At her age she isn't even sure what sins are, but she knows we need to be saved from them. Good for her!
What an unpopular subject! Sin. Who wants to think about them, let alone deal with them? I'd rather watch Netflix and eat cookie dough. That sounds fun. (and fattening)
But my heart is so moved this morning by our views of sins, both in the church and out of it.
We want to say it's no big deal. We've been forgiven once, we've accepted Jesus into our hearts. It's done. We don't need to be forgiven over and over again.
We're not as bad as *insert name*, so we're okay.
We'd rather smile and laugh and live our lives our own way. Why do we need to worry about sins? We're not that bad.
A little rabbit trail ...I grew up Catholic and, as a child I used to make up things to tell the priest at confession. Because I could surely never confess what I had really done...
For God to forgive us, we first need to acknowledge that we even did something wrong.
And we all have. As Romans 3 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Let's talk about anything else, the Seahawks game, the crazy weather, even taxes. (ewwww!) We want desperately to forget the repent-of-sins part altogether and move straight into magnificent grace and mercy.
I get it.
I'm a sweeper-under-the-rugger from way back.
I read this from Charles Spurgeon this morning and it has stung me, in a good way.
"Let me speak especially to you who desire to find peace with God and salvation through the precious blood: you will do well to make your confession before God very frank, very sincere, very explicit. Surely you have nothing to hide, for there is nothing you can hide. He knows your guilt already, but He would have you know it; therefore He tells you to confess it. Go into the details of your sin in secret acknowledgements before God. Strip yourself of all excuses. Say,
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. (Psalm 51:4)
Acknowledge the evil of sin; ask God to make you feel it. Do not treat it as a trifle, for it is not. To redeem the sinner from the effects of sin, Christ Himself had to die; and unless you are delivered from sin, you must die eternally. Therefore, do not play with sin. Do not confess it as though it were some venial fault that would not have been noticed unless God had been too severe; but labor to see sin as God sees it, as an offense against all that is good, a rebellion against all that is kind. See it to be treason, to be ingratitude, to be a low and base thing.
Never expect that the King of Heaven will pardon a traitor if he will not confess and forsake his treason. Even the tenderest of fathers expects the child to humble himself when he has offended and he will not withdraw his frown from him until with tears the child has said, "Father, I have sinned."
Do you dare to expect God to humble Himself to you, and would it not be so if He did not constrain you to humble yourself to Him? Would you have Him ignore your faults and wink at your transgressions? He will have mercy, but He must be holy. He is ready to forgive, but not to tolerate sin. Therefore, He cannot let you be forgiven if you hug your sins, or if you presume to say, "I have not sinned." Hasten, then, seeker, hasten, I pray you, to the mercy seat with this upon your lips, "I am poor and needy, I am sinful, and I am lost; have pity on me," With such an acknowledgement, you begin your prayer well, and through Jesus, will prosper in it."
Well stated, Mr. Spurgeon. Well stated.
Have you ever "hugged your sin?" I know I have. I pray that these words convict you as they have me.
