I’ve been thinking about Sunday’s sermon on Romans 13:11-14 as well as
some of the ensuing discussions. Paul makes no distinction between “big” sins
and “little” sins in verse 13. As David wrote in Psalm 51:4, “Against You, You
only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” All sin is committed
against an infinitely holy God and is therefore equally wrong. When the Day of
Judgment comes, we won’t be compared with one another or with Hitler or Mother
Theresa. We will be compared only to the perfect standard of God. Thankfully,
as believers we are “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), so we don’t need to fear that day.
However, I think many of us tend to get complacent about sin. We’ll let
the “little” sins slide without much complaint and often without confession.
Jerry Bridges writes, “Our first problem is that our attitude toward sin is
more self-centered than God-centered. We are more concerned about our own ‘victory’
over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve the heart of God. We
cannot tolerate failure in our struggle with sin chiefly because we are
success-oriented, not because we know it is offensive to God” (Pursuit of
Holiness). If we truly believed that every sin is offensive to God, wouldn’t
we be more inclined to root it out of our lives? Even as I’ve confronted sin in
my own life, I think my motivation has been often to “make a better me,” rather
than to honor and obey God in all things. Yes, I do want to see progress in my
life, but I know it should be for God’s glory, not my own.
This is where we may get bogged down in debates over the reason for
obedience. Are we trying to obey because 1) we fear punishment, 2) we want to
earn salvation or repay God’s grace, 3) we love God and want to live as His
children? There may be some other variations in between as well. I don’t want
to get into that debate here except to say that legalism is a poor motivator
for real lasting change in our lives. (Has the song “Oh, be careful little eyes
what you see” ever helped anyone avoid temptation?!)
In Ephesians 4:22 and following, Paul reiterates what he wrote in
Romans, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off
your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made
new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be
like God in true righteousness and holiness.” It certainly sounds like Paul
believes this to be an achievable goal. I have to say that personal experience
has left me skeptical, but I hope and pray that one day I’ll be able to agree
wholeheartedly.
The struggle we all face is how we can bring our condition in this fallen
world more into alignment with our position in Christ. Scripture is full of
declarations about who God has made us to be—free from sin, reconciled to God, redeemed, forgiven, totally accepted
by God, and secure in His unfailing love. I’m still trying to figure out how it
all works. What I do know is that I need frequent reminders of who God is and
who I am in His eyes. I can’t get anywhere on my own, without heavy doses of
Scripture, and without people who will keep speaking truth into my life. I’m thankful
for the brothers and sisters in Christ that God has placed in my life for such
a time as this.
I was reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis, “It would seem that Our Lord
finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures,
fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to
us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because
he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are
far too easily pleased” (The Weight of Glory). We prefer the passing
pleasures of sin instead of the glorious holiness of God. Sin is easier to
pursue and yields quicker rewards, but it doesn’t bring any lasting joy and
peace. Loving God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30) is far removed from daily life
for most of us. I want to want God more than I want everything else, and my
prayer is that He will change my heart such that I seek Him more constantly and
consistently than I ever have before.
