TUESDAY
As we talked about in our Irresistible Gospel campaign, some foundational truths that we must come to recognize are the truths that there is a moral law and we have violated that moral law. Furthermore, our violations of that moral law put us at odds with the holy, creator God.
What is the solution to this plight of which we innately sense its reality?
Our Postmodern cultural worldview attempts to alleviate this tension by denying that there is even such a thing as the moral law. Each individual determines what is right and wrong for them. In essence this view says that the standards are the problem and if we eliminate the standards then we will be free of our guilt and shame. Logically, it would seem as if this liberation from moral laws would lead to more freedom. However, the opposite is true, and the words of Jesus ring true yet again over and against our natural, logical inclinations.
John 8:31–36 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Jesus reminds us that we are all slaves to sin until He sets us free from that sin.* Freedom then is not found in denying the truth and ignoring the reality of the moral law. That only leads to more enslavement to sin. Freedom is found in the truth, not a stubborn resistance to the truth. Resistance only furthers our bondage no matter how much we call it “freedom.” In the end, reality proves difficult to resist.
Recognizing my sin and saying, “I’m sorry” to God is the first step towards freedom. When we do this and declare our faith in Jesus, in his sacrifice to pay the ransom for our sins, we find true forgiveness and real freedom.
On this Christian psychologist and author David Benner writes, “The self that God persistently loves is not my prettied-up pretend self but my actual self—the real me.” It should come as a great comfort to know that God knows your sin and loves you still. God doesn’t love a false depiction of you, such as you can portray to others. He knows the real you and loves you! He sees your sin and forgives you. This is real. This is truth and something inside of us calls out, “This is true.” Yet, we will go through great mental gymnastics to deny its truth. It just seems easier to change the standard that God has set and excuse ourselves. But there is no freedom there, only more bondage.
This, of course, is how we begin our Christian life. It is also to be a regular practice in the Christian life. So often Christians fail to experience true release from the guilt and shame of sin. Perhaps it is, in part, because we have lost the practice of genuine confession. John Mark Comer has said, "Confession is not just a discipline; it’s the gateway to freedom." We need to shine the light of Christ on to our sin to find freedom. We cannot live in secrets and hidden sin and expect to walk in freedom.
On this Benner continues, “But, master of delusion that I am, I have trouble penetrating my web of self-deceptions and knowing this real me. I continually confuse it with some ideal self that I wish I were.”
Confession helps us see our self-deceptions.
Proverbs 28:13 13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
This is not the easy road. Coming face to face with your sin, confessing it, and repenting is difficult and few genuinely do it. Many ignore it or simply excuse it. But, standing on the truth of Scripture, there is freedom in it.
What troubles me is how many professing Christians want to live in the bondage to their sin. We ignore the conviction of the Spirit because it feels good. We would rather nurse a grudge and be angry than forgive and release it to God. We would rather attempt to deal with our guilt and shame by coping with alcohol, drugs and sex addictions rather than confess them to our merciful Father and allow Him to shine His light on them. We try to cover our own debt by going further into debt. We try to pay for our own freedom by enslaving ourselves even further. Satan is really good at convincing us that this is the answer.
In this vain our Christianese If You Please for this week:
He’s backsliding
This Christianese may connote images of someone sliding on their back down a water slide or a backyard slip-n-slide. Not the case. In the Christian world it refers to someone who professes faith in Jesus but isn’t living the way of Jesus.
This is another biblical word…sort of. It’s translated backsliding in Prov. 14:14 but it most often means to simply turn back or withdraw.
Jokes aside, this is actually a legit and helpful article on backsliding that I came across. What the Bible Says about Backsliding
*When Jesus redeems us from our sin, we then belong to him. There is no sense in which we are free to be self-determined.
Additional Content
- “[Repentance] is about bringing yourself into alignment with God. When your heart, your behavior, your belief system, or your thinking deviates from God’s ways and doings, your soul gets out of alignment.” - Rob Reimer
- “A soul in alignment is a soul without secrets” - Rob Reimer
Reflection
Confess your sins to God and trust that when Jesus sets you free you are free indeed.