Lets talk about sin.
I want to talk about it, because it is something the Lord has laid on my heart so heavily these past few weeks. It seems that sometimes I forget my own depravity.
The simple fact is that we are born sinful - understand that this is something we cannot escape in this lifetime. The wretchedness and blackness of our hearts is limitless and unredeemable except by the blood of Jesus. Paul nails it down pretty clearly for us in Romans 7:14-20 stating, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me." We are dark to our very core, the only ounce of goodness in us is Jesus - we have righteousness only through him, and apart from him we have nothing.
Sometimes we forget that our predisposition is to defame God. Literally our natural inclination, our human nature is to settle in darkness. Because of this, sin is something we have to make war with everyday. I want us, myself, to stop seeing sin as just the bad things we do, but rather as an idol that drastically effects our ability to live in the presence of God. Once the love of Christ is revealed to us we don't just get to go about our lives without having to deal with our sin anymore. No, in fact the adversity heightens and we meet with the schemes of satan literally daily, and if we are not aware of this, if we get too comfortable and don't face this fact consciously and head on - then satan gets victory.
Not only do we not want satan to get a small victory or gain a foothold in our life, but more importantly our sin keeps us from being able to commune with God. God hates sin, abhors it (Psalm 11:4-6). So if we sit, unrepentant in a sin, our relationship with Him is strained. If our ultimate goal as christians is to be Christ-like and be more like Him (Ephesians 5:1-2), than we would need to have an intimate relationship with Him to do so, right? You can't be like someone, if you don't know them well and if you aren't familiar with the things that make them who they are. Sin keeps us from developing that relationship with Him.
I have good news though, we don't fight sin on our own. The sweetest thing is that sin only has power when you are under law (which Jesus abolished by his death on the cross). Only when you think you are under contract or burdened by rules, rather than under covenant does sin have power. But, if you are under grace, you can begin to slowly defeat sin. It’s not a a paved highway, its a dirt road - and sometimes you crawl. The beauty of it though is that through the journey grace is your teacher and you received the perfect grade before you even began the class. The standing you have the minute you trust Jesus is the same standing you will have the minute you die - perfect, righteous, and blameless. If that truly penetrates your heart, when you fall, when you sin - you’ll run towards Him, not away from Him.
We fight sin by running to Jesus. We fight sin by realizing that it is not a battle to be won, but a war won and conquered for us long ago. Praise Jesus that grace is not only greater than all my sin, but also greater than all my so called "goodness". Both need redemption.
"And this is all my hope and peace
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
And this is all my righteousness
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
And oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Nothing but the blood of Jesus"
