Monday, January 20, 2014

"Mistakes and Sin...to a Christian, this can get confusing"...part 2

"Ok...when a person invites Jesus into their lives...are they wanting Him to follow them, or are they suppose to follow Him?" Mark Batterson.......

 When someone says: "Hey, I made a mistake, nobody is perfect. I simply made a mistake.", what exactly does that mean?...

 Making a mistake and committing a sin, is their a difference? Really, we don't use the word "sin" much in our daily vocabulary these days. When a child does something that is wrong, you don't hear a parent exclaim: " Hey...you have sinned?" Right?
 When a senator was recently discovered to have been having an affair, he spoke to his wife and family about it and said how he had made a very serious...mistake. He then told his wife about it and sought forgiveness.
 Maybe it is no big deal whether you recognize a wrong doing in your life as a mistake or a sin...after all, who cares? The important thing...get it corrected.
 Yet...the word mistake...just doesn't take on the same meaning for me..as the word sin does. But then again, I'm a little older...and perhaps can get too picky about stuff. Hmmm?

 I think the thing for me a mistake is ...when I turn the wrong way on a one way street, or when following instructions to put something together, and I get the "bright idea" to skip from step 2 to step 7, and end up having to start over. 
 To me, a mistake is not a calculated or pre-meditated event, rather, it just kind of happens, and then I have to rethink what I have done, and make the proper adjustments. Mistakes don't always require you to seek forgiveness from anyone, rather you learn from them and hopefully minimize yourself from them being a reoccurring event. 
 In fact, the definition of the word mistake is to "cause an error usually resulting from poor judgment, normally stemming from having a lack of knowledge on a subject or simply being careless." I really don't see anything that requires one to always have to seek out forgiveness, although I do realize when a mistake affects the lives of another, then it is valid to clarify that to an injured party. Still...seeking out forgiveness doesn't really seem to be a priority when making a mistake, just a realization...you didn't do it right. Mistakes are not really a matter of choice...they just happen...due to the reasons previously given.

 Now sin...sin is a different story. Sin is a choice, and often a pre-meditated one at that. Sin is a violation, a transgression, an event where you have over-stepped your bounds, and it is normally a sin against God's Divine laws. And here is the thing...you more likely than not... know it is wrong...before you even do it. 

 So, what do I find in the Sacred Scriptures about mistakes and sin? Well, it kind of sticks out like a "sore thumb" to me. The difference between sin and mistakes is this: God continues to be with us in our pursuits when we make a mistake, in fact, I find He encourages us to keep goin' and trust Him to see you through an endeavor or task you may be on.
 Sin is not like this. When we sin..we have broken the friendship...we have violated the trust we have with each other. We have simply chose to do something God does not want us to be doing, and did what we wanted...selfish and not interested what God thinks about it.
 Here are a couple of Scriptures to consider about sin...

 Romans 3: 21-24  "But now, something has really happened! Something new has been added, and it is completely independent and apart...from any Mosaic Law, although the Old Testament Law and Prophets knew there would come a time this new addition would take place.
 And here is the new addition: We are now made right with God through having a trust and confident faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God now accepts each one of us strictly on this "New Law", which in reality is not a law at all...it's simply putting all of our faith, all of our hope, and all of our trust...in the Lord Jesus! And here is the thing: this "New law" is available for everyone, regardless of your background or who you might have been.
 Now, here is the crux of this liberating announcement: we must come to the realization...all of have sinned and recognize it is not possible for us to meet God's glorious standard as to what true Life is...at least not on any efforts or merits of our own.
 Yet, with this startling announcement comes an even greater revelation. God offers to each one of us His undeserved Kindness...and confirms this by declaring us Righteous! How? It is all because of His own Son, our Lord Jesus, who has redeemed us and accepts us...setting us entirely free from the sin in our lives."

NOTE: Using the word mistake "all of us make mistakes"...just doesn't do it for me...or the last part "Setting us free from the "mistakes" in our lives"...takes away from the depth of sin in our lives and the need for the Son of God to take my place on a cross...little more than just making some mistakes...just sayin'.

 Also, in the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah declares in Isaiah 64:6   "The truth of the matter is this: We are all infected with sin..totally impure in sin. We are unfit to worship You, and even if we attempt to display some sort of self-righteous deeds we may have been able to muster, they are nothing more than filthy rags when compared to the love of God's glorious standard. 
 We in our own selves are like a leaf that has fallen from a tree, and not only have we fallen from the tree but we are whithering up like a dried leaf....and our sins, like the wind, simply have swept us away....farther and farther from the One who loves us...tried and true!"

 So, I think sin in our lives is a little more than just "mistakes"...it's much deeper...much more hopeless than that. For without Him we are led into a lifestyle of Darkness...that is until He Comes...into our very lives!

                     
                                                        

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