"…When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes…. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book…”
The law is not soothing. The words of this book expose our sin and lead us to Christ.
But our tendency is to downplay sin…we prefer to say we made a “mistake” or “slipped up” …. Instead of meeting our rebellion head on, we compartmentalize our sins and as long as they don’t fall outside our acceptable circle, we are content to believe that we “aren’t that bad”.
But that is not how God sees sin. God sees it as a grave violation of His holiness and the reason for the agonizing death of His only begotten Son.
We need to respond like King Josiah. Sin should produce remorse that ruins us. We need confession and repentance - not minimization and denial. Sin is catastrophic. The word itself should taste bad leaving your mouth.
Not owning the fact that we need forgiveness is the stumbling block many of us trip over…. When I was a coach, there were parents who could not accept that their kids were sinners.
They would say “deep down he is a good kid” …. No, he is not …and neither are we…. In our DNA is a destructive, self-centered disease that we are born with – It is an affront to God and causes His anger to burn toward us. It must be destroyed.
There is only one therapy that will eliminate it and that is the complete submersion in the blood of Christ.
Christianity is not a sweet story intended to give you a warm feeling inside…. It is a narrative of redemption and rescue. It is a story of deliverance from a toxic, deadly virus at an unmentionable price.
The bible is extreme about sin and grace. And I must be an extremist in these areas also. If you are to understand the depth and width of the love of God – you must first grasp the horror and depravity of your sin. And your response should be like King Josiah’s… “tear your robe”, confess, and commit to repentance and change.
“Self-centered indulgence, pride and
a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.” - Billy Graham
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