying, cheating, pride, laziness, etc" do not produce the righteousness that God requires.

     The writer of James goes on to tell us to "submit ourselves to God," to repent; and "resist the devil" or to turn away from sin; and to "draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." James 4:7-8

     There is great hope for those who acknowledge, confront, and turn away from their sin.