Contemplating traffic tickets and the problem of sin...
Here's where it all began...a sunny day in Murphy, and I'm on my way to the City of Murphy Municipal Court. I was pulled over by an officer a few weeks ago, due to having an expired registration sticker. The solution turned out to be a simple one, and I had until August 26th to appear at the Court with a copy of my license, my ticket, and my new registration paperwork. I walked in, and was immediately grateful to live in a small community where there is little activity in the Municipal Court. Within 5 minutes, my $20 fee was paid, and I was happily on my way.
As I walked outside, a thought struck me...a reminder of what the scripture says about the impossibility of any one of us keeping 100% of the law perfectly. In the New Testament book of James, a letter written to the church, James is talking to believers about the problem of sin, and the tendency we have to judge others, and to show favoritism in how we treat people.
He says this, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10) Even though James was making a point about judging other people when we have no room to judge, I had another thought as I walked out of the City offices and this verse came to mind. What if I had lived my entire life, up to this moment, without breaking a single rule, or sinning in any way? The truth is, I have made so many mistakes, and fallen short of standards and rules and "laws" so many times in my life, the illustration is bordering on the ludicrous...but what if?
Could I be the person James is describing? Someone who has kept the whole law for my 55 years...and then, at 55 years and 9 months of age, I'm pulled over and given a ticket for: breaking the law at just one point.
In the wisdom and kindness of God, this one event puts me on equal footing with every other sinner who has ever lived. I have become a law-breaker, and am in need of forgiveness. Did the City of Murphy forgive me? No. They prescribed a penalty, and I paid my fine. But, I am still as much a lawbreaker as a result of this one event, as I would be if I had lived a lifetime of sin and debauchery.
We think of "sin" as something that's out there. A spiritual concept. We also have a tendency to compare ourselves to one another, and when we do that, we feel (usually) like we measure up pretty well. We can always find another person who is worse than we are, right?
But here's the rub - the way we think of sin, and the way God defines sin are two very different things, and our opinion doesn't count. Going back to the teachings handed down from God to Moses and the Jewish people, keeping of the Law was always something external and internal. The Apostle Paul says it this way in his letter to the church at Rome, "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." (Romans 2:28-29)
Paul goes on to quote from Psalms, "There is no one righteous, not even one..." What does he mean? Simply put, no one is perfect. No one. Being a little bit better than someone else doesn't matter at all. It's not even part of the equation, as much as we sometimes like to tell ourselves otherwise. Doing your best, trying to be a 'good person,' none of that counts for anything in God's calculus of perfection and righteousness.
There are a couple of ways you might take this news - you might think this is bad news. The worst possible news, in fact. If no one can measure up to God's standard of perfect, why bother? What's the point, if you know you'll never be good enough?
There is another way to take this news, and it's what I want to share with you as Good News. The BEST news. I call it, "We're ALL in the same boat together" theology. Seriously.
In the story of God's desire to be in relationship with us, the problem of sin is dealt with...well, in the most black and white of terms. There is God's standard for perfection: holiness - a completely spotless life. And there is everyone else. All of us. We are, every one of us, imperfect.
In your heart of hearts, you know this to be true. I don't need to tell you, really. At the same time, it's necessary to say it. To be clear. You might be nicer than your neighbor, or the person in your family who is harsh and critical to everyone. You might be generous, and even give to the less fortunate. You might foster children, and rescue dogs or cats. Maybe you volunteer your time at the homeless shelter, or do medical mission work in Haiti. It doesn't matter. It won't add up in God's math.
In God's math, you come up short. I come up short. We all come up short. Except for one.
The man, Jesus. He is God, come to live with us. He came to know life as we know it, and to do life as we have to do it here on earth. He did it perfectly, and without any sin.
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered, and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him..." (Hebrews 5:7-9) It was Jesus' perfection in life that made Him able to be a source of salvation for the rest of us who come up short.
Paul's letters to the churches make up much of New Testament scripture, and the biggest part of what he's trying to explain is this Good News. The Jewish people were the people of Jesus, and yet the Gospel was a mystery to them. It didn't make sense, and certainly didn't look the way they thought salvation would look when Messiah came to deliver God's people. And Paul says to them, "But the Scripture declares that the whole world (italics mine) is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe."
What was God offering? Forgiveness. A clean slate from the problem of sin and imperfection. In accounting terminology, the perfection of Jesus was credited to our account. Not because of anything we did, but because we believe Jesus to be God's perfect sacrifice for our imperfections.
He offered His perfection to me, in place of all of my sins and shortcomings. He paid the price for my shortcomings for all of eternity, and I have accepted it. I accept what Jesus offers as a gift. I couldn't earn it, and it has nothing to do with any good I might try to do in this lifetime. It's a gift, freely given, and freely received.
You need it too. If you don't have an awareness of your need, I pray God opens your heart to know it now. It is nothing you can earn - no matter how hard you might try. No amount of volunteer work or good deeds will make you perfect - it simply isn't possible. The standard is unattainable, except by Jesus. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Comments
Post a Comment