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This is part 2 in the series on sin. (See part 1 in Assumptions on Sin , part 3 in Our Greatest Strength , and part 4 in True Grace .) Sin: Failure, or Opportunity? As a believer sin cannot separate me from God unless I choose to doubt God and believe that sin is a barrier. As this has become more and more a reality to me I have puzzled over just what sin is. A quick Hebrew word study brought to light some interesting concepts. One of the most used Hebrew words for sin is translated into various English words. Those translations include sin, offend, loss, blame, fault, harm done, miss, trespass, as well as cleanse, purify, and reconciliation. A strange notion to my Western-thinking mind, one Hebrew word can actually encompass both a concept and its opposite. This is also true for the Hebrew word bârak. It means both bless and curse. So how do you know which meaning to take? How one views sin depends on each person’s perspective. I can choose to see my sin as failure or as an opportunity for reconciliation and needed cleansing. Beyond doubt, it is most humbling to open up my heart to what Jesus wants to do through my sin. In my pride I want to persist in condemning myself. “Just look how bad I am! I should know better than to do this again! I’ll never improve! I’m such a failure!” The focus is all ME! Rather, this is an opportunity to see Jesus, to humbly receive the fact that I am already clean, and to rejoice in intimacy with Him. Last week I attempted to manipulate a friend of mine to get what I wanted instead of truthfully asking. Confronted with my sin, what did I see? My failure, my wretchedness, and how much better than that I ought to be. I knew better but I felt entirely powerless to change. I had fallen in this same sin before. But what difference did it make that I had turned to Jesus then? I was in sin again. What was the use of even listening to Jesus? I would always fail. Why even consider Jesus as a choice? Then, of course, I heard the enemy’s lies: “Go ahead and doubt God. You already are closed to Him in unbelief, so what’s the difference?” It is at that point that I often simply act on what I am feeling and what I believe from the enemy about myself. I look for something that will make me feel better. I want to punish myself, believing I have no choice. But that night, at that point of running to my idols, Jesus gave me the clarity to see that I did have a choice. What I heard was no more than the enemy’s lies and I did not have to believe him. I could choose Jesus. Sin can be a failure or an opportunity for purity and cleansing based on how I choose to see it. It is the same as any other neediness in my life – a point of choosing Jesus or choosing to live out of my flesh. He is so much more attractive than my flesh! |
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