Lies we believe about sin

It's easy to listen to that voice in your head instead of the truth of Scripture. Here's three lies we may get trapped into believing, instead of the reality of being in Christ.

1. "I'm a good person". OK most Christians admit that they are a sinner, but how often is that just a technicality? Really, we see ourselves as basically upright citizens who actually do a lot of good things... Essentially we believe that we are good people just like any non-Christian who gives to charity and does his neighbour a favour every now and then. The problem with this lie is that at its heart, it's comparative. What do we base the fact that we are 'good' on, except for being able to find someone who seems 'worse'? But labelling ourselves as 'good', we are thinking about the people who are easy to label as 'bad' - the prostitutes, the swindlers. But oh wait, those guys, those 'bad' people, those real 'sinners', are the ones Jesus was always hanging out with! (see Luke 15:1-2) It's the elder brother vs the prodigal (read the rest of Luke 15). If you're not the humbled sinner coming home, you're susceptible to be the wrongly aggrieved one standing in the background with arms folded. You'll miss out on the joy of grace and the party. And this standpoint has just as much sin in it as the colourful history of the prodigal; it just looks different. As JI Packer writes in 'Respectable Sins': 'every sin that we commit, even the subtle sin we don't even think about, was laid upon Christ as He bore the curse of God in our place.' We can't start 'grading' sins. The truth is that even our 'righteousness' is as filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6).

2. "My sin doesn't matter, I'm saved by grace." Perhaps we get flippant sometimes because we know God will forgive us. Look at what Paul writes in Romans 6:

'Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.' (Rom 6:1-4)

To wilfully keep on sinning means we haven't really understood the gospel, and we have to realise that sin has a hardening effect on our hearts. Read Hebrews 6 for a sobering reminder of the result of apostasy: being cut off from God. A true fear of God will lead us to obedience. We can have no assurance of our salvation if we live lives that are unchanged by the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. "I can't beat this sin." Going back to Romans 6, Paul says that we are 'set free from sin' (v7). This is not to say we attain sinless perfection this side of glory, but it does mean that we now have power NOT to sin, whereas before we were sinners, in darkness, and without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to sanctify us. It is possible for us to say no to sin, not in human strength but by being 'strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might' (Eph 6:10). Sometimes the reason we aren't seeing victory over sin is because we haven't confessed to others and asked for prayer and accountability.

So there you have it, three lies we get duped into believing about sin. It's only the truth of Jesus in His Word that sets us free, so learn some key Scriptures which will help you fight this battle.

Lessons from Numbers- the danger of rebellion (part 4)

One of the reasons I find reading Numbers so difficult is not so much the chapters which record lists of names and genealogies, but that it focuses on several acts of rebellion on a micro and macro level - rebellion by one or two individuals, or by the whole of Israel - and all of them are judged swiftly by the LORD. Miriam is given leprosy. The sabbath-breaker, at God's command, is stoned to death (ch 15). Moses is told he will never enter the promised land because he didn't follow God's instructions to speak to the rock, not strike it (ch 20). Phinehas is commended by the LORD for spearing an Israelite and his pagan woman (ch 25). And Korah, Dathan, Abbiram along with their families and followers are swallowed up by the earth in an act of devastating judgement from the LORD. (ch 16)

It all seems so harsh; so sudden; so irrevocable. What happened to grace? I'm sure this is one of points where people say 'Look, the God of the Old Testament is just full of judgement. The God of the New Testament if one of love. The Bible contradicts itself!' Or at least, maybe some Christians feel that as we're under grace not law, thankfully these kinds of things don't happen anymore and don't apply to us.

But that viewpoint is not taken by the New Testament writers. In fact, they are hugely influenced by the book of Numbers. Look at what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:

'For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,a that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.'

Paul says that Christ Himself was with Israel all those years in the wilderness! This isn't a case of Jesus coming in the New Testament and suddenly it's all about love. Moreover, Paul sees these accounts as 'examples for us'. Numbers warns readers not to make the same mistakes as Israel, of taking God's commands lightly, forgetting His goodness, hankering after the past and coveting what you do not have. It links all these sins to the heart issue: unbelief. This is still relevant for us today. Whenever we fail to believe God's promises; whenever we choose the pleasures of sin above obedience; whenever we question God's appointed leaders and their authority, we run the risk of behaving in exactly the same way as Israel, and 'with most of them God was not pleased... and were destroyed.'

Hebrews is another epistle very influenced by Numbers, and very focused on warning God's people not to harden their hearts, let sin deceive them, and walk away from the truth.

'For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.' (Heb 6:4-8)

In Numbers, there is no atonement for apostasy. Those who knowingly reject God's covenant promise are disinherited and destroyed. Their unbelief led to disobedience and treating God with contempt. There was no way to undo their sin. They could never enter the land; they died outside the land of promise. The writer of Hebrews similarly gives a stern warning to believers because if they commit apostasy (entering a covenant with God then rejecting Him; this may be done consciously or through persistent, deliberate unrepentant sin), they cut themselves off from Christ, the only sacrifice for sins under the new covenant. As the New Bible Commentary states:

'Nothing is impossible for God, but He offers us no hope of reclaiming those who take a continuous and hard hearted stand against Christ. Those who harden their hearts may reach a point where they are hardened beyond recall.'

The message of Numbers is that none of us can ever get complacent about our relationship with God, and that is supported by the New Testament as well. We are responsible for diligently making our call and election sure (2 Peter 1:10), knowing that if we are still standing at the end, it's because of God's phenomenal grace to us. We can't stay faithful without His enabling, so knowing our own human capacity for weakness and disobedience, we should throw ourselves upon His mercy and grace daily in prayer and ask Him to keep us faithful to the end.

Lessons from Numbers: the danger of rebellion (part 1)

Numbers 11 opens with a sobering verse: 'And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.' We don't tend to see complaining as a serious sin; certainly not one that would cause fire from God to consume us. But then Ananias and Sapphira didn't see their concealment of the full amount of money they received from selling some land as a terrible sin; yet they were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit. (see Acts 5) As the writer of Hebrews reminds us 'Our God is a consuming fire'. (Heb 12:29) If we have lost the sense that God is "dangerous" in that He is unpredictable, holy, awesome and righteous in judgement, then we've lost sight of who God really is.

In this instance, as with many other similar examples in Numbers, Moses intercedes by praying for the people, and the fire dies down. But by verse 4 of the same chapter, the people are complaining again: “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (v4-6) It's almost comical. The minute detail of longing for cucumbers, melons and leeks just shows our human tendency to hanker after the 'good old days' when the reality was far from rosy. Yes, you may have had greater variety in your diet, but in Egypt YOU WERE SLAVES!!! You had to work ridiculous hours in back-breaking manual labour for a cruel Pharaoh who threw your babies into the Nile. It is scary how the grim reality has been forgotten; with a 'grass is greener' mindset, all the people can remember is that the food was better. And so often we can do this too. We can miss what God is doing in our lives now, what amazing plans He has for our future, because we're experiencing hardship and difficulty, and we look back to the past and feel a sense of nostalgia or even a jealous longing to be back there. Perhaps it was an old job or an old relationship. We can kid ourselves that this time was where life was really good, life was really going well, and if we got that old job or old relationship back, then the good times would return too. The problem with this mentality is that it doesn't accept God's right to bring us into times of suffering and difficulty, and the fact that this is good for our soul. If we want to genuinely follow Jesus, we can't go through life seeking good times and avoiding pain at all costs. That isn't the path of the cross.

The Israelites' comment 'there is nothing at all but this manna to look at' makes me feel cold inside. This is just so shockingly insulting to God. They were there in the desert, in the wilderness, and He had miraculously provided food for them through this manna appearing every morning for them to collect. And now in their tone they are dismissing it as just some everyday food-stuff that they're getting pretty fed up with, thank you very much. Can't you vary the menu a bit God?

This makes me feel cold because I know I do it too! My life is just stuffed full of blessings, yet so often I take them for granted and sometimes even reject what God has given me. Perhaps I could rephrase the complaint to 'there is nothing at all but this dirty laundry to look at' for the times when I'm resentful of my domestic duties. Or 'there is nothing at all but this demanding child', or 'this endless workload'... The list goes on. The point is, God has put me where I am right now for a reason, and I need to live each day not longing for a different season, but making the most of this moment and this time.

I'm also really bad at the 'if only' vein of thinking. If only I had made this choice instead of that one, then right now I would be... But would it really be any better? Probably not. It's my mindset that's going to determine whether I am content or not, not my circumstances. (see Philippians 4:12)

In this chapter, God gives the people what they want: meat through the quail that settle above the camp. But He also brings devastating judgment through the plague that hits them as they bite into it. It's a terrifying picture which makes me question, 'how far are you willing to go to get what you want when it's against God's will?' You can see in some people's lives today that they have abandoned God's ways to make choices that are clearly against His Word, and they seem to be enjoying themselves. But the day will come when, if they don't repent, God's judgement will come upon them. Rebellion is always judged; perhaps not always with the immediacy that is often the case in the book of Numbers, but you can know that it is always futile to fight God.

Understanding Proverbs

As I've been going through this Old Testament book, I've been thinking about how much it informs the mindset and teaching of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament. Although Proverbs can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to read through chapter-by-chapter, because of it's bitty nature and it is quite repetitive with lots of different strands and trains of thought, when you do look at the book systematically, a really clear worldview emerges. I think this is key to understanding Proverbs today, and not just looking at it as a bunch of random quotes or pieces of advice.

The biblical worldview as shown in Proverbs mainly covers the areas of justice and sin. The principles clearly taught in the Old Testament law find memorable illustration and examples in these short, pithy sayings. Just as a preacher can really stun you by bringing home some biblical truth with a well-chosen picture, Proverbs is perfect for bringing to life biblical principles in action.

Justice
A key theme on my heart at the moment! The writer(s) of Proverbs have a really clear understanding of God as a just God and therefore he has utter confidence that evil will be punished, truth will out, and the righteous will be vindicated. 'He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.' (Prov 2:8) 'It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.' (Prov 21:15) It is a real temptation for God's people to envy those who seem free from moral restraint, who indulge in sinful pleasures and sometimes seemingly without consequences. But many proverbs remind us that there is a price for sin, and it doesn't pay. 'Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.' (Prov 23:17-18)

Sin
Proverbs exposes the very nature of evil and sin as something at the heart of us, not just limited to the actions we commit externally. Proverbs changes the way that we think, because it constantly emphasises that our thoughts make us who we are. People's actions in Proverbs are linked back to their thoughts; and motives are seen as crucial when the Lord looks at us and weighs up our deeds: 'The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.' (Prov 17:3) The father urges his son 'let your heart keep my commands' and to write mercy and truth 'on the tablet of your heart' (Prov 3:1,3). One of the most famous verses in the book says 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding' (Prov 3:5). The message is clear: if we get our hearts right, then our thoughts and actions will be pleasing to God. God hates 'a heart that devises wicked plans' (Prov 6:18). The many passages about the dangers of a seductive woman warn the hearer to not lust after her beauty in your heart (Prov 6:25), because that will soon lead to physical adultery. The overall message of the book is 'Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way.' (Prov 23:19)

This is not to say that we can somehow achieve our own salvation by changing ourselves and becoming 'good' people. But as believers, part of God's chosen people, washed clean from sin, we do have a divine calling on our lives to be righteous (see 2 Peter 1). The distinction the Psalms so often make between the righteous and the wicked reflects this (see Psalm 1). The descriptions of men like Noah and Job as righteous also indicate that there is a righteousness the people of God can possess through the power of His grace and Spirit.

Proverbs gives us a healthy reminder that our thoughts and actions matter greatly to God; He despises hypocrisy, and He calls for us to live in purity as He is pure. Reading through the book, I've felt challenged to care a lot more about my thought patterns and see that as who I really am, rather than the pretty good Christian I project to the world through being a very 'respectable' person. If I look purely at the person I am around other people, and my actions, then I can kid myself that I'm doing pretty well at living the Christian life. It's when I dig deeper and look at my heart, that I am forced to confront the ugliness of my motives, my pride and my envy of others, that all too often I skilfully mask. Proverbs urges me to get to the root of sin and cut out these evil thoughts and eradicate them from my mind, and only then can I really be the person God wants me to be.