In the
last couple of years, I’ve seen a Good Friday trend that troubles me. It tends
to come with a reading of the crucifixion of Christ, dimmed lights, and the
wailing of people moved by their sin.
Read that line again. People moved by their sin. I say that
knowing that in my own heart at such services, there is a sinful temptation to
take on everything I’ve ever done “wrong” and feel guilty that it’s because of
me that Jesus died. I find no Biblical basis for mourning over our sins once
Christ has redeemed us, or for taking back our sins and guilt from the foot of
the cross so that we can have a spiritual experience all over again. Surely sin
is to be avoided, hated, and condemned.
Let me be clear: there is a space
for mourning, grieving, and sorrow. In this world we will have trouble, and we
will suffer, the Bible tells us so. But sin is not worth wailing over or
mourning for because Jesus has conquered it. He defeats us, His Spirit indwells
us, so onward and forward we look to our Lord and waste no time on our selfish
obsession with what we have and haven’t done.
In faith we ask forgiveness and
repent. Focusing on our depravity is hardly connected to what our faith is
founded on: God revealed in His son, Jesus Christ, who is with us. Our redeemer
lives!
What a mistake we make when we look more to
our faith –or lack thereof- than to His faithfulness.
All sorts of folly devolves from
this perspective, causing our feet to slip on His path of righteousness. For
example,
1). We treat sin as if it is merely making mistakes….
Turning God into a harsh, petty, ungracious
entity.
2). We border on thinking that God was mistaken to send
Jesus to die…
Forcing
ourselves to create false theories for the atonement.
3). We misplace all emphasis on the cross…
Neglecting
the necessity of the resurrection.
4). We use our guilt as a tool for redemption…
Backwardly believing that we are
now more worthy of salvation.
5). We make Jesus a means to our ends…
Setting
ourselves on His throne, but in His name.
“For the wages of sin is death”, says Paul in Romans 6:23.
In John 15:22 we read
that we “now have no excuse for our sin”.
Further, we are made
to understand that “while we were still
sinners,
Christ died for us” -Romans 5:8.
This was because “He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning
sacrifice
for our sins” -1 John 4:10.
We must make no
mistake about who God is when we remember His sacrifice!
Our God is faithful
and has never failed those who seek His face. Even those who seek His face are
unworthy. All have fallen short of His glory! Yet He has never left us or
forsaken us. In all things, He has remained. From the beginning of time, He has
promised to redeem us solely because He is good. His mercy has kept us from
getting what we deserve –hell. And His grace has freely established us in the
place of His favor, though we don’t deserve it –transformed by Jesus Christ.
Our God is just. He
doesn’t change His mind about what we deserve or give anyone a free pass, but
rather sent His son to be the ultimate sacrifice, once and for all, that we
could be washed in His blood and have new life. Someone had to appease the
wrath of the God who is righteous. That God chose to provide for us this lamb,
at great cost, is evidence of His unimaginably loving, compassionate character.
Our God is worthy of
praise. As we look at the cross and marvel at what He did for us, let us
worship Him. Sin can be confronted. It ought to be. The reality of the fallen
nature of this world and humanity are an important aspect of recognizing the
opposing nature of Christ, in all His glory.
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