"What we have here... is a failure..." to grasp the gravity of the situation.
I've been thinking a lot about sin lately; what it is, how we, as humans, view it, how God, as, well, GOD, views it, how we, as humans, respond to it, and how God, as God, responds to it. It's really interesting to think about.
This all started a week or so ago when I was talking to a friend of mine. We were talking about another friend of ours, and he jokingly said, "I would so make out with him.". Now. I could say, "He was just kidding when he said that... it's no big deal. There was nothing wrong with that statement because he has no intention of acting on it." But that just didn't sit well with me. What he had joked about was not a trivial, meaningless thing... he was joking about SIN! And that's when I realized that that was what I had a problem with; not the actual words that he had said, but the concept behind his words. And that got the ball rolling and made me start thinking about this. And the final question that I decided was what I needed answered was this: if we have an accurate, Biblical perspective and understanding of sin, can we then mention it flippantly or "jokinginly"? Can we see sin as God sees sin and consider it lightly? Is it possible to really grasp the concept of sin as God does, and joke about it? The answer I came up with is a resounding, "No". Here is what I looked at to come to that conclusion.
The first thing that I thought about was what sin is. The answer that I used was the typical, Sunday School one: anything we think, say, or do that is displeasing to God. Okay. While that is a very broad statement, it also is very specific and conclusive. Okay. So now my memory is refreshed on what sin is. Next: How do we, as humans, view sin?
What we say, whether in all seriousness, or jokingly, says so much about us. Proverbs 23:7a says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 15:28 says, "The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things." These passages say that what we think and then say, reflect what is in our heart. So, I think that this would then mean, if we communicate with our mouths, a light-hearted or goofy attitude towards sin, that shows that our hearts do not have the sober-minded outlook on sin that it ought to have. And why do I say that our hearts and minds should be sobered by sin? And not even simply sobered, but angered. Why do I say this? Because this is how the Lord sees sin.
Romans 1:18-32 gives an amazing commentary on how the Lord views and responds to sin. It's quite frightening and very intense. This passage talks about the Lord unleashing His great wrath onto the ungodly and unrighteous AND those who surpress truth and righteousness. Verse 24 says, "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity...." Verse 26 says, "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions...." Verse 28b-31 says, "God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are not proper, being filled with
with all unrighteousness, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors or evil, disobedient to their parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful...." This form of punishement for sin is to me much more frightening than any other form that the Lord could discipline us. This is Him allowing us to basically punish ourselves, because it's as if He gives us the reigns and says, "Okay, you think you know better than I? Well then, have at it." How scary. In 21 years of life I have seen how stupid I am, and I so do not want to be in charge. I think that the most severe form of punishment that we can receive is the Lord handing us over to ourselves! How scary! I cannot imagine what it would be like if the Lord let all humanity lose to do as they pleased.
I also think of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 13:13 says, "Now the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord." Later in the story of Lot's move to this evil town, in chapter 19, the 24th verse, it says, "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gamorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven." A later description of the cities after the Lord's destruction of them says, "...the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace." God wiped them out... completely... because of their sin. Think also of Noah... again, God purifies the earth of all sin.
We can see from these stories that the Lord reacts very strongly and thoroughly to sin. And if we we are to be imitators of Christ, how then should be respond? Answer: with just as much strength and distaste.
So again, to restate the original question: can we truly view sin as Christ does, and continue to wallow in it, content to stay and enjoy it? Again, I answer, "No." My prayer for myself is that the Lord will: 1. Continue to be faithful to show me the sin in my life. 2. That I will be sensitive to what the Lord shows me, and recognize it for what it is- a direct disobedience and insult to the Most High One. 3. That I will be quick to confess my sin. And 4. That I will not leave it with mere confession, and continue in my sinful way (then leaving the door wide open with an ingraved invitation for the Lord to destroy me), but back it up with repentance.
This is an issue that I have really been working through recently, and thought a few days ago, "I hope that I can figure this issue out so I can move onto something happier." I now take that desire back... I pray I never cease to see my sin or become desensitized to it, or complacent in it. I pray that I will constantly struggle with it and be forced time and again to fight for a life of purity so that I will remember where I have been, and where the Lord has brought me. The Promised Land is drawing closer!.. and I want in! I don't want to have to wander for my lack of rememberance of His workings in my life!
Humbled by my sin, and His grace and mercy,
Rebekah
This all started a week or so ago when I was talking to a friend of mine. We were talking about another friend of ours, and he jokingly said, "I would so make out with him.". Now. I could say, "He was just kidding when he said that... it's no big deal. There was nothing wrong with that statement because he has no intention of acting on it." But that just didn't sit well with me. What he had joked about was not a trivial, meaningless thing... he was joking about SIN! And that's when I realized that that was what I had a problem with; not the actual words that he had said, but the concept behind his words. And that got the ball rolling and made me start thinking about this. And the final question that I decided was what I needed answered was this: if we have an accurate, Biblical perspective and understanding of sin, can we then mention it flippantly or "jokinginly"? Can we see sin as God sees sin and consider it lightly? Is it possible to really grasp the concept of sin as God does, and joke about it? The answer I came up with is a resounding, "No". Here is what I looked at to come to that conclusion.
The first thing that I thought about was what sin is. The answer that I used was the typical, Sunday School one: anything we think, say, or do that is displeasing to God. Okay. While that is a very broad statement, it also is very specific and conclusive. Okay. So now my memory is refreshed on what sin is. Next: How do we, as humans, view sin?
What we say, whether in all seriousness, or jokingly, says so much about us. Proverbs 23:7a says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 15:28 says, "The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things." These passages say that what we think and then say, reflect what is in our heart. So, I think that this would then mean, if we communicate with our mouths, a light-hearted or goofy attitude towards sin, that shows that our hearts do not have the sober-minded outlook on sin that it ought to have. And why do I say that our hearts and minds should be sobered by sin? And not even simply sobered, but angered. Why do I say this? Because this is how the Lord sees sin.
Romans 1:18-32 gives an amazing commentary on how the Lord views and responds to sin. It's quite frightening and very intense. This passage talks about the Lord unleashing His great wrath onto the ungodly and unrighteous AND those who surpress truth and righteousness. Verse 24 says, "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity...." Verse 26 says, "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions...." Verse 28b-31 says, "God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are not proper, being filled with
with all unrighteousness, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors or evil, disobedient to their parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful...." This form of punishement for sin is to me much more frightening than any other form that the Lord could discipline us. This is Him allowing us to basically punish ourselves, because it's as if He gives us the reigns and says, "Okay, you think you know better than I? Well then, have at it." How scary. In 21 years of life I have seen how stupid I am, and I so do not want to be in charge. I think that the most severe form of punishment that we can receive is the Lord handing us over to ourselves! How scary! I cannot imagine what it would be like if the Lord let all humanity lose to do as they pleased.
I also think of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 13:13 says, "Now the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord." Later in the story of Lot's move to this evil town, in chapter 19, the 24th verse, it says, "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gamorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven." A later description of the cities after the Lord's destruction of them says, "...the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace." God wiped them out... completely... because of their sin. Think also of Noah... again, God purifies the earth of all sin.
We can see from these stories that the Lord reacts very strongly and thoroughly to sin. And if we we are to be imitators of Christ, how then should be respond? Answer: with just as much strength and distaste.
So again, to restate the original question: can we truly view sin as Christ does, and continue to wallow in it, content to stay and enjoy it? Again, I answer, "No." My prayer for myself is that the Lord will: 1. Continue to be faithful to show me the sin in my life. 2. That I will be sensitive to what the Lord shows me, and recognize it for what it is- a direct disobedience and insult to the Most High One. 3. That I will be quick to confess my sin. And 4. That I will not leave it with mere confession, and continue in my sinful way (then leaving the door wide open with an ingraved invitation for the Lord to destroy me), but back it up with repentance.
This is an issue that I have really been working through recently, and thought a few days ago, "I hope that I can figure this issue out so I can move onto something happier." I now take that desire back... I pray I never cease to see my sin or become desensitized to it, or complacent in it. I pray that I will constantly struggle with it and be forced time and again to fight for a life of purity so that I will remember where I have been, and where the Lord has brought me. The Promised Land is drawing closer!.. and I want in! I don't want to have to wander for my lack of rememberance of His workings in my life!
Humbled by my sin, and His grace and mercy,
Rebekah
posted by Rebekah at
1:03 AM
1 Comments
