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Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” (John 9:41)
What if it is not God and I believe that it is, or what if it is God and I believe that it is not? (Barbara Taylor) That is the question that we often forget to ask ourselves. And it is also a tough question for us to face. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD." (Isiah 55:8)
I meet many good devout people who are trying and struggling to do the right things, but we all have our tragic flaws and blind spots. “Sin is always a refusal to grow.” (Gregory of Nyssa) “The wise learns from every thing and every one; average people, from their experiences. The silly already have all the answers.” (Socrates) The one who knows little, learns much and those who have all their answers already, learn nothing.
Christian faith doesn’t mean a blind belief of the church’s teachings. Yes, we are comfortable when we have confidence about what we believe. It is uncomfortable and even painful when our beliefs are challenged. However, we all know that we cannot always be right. It hurts us sometimes. But it is part of our growing through the years. “The greatest threat to our moral and spiritual health wasn’t questions or doubts but rather dishonesty or pretense about our questions or doubts.” (Brian McLaren)
We tend to see persons and things not as they are but as we are. In order to see them as they are, we have to drop our filtering system (fear, attachment and belief). Otherwise, we constantly distort others in our own ways. These can be idols, addictions or sin. We no longer live in God’s world but the world we have created in our own head. So, it is always wise to ask: What if it is not God and I believe that it is, or what if it is God and I believe that it is not?
Pastor Seok-Hwan
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