I’ve been thinking about Sunday’s sermon on Romans 13:11-14 as well as some of the ensuing discussions. Paul makes no distinction between “big” sins and “little” sins in verse 13. As David wrote in Psalm 51:4, “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” All sin is committed against an infinitely holy God and is therefore equally wrong. When the Day of Judgment comes, we won’t be compared with one another or with Hitler or Mother Theresa. We will be compared only to the perfect standard of God. Thankfully, as believers we are “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), so we don’t need to fear that day.
However, I think many of us tend to get complacent about sin. We’ll let the “little” sins slide without much complaint and often without confession. Jerry Bridges writes, “Our first problem is that our attitude toward sin is more self-centered than God-centered. We are more concerned about our own ‘victory’ over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve the heart of God. We cannot tolerate failure in our struggle with sin chiefly because we are success-oriented, not because we know it is offensive to God” (Pursuit of Holiness). If we truly believed that every sin is offensive to God, wouldn’t we be more inclined to root it out of our lives? Even as I’ve confronted sin in my own life, I think my motivation has been often to “make a better me,” rather than to honor and obey God in all things. Yes, I do want to see progress in my life, but I know it should be for God’s glory, not my own.
This is where we may get bogged down in debates over the reason for obedience. Are we trying to obey because 1) we fear punishment, 2) we want to earn salvation or repay God’s grace, 3) we love God and want to live as His children? There may be some other variations in between as well. I don’t want to get into that debate here except to say that legalism is a poor motivator for real lasting change in our lives. (Has the song “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see” ever helped anyone avoid temptation?!)
In Ephesians 4:22 and following, Paul reiterates what he wrote in Romans, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” It certainly sounds like Paul believes this to be an achievable goal. I have to say that personal experience has left me skeptical, but I hope and pray that one day I’ll be able to agree wholeheartedly.
The struggle we all face is how we can bring our condition in this fallen world more into alignment with our position in Christ. Scripture is full of declarations about who God has made us to be—free from sin, reconciled to God, redeemed, forgiven, totally accepted by God, and secure in His unfailing love. I’m still trying to figure out how it all works. What I do know is that I need frequent reminders of who God is and who I am in His eyes. I can’t get anywhere on my own, without heavy doses of Scripture, and without people who will keep speaking truth into my life. I’m thankful for the brothers and sisters in Christ that God has placed in my life for such a time as this.
I was reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased” (The Weight of Glory). We prefer the passing pleasures of sin instead of the glorious holiness of God. Sin is easier to pursue and yields quicker rewards, but it doesn’t bring any lasting joy and peace. Loving God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30) is far removed from daily life for most of us. I want to want God more than I want everything else, and my prayer is that He will change my heart such that I seek Him more constantly and consistently than I ever have before.
