Eraser Smudge

The eraser is a wonderful invention, is it not? In the best cases, you can use the rubber eraser to remove a mistake or even simply change a word or two. But -- and maybe it's just because I write so hard -- I can never seem to completely erase the mistakes I've made with one of those rubber erasers, whether it's on the tip of a pencil or one of those big pink things. Try as I might, the ghost of my mistake remains. And no matter how hard I try, there it stays. I'm more likely to rip the paper than I am to remove that little, almost-invisible remnant of error.

Sin can feel that way at times. We know the blood of Christ erases our sin from our lives. And yet, we in our humanity keep finding those sticky little remnants (Romans 7:15). Errant thoughts, guilt, and constant temptation can keep us trying and trying in our own strength get rid of those little smudges until we finally tear an irreparable hole.

But 1 John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Meanwhile, Psalm 103:12 reminds us, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

If we continue to sin, that's not God having failed to remove the sin from our lives -- rather it is our own humanity, which will be exploited by Satan in an attempt to discourage believers and non-believers alike.

Praise God, however, because He has forgiven -- and not only forgiven, but cleansed -- our unrighteousness. And on the day we finally stand before His throne, it will be as pure, clean, and holy children.  

Split Personality

It sure is easy to pile on the hypocrites, isn't it? Especially those self-righteous, supposedly-pious, super judgmental so-called Christians who dare to rail against what they think is wrong, all the while indulging in their own sins of pride or lust or gluttony.

It's so easy to feel superior, isn't it? To look on the hypocrite with something like a mix of pity and disgust and feel so good about our own piety? To feel, perhaps, pride?

Of course, even Paul had trouble with hypocrisy. "I do not understand what I do," he says in Romans 7:15. "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

Another word for this in Scripture is double-mindedness. Like somebody with multiple personalities, we have two natures. One is an old, sinful nature. The other is the New Creation in Christ. These two selves can be at war with one another, even while the Spirit is at work in us, renewing our minds. 

The trouble with double-mindedness is that we miss out on the full blessing of God.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. (James 1:2-8)

Peter was double-minded when he stepped out of the boat to join Jesus on the stormy sea. Part of him saw Jesus walking on water, and knew that, in Christ's strength, he could do the same. The other part saw the waves and felt the wind. When we're double-minded, the human side wins.

Until we cry out to God and again give Him our whole selves -- just as Peter was drowning until the hand of Christ grasped his own.

When our eyes are on the world, we are double-minded. Split in our allegiances. When our eyes are on Christ, however, we allow renewal by he Spirit, and we become single-minded in purpose. Let the old, sinful self die. Don't feed it. Don't allow it any footing by taking your eyes off Jesus. Keep your eyes on the Savior, and your mind on what He has in store for you.

Free Indeed!

Today is Freedom Day, commemorating the date in 1865 when Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment, ending slavery in the United States.

History tells us a slave is somebody who labors without pay. A person who, for all practical purposes, has no will but that of his master. Slavery, as it was in the early days of this country -- indeed as it is practiced in various forms around the world even today -- is a horrifying symptom of human nature.

And yet, humanity is itself enslaved to the very nature that makes slavery possible.

Jesus tells us, in John 8:34, "everyone who sins is a slave to sin."

We have surrendered our autonomy -- our wills -- to our sinful human natures. We don't have the choice to be sinless. We, in our humanity will sin, because we must. We are enslaved to our desires. Otherwise "good men" will throw away their families to indulge lust. Good children will behave selfishly. A person with a fish on his car will tell a little white lie to get out of a speeding ticket.

As Paul said in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

We simply can't get away from sin, because it owns us. 

Except that, it doesn't have to. When Christ died on the cross, and arose three days later, it wasn't a publicity stunt; He had a purpose. That purpose was to accept the payment for our sinful natures, to purchase all of us, the human slaves of iniquity, and to emancipate us. He bought us out of our chains and set us free. 

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:15-18) 

Because Jesus paid the price for us, we have the ability to shrug off the chains of slavery and to take up His yoke, which is no burden at all (Matthew 11:30) Christ's burden is freedom. True freedom from both sin itself and from the wage of sin, which is death. And all we have to do is recognize that we are slaves, and accept the release from our bondage. 

Remember: "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! (John 8:36)"