Sinning Business
“For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….”
Romans 3:22-23
“I am a sinner.” It’s out; now you know.
I hate admitting it and, even worse, saying it aloud, but it is a truth I cannot deny. I suppose if the Apostle Paul could admit it in his letter to the Romans, I should be willing to do the same.
Over the years, I have presided at many religious services that began by dawn’s early light. Between the time I woke and the time I found myself kneeling for the confession during those services, there was hardly a chance to get to any sinning business. Yet, even though I have spent the majority of my adult life in religious life, I find that every time I kneel, my sin is staring me in the face. And I realize that behind every confession, the culprit is me!
I would like to think I am not too self-centered, but I do struggle to not overfeed the one in the mirror. Perhaps we all do. When we look at our photos, don’t we look at ourselves first?
“How did I turn out?”
“Why did I wear that shirt?”
“I should have worn sunglasses.”
After that, perhaps our eyes turn to our loved ones, our children or the friends with whom we traveled. We are naturally drawn to ourselves and that is not all bad. We are to love ourselves, Jesus said, but, at the same time, He also told us to deny ourselves when our “selves” get in the way of loving God or our neighbor.[1]
Life would be so much easier if all we had to do was carry out the “loving self” bit and leave the rest alone. Too much self leads to one road and one road alone: sin in all of its forms. The overindulgent love of self is the thing the serpent said to the first humans: “Eat and you will be like God.”[2] The temptation was not to be the first in history to taste a Granny Smith, but the desire to “be like God.” The appeal was to “put yourself on the throne and forget about God ruling your lives.” How did it turn out? Read today’s paper or watch the evening news and you can see what happens when we try to run things. Suddenly, taking on the role of God seems to be way above our pay grade.
Thus, we must still work on giving the “self” over to God in Christ more and more. Christians believe that is the only path to wholeness. It is why Jesus often described the whole journey of Christianity as starting with a kind of new birth. He called it being “born again.”[3] For the fullness of God’s presence to begin in me, “I” have to die and be “born anew.” Please do not let those words alarm you. Use whatever metaphor works for you: “converted,” “seeing the light,” “renewed” or “awakened.”
John Mason wrote, “They that deny themselves for Christ shall enjoy themselves in Christ.”[4] The point is to deny ourselves and find our true selves, to allow the self to die and commence the life God wants for us. And that is a miracle to behold indeed. Perhaps it is time to get in touch with ourselves and see how much it might be getting in the way of the Godself that needs to be born in us.
Another Step…
What is the first selfish trait that is interfering in your relationship with God and others? Ask God to help you release it into His loving and redemptive care.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, here I am, this mixed up tent of broken poles and torn fabric; this vessel with cracks and chips; this all-too-human and frail child of your own creation. And yet I have abused Your gift of life, taken advantage of the freedom You have awarded me, betrayed Your mercy once again. I have sinned, my heavenly Savior — in thought, word, and deed, against You, my neighbor and myself. I have sinned deliberately, and I have sinned in ignorance; I have both chosen my sin and fallen into it. And now the burden of my wrong choices and the weight of their guilt is too much. Forgive me, dear Lord; forgive me and make me new. Empty me of all things impure and unholy, and fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit that all broken places may be restored, and all sin be wiped away. Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me and make me new. Amen.
— RJL+[5]
[1] Luke 9:23; 10:27.
[2] Genesis 3:5.
[3] John 3:3.
[4] Martin H. Manser, comp. “The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001) 335.
[5] RJL+ denotes a prayer written by Russell J. Levenson, Jr.
