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I've been thinking lately about the things that I find in my life that are considered ok by the standards of society, but not "ok" by God's standards. I think the largest problem here is accepting that God's standards are the ones taht need to be lived by. The ones that need to be obeyed before your own level of right and wrong even get a say in the situation.
The question is, with most people, what is considered "sin"? What is it? I mean, to most it's the things that are wrong by anyone's standards. Murder. Adultry. Lying. Cheating. Slander. On and on and on. And I won't detract from this. It is sin. But the question is, where does this so called "Major" sin end, and the "minor" sin begin? At least, that's the question that the secular world asks. Where does the sin that doesn't anger or grieve God begin?
The answer have isn't for the faint of heart. It isn't for those who fence sit. If you think that murder is ok, but getting drunk is fine, or you think that lying is wrong but verbal abuse is fine. Do you think "Oh well, that isn't a big deal."? Do you go through life avoiding what society says is wrong but giving in to what society considers "not a big deal"? Well, let me tell you something that I learned this week:
It is a big deal.
It's a very big deal. Most people think that, when you sin, you sin against yourself or someone else. Wrong. Wrong and wrong again. You couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, of course, you've sinned against another human, and you should apologize and make ammends where you can, but the bigges thing is this: You've sinned against God. If you've lied to a friend, you've lied to God.
Infact, John, the favored Apostle, teachs the EXACT opposite of what the world teaches. See here in in 1st John 1:8-10 says:
"8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
Look at verse 10 again. If we claim we have not sinned, we make HIM out to be a liar....Think about that for a moment. Not only are you lying to youself and everyone around you, but you're implicating GOD in that lie as well. It's like saying "Hey, how are you doing with your struggle with sin?" And you say to me "Awwe, geez, Matthew. You know I don't sin. God's got my back on that one."
This is...that's huge. Think about sin for a moment. Think about what it is, what it did. It is a direct disobeyment of God's commands. There's no two ways about that. You sinned, you broke one of God's laws. And I learned recently through a man wiser than myself that sinning is a personal affront to God. He doesn't just view sin and go "Ahh, well, look at that, there they go again." No. It grieves him, and it angers him.
When I sin I can only immagine that what happens, what goes through God's mind is something like this....you know what? I was going to try to write an example. I can't. The human language lacks words that describe a deep state of sadness. A sadness so deep the very soul is bleeding. There is no way to talk that out as an example. It just simply is. You've heard of a broken heart? Think about the pain that must be needed to break the heart of God. Think about how much my sin, your Sin hurts him. Every time we sin, we break the heart of God into a thousand pieces.
A perfect example of this Matthew 20:33-37
Please note the context, Jesus is speaking with the Pharises at this point.
"33"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
Note this: Even though Jesus is having an outright argument with these people His heart is still broken by the fact that they will not let Him gather them together for the Father. That the insist on going there own way, and striking back at the very One who came to save them in the first place.
Infact, even when God Himself struck out at Jerusalem for their sin, He was grieved by it, and stopped the destruction before it was complete. Note that here in 1 Chronicles 21:14-17 David had disobeyed God, and God was visiting his judgement upon Israel for David's folly.
14 So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah [a] the Jebusite.
16 David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
17 David said to God, "Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O LORD my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people."
Even in his anger, God was grieved by what was happening. So much so that He told his Angel to stop what it was doing. His grief was overwhelming. Can you immagine that? If you are a father or mother you can. You're punishing your child for something, and you know that, no matter how sad it makes them, once your anger subsides, you will feel awful for having to discipline the child.
How much worse is it for the Father? He struck out at Israel in His perfect anger. But His grief was so much that He stopped. He told the angel to stay it's hand. Can you immagine that? Immagine being God for a moment. Yes, you're omnipitant. Have fun, but, think ...just a moment, that the people you chose, you love more than...ANYTHING, has done something so horrendous against you that it means you need to rebuke them in an equal fashion.
No immagine that your grief is also God-sized. Immagine the wrenching at your heart for that. The closest thing I can think of here on earth is the death of a child. Only, in this case, it's 70 thousand of your children. A mother's grief at losing her child is probably the paramount level of grief in this world. Multiply that by 70 thousand and you get the smallest picture of God's feeling.
The sin in this picture is so great that it causes this. Not only have you sinned, but you've caused grief to the One that loves you more than anything. And, I have to think, in this case, God must have wanted to send Jesus then, to get this over with. To finally, once and for all end the insanity that was plaguing His world.
But it wasn't the right time. Now think about that in terms of today's world. Jesus has come, he intercedes on our behalf. He takes away the sin of the world, and brings us holy, and white as snow, pure as a bride before her husband, to the Father.
Yet there is still sin. And it still grieves God. How he must want to finally bring the world to it's end, to remove his children from the world and bring them home to Him. To hold them close again, for eternity. But He won't. He knows that it's not the right time. There are still people out there to save. People looking for more who need to be called home. I can't immagine being God. The agony every day must bring when we break his heart. But the boundless love that covers that, and the anger at being sinned against, but the forgiveness that flows. It's enough to make a human brain explode.
Just...something to think about.
Jude 1:24-30
24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
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Posted by Daegen on 2008-07-09 16:35:15 | Rating: | Views: 91
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Glad you like it :) It's always nice when someone appreciates your work :D
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Posted by Daegen
on 2008-07-11 18:50:14
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very good work
may God bless you
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Posted by good_news
on 2008-07-17 14:57:49
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You are so right I do not want to do what the world excepts just because it does not seem so bad. If its a sin its a sin no matter what leval it is they are all sins against God. Good subject LANA
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Posted by michelle8angels
on 2008-08-07 01:45:17
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Thank you much :D I know this comment is a tad late >.< Sorry.
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Posted by Daegen
on 2008-09-30 19:35:09
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