THE THREE WRONG AND INEFFECTIVE WAYS MAN TRIES TO DEAL WITH PAST SIN

LET’S LOOK AT THE THREE WRONG AND INEFFECTIVE WAYS MAN TRIES TO DEAL WITH PAST SIN AND COMPARE THEM WITH THE STRIKINGLY DIFFERENT WAY THAT GOD REVEALED AT CALVARY..

1.MINIMIZING SIN.  Man’s way is to minimize sin. We try to escape our guilt by pretending that what we have done really isn’t so bad. We change our morals to fit our behavior. We downplay sin and never call it what it really is. Instead, we say that we were “wild” when we were young. We blame our actions on our unseen and unaccountable “hormones”. Sin isn’t so serious, we assure ourselves. Besides, “we’re only human.”

But the Cross declares that sin is serious. God never downplay it. Sexual sin is the abuse of our bodies, which are made in His image – it is high treason against our almighty Maker. In fact, it’s such a big deal that the only way for it to be justly dealt with is either for us sinners to spend an eternity in hell, or for the Son of God to receive the full wrath of God in our place. The Cross shows that our sin and guiltiness can’t be minimized.

2.IGNORING HOLINESS.  Another wrong way man excuses sin is to ignore God’s holiness – to assume that God is as tolerant of sin as we are. This approach is most popular among “religious people,” who would never completely reject God, but still don’t want to be bothered by the idea of a righteous judge who is holy and calls them to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Instead, we make God in our image and pretend that, like us, He’s willing to overlook sin.

Again, the Cross contradicts man’s approach. It shows that God’s holiness can’t be ignored. The torture and suffering inflicted on Jesus show just how much God hates our sin. God says, “These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face” (Psalm 50:21). God isn’t like us. He’s holy. And His standards haven’t changed over time. He hasn’t succumbed to popular opinion or decreased His holiness. He remains holy. The Cross reveals just how holy He is.

3.LIVING SELF-RIGHTEOUSLY. Man’s third wrong approach to sin is self-righteousness. This can be expressed in several different ways. It’s seen in the life of the person who is shocked that he was capable of sinning. “I just can’t believe I did it,” he says. Why he is so surprised? Because he self-righteously viewed himself as basically good instead of inherently wicked. Sadly, his grief over sin isn’t because he had disobeyed God, but because he has failed to live up to his own inflated opinion of himself.

Self-righteousness is also expressed by the person who refuses to accept God’s forgiveness. “I just can’t forgive myself,” she says. “Maybe God can, but I can’t.” It might appear pious, but statements like these are really a form of reverse pride that says, “My standards are higher than God’s.” Instead of humbly acknowledging that her sin was against God and that only He can wipe it away, she tries to become her own savior. She tries to bear her own punishment, pay penance by wallowing in guilt or doing good deeds, or add to God’s favor through obedience.

But the Cross, as John Stott tells us, undermines our self-rigteousness. If we had any righteousness of our own, God wouldn’t have needed to send a savior and substitute. God’s plan of salvation very clearly reveals one thing. We have nothing to do with the Great Rescue. In fact, the only things we can contribute is the sin that has to be paid for. No man or woman can earn his or her salvation. No human born in sin is able to make amends. We can’t pay enough penance; we can’t do enough good works; we can’t add to God’s favor through our obedience.

The Cross humbles us. The only way God could give us right standing before Him was to transfer our guilt to Jesus and impute Jesus’ perfect record to us.

Not only do minimizing sin, ignoring God’s holiness, and living self-righteously not work, they can destroy your relationship. If you have past sexual sin to confess, minimizing it will also trivialize the preciousness of God’s gift of pure sex in marriage. If sexual sin is no big deal, sexual purity is no big deal either. In the same way, ignoring God’s holiness sets your marriage up for disaster. If God doesn’t care about your past unfaithfulness, what motivation does either of you have to be faithful after you’re married? Self-righteousness is also poisonous. A marriage that isn’t built around the Cross will be devoid of the grace, mercy, and humility that come when both husband and wife recognize their need for a Savior.

Written By: Joshua Harris

From his Book: BOY MEETS GIRL (Say Hello to Courtship)

God Bless Us..

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