Friday, December 07, 2007

Loss of Horror; pt 1

I have spent a lot of time thinking on and journaling about Psalm 1:1-2. I think the reason that it’s taking so long is that I am realizing how far off that I am. I need to have a lifestyle of saying “no” to ungodly communication of any kind (especially in my thoughts), walk away from sin, the appearance of sin, and those who are willfully and regularly choosing to sin. Part of the problem here; however, seems to be a lack of knowledge.
What is sin? And how can I stay away from it if I don’t know what it is? The general feeling today is, "It does not really matter...as long as it does not hurt anybody else. Besides, I am under Grace."
It seems to me that we have drifted really far away from the Biblical concept of sin.

A lack of knowledge of what constitutes sin is only part of the problem. It seems that we have also lost the understanding of how bad sin really is. I have been browsing through some of John Piper’s stuff online. He notes that we have “lost the horror at offending the majesty of God's holiness through sin.
[Start Piper:]
“Nathan said to David, "You are the man. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and delivered you out of the hand of Saul; and I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? . . . Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and taken the wife of Uriah." (2 Samuel 12:7–10)

Leaders are under so much pressure to make people happy (lest they lose their crowds) that they forsake the message of God's holiness and sin's horror, with the result that they gradually turn the gospel of grace into leniency and then license and then believe it themselves and act on it—"Grace will abound, so this one sin will not matter that much."

Perfectly innocent and good things may need to be sacrificed for the sake of vigilance against sin. But this will not happen where we have lost his horror at offending the holiness of God through sin. [end Piper]
I think this is huge problem with many Christians today, including me. We have lost the horror at offending God when we sin. We usually know it’s wrong, (or at least sense it) but it’s like going 5mph over the speed limit. It’s no big deal because, as a general rule, the patrolman will give us up to 10mph over.

A few years ago, I heard a pastor begin to use profanity occasionally. When asked about it, he said it’s not the words we say, but what’s in our heart that matters. Yes, it is very true that our heart is the main thing, but why look for an excuse to use words that the world uses every day for very profane, ungodly things?

But, I make similar excuses when I want to watch a TV show that I should not watch, or partake of a conversation that I shouldn’t, or…well, the list goes on.

Maybe this is the beginning of a renewed sensitivity to sin and the horror of offending God…

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