Most of us, when pressed, will admit we're not perfect. We're not "all good." But most of us, if we're honest, are pretty sure we're mostly good, right? I mean, we're not really bad. So we watch the news and see what "those horrible people" are doing and we read our Bibles and see what "those horrible people" are violating and we're actually a little bit proud that we can see it when they can't. We're okay ... but they are not.
We Christians excel at this. Like the Pharisees, we might almost voice, "Thank you, God, that I'm not like them." We recognize that homosexual behavior is sin and we don't do it (or, at least, don't admit it). We have a higher standard -- God's Word -- that we strive to meet but don't recognize how badly we're failing at it. "Wives, submit" (Eph 5:22) is just as offensive to most Christians as it is to the rest of the world. "Husbands, love by giving up self" (Eph 5:25) is not really an option even though we pretend it is. "Pray for those who mistreat you" is hard ... at best (Luke 6:28). And on and on. Yes, we Christians are "okay" ... except when we're not.
Isaiah, God's prophet, encountered God and cried out, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa 6:5). Paul, the Apostle, wrote, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Rom 7:24). John wrote, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us" (1 John 1:10). According to God's standard (Matt 5:48), we are not okay, save in the forgiveness and righteousness of Christ, neither of which are our own.
8 comments:
Often times we like to insert ourselves into the characters of Scripture. One I've had pointed out is the parable of the Prodigal Son. So many of us want to identify ourselves as the prodigal son returning from our sinful lives to a loving father. But far too often, we act more like the son that stayed, resentful of the lack of blessings even while being obedient, and resentful of people we feel sure don't deserve grace.
Today’s post title made me chuckle…and then wince! I confess that is exactly how I often think. But then I remember that while there might be some sins of which I am not personally guilty (like “those horrible people” are), there are plenty others of which I am. Your closing sentence really hit home; anything lovely about me in God’s eyes comes from Another. Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to me--fortunately for me, because my “righteousness bank” is depleted.
The pastor who leads my Thursday AM Bible study is relentlessly focused on this topic. It's hard to admit that we're worse than we think we are, yet there also seems to be a risk of pride in how we acknowledge our sinfulness layered on top of our sinful thoughts and actions.
Yet I've recently realized (because I'm often slow) that the key is to identify the "mark" or standard that we should be measured against. We say sin is "missing the mark", yet don't define the "mark" and pretend like we might just barely miss. But, if the "mark" is YHWH's perfect righteousness, then isn't it horribly presumptuous to claim that we barely missed?
That's why it's such a comfort to know that it has nothing to do with us an dhow good we are, and everything to do with Jesus finished work on the cross.
Yes, Craig, you got the exact point I tried to make when I referenced Matt 5:48. The "mark" -- the "good enough for God" -- is as perfect as God is.
Stan,
Even a blind pig finds an acorn occasionally. In all seriousness though, I think that the use of the "miss the mark" language without defining "the mark" is a much bigger problem that many would think. By doing so, and implying that we barely "miss", it minimizes the gap between our behavior and "the mark". It's a great example of pushing a lie, by using a statement that is technically accurate.
I heard it once described that if you put up a scale of righteousness, with Hitler (only because he is the most prominently reviled person) at the bottom of the scale and Jesus at the top, and then put even Paul on that scale, the scale would be so heavily skewed on Christ's side, that Paul would be standing shoulder to shoulder with Hitler. We too often set the bar so low for "achieving" righteousness that we lose sight of just how bad off we really are.
The error is comparing ourselves to other people (regarding our “goodness”), rather than considering God’s perfect standard. We might assume that “God grades on a curve,” when actually He demands perfection (or Christ’s righteousness in its absence). I understand that is why the Bible is full of the “law” and “rules & regulations”--to make clear how badly we “miss the mark.” At the time in my life when my spiritual eyes were opened, a look at the Ten Commandments showed me my dire condition, when formerly I had viewed them as assurance that “I’m a relatively good person”--sure, better than Hitler, but he’s not the standard.
David, excellent example.
Lorna, excellent point. The fact that we compare ourselves to others, rather than YHWH skews our perceptions significantly.
Post a Comment