Why do we wait to change our circumstances? We know the truth and choose so many times to do the opposite of what we know to be true. We let ourselves speak vile things, we laugh at disgusting jokes, we lust over things we see and want, we covet what others have...the list goes on. We do all these things under the title of being a Christ follower. Sin nature and all, it just doesn't add up. It's one thing to be ignorant of the truth and partake in these things, but it's entirely different when we know the truth and blatantly walk the opposite way.
How many times have we said, "God, forgive me for these actions. Please give me your mercy and grace." This prayer is all good if we are truly seeking repentance (i.e. the recognition AND turning from a sin). Because isn't his mercy and grace for those that are repentant? If we're not repentant, why do we think we're receiving his grace? And therefore, what makes us think we're saved? How can we be saved when we don't hate the things God is trying to save us from? Doesn't salvation start with the recognition of our sin and the brokenness that IS sin? Once we say we believe that and vow to pursue that saving grace, how can we then choose to go against that belief? And if we do, were we ever really saved in the first place? Maybe...maybe not. Because isn't salvation also known as being born again? And doesn't being born again mean that we have killed the old self and become a new creation in Christ, in essence Christ-like? And though we aren't fully made new in Christ in this life due to the sin nature we consistently battle with, aren't we still supposed to seek righteousness? In fact, aren't we commanded to seek righteousness? And coming full circle, isn't the pursuit of righteousness ultimately defined by our repentance or at least our seeking repentance?
No one should have said following Christ was easy. But then again, it's the simplest thing in the world. The basic recognition of our flawed and broken selves. Once we recognize this for the first time, it's easy to continue to recognizing it; if we allow. It's then up to us to choose how we will respond to these actions. Like Judas to his greed; though he recognized his sin, he justified it, denied repentance and ultimately chose sin over Christ. It's ironic how we mock him for giving up Christ for 30 pieces of silver but think about our own sin. What do we betray Christ for? What do we replace him with? A cheap laugh and a crude joke? A few extra possessions? A 10 second orgasm in front of your computer? An intellect that "makes more sense?"
I'm the last person to answer these questions, but it's worth allowing ourselves to be challenged. If we do, whats the worst that's going to happen? We push away sin and draw closer to Christ?
To close, seeking repentance and righteousness is completely opposite of being a Pharisee. They weren't seeking righteousness (i.e. God's approval), they were seeking man's approval. Don't be a Pharisee. Be a Paul who self-titled himself "the greatest of all sinners." Why? Because the closer he got to Christ, the more apparent his own sin became. The further you get from Christ, the more manageable your sin appears, therefore you lose the basic need to repent from that sin and turn back to Christ. And finally, as you walk further and further away, you enter that no-mans-land of "Once Saved, Always Saved" or "Fallen from Grace." Screw the theological debate...Why would you want to live there????
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