I John 1:8–10
“If we claim not to have sin, we are deceiving ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, then, since He is
trustworthy and just, He will forgive them and purify us from all wrongdoing.”
In order to be in a right relationship with God, we must
understand who we are and who God is. Compared to the
holiness and awesomeness of God, we are blackened by selfishness, pride,
deceit, malice, bitterness, greed… need I go on? The Bible says there is
absolutely nothing we can do to make ourselves right enough to enter into the
presence of holy God. It is only by God Himself that we are made
pure through our trust in Jesus, our redeemer.
For any Christian, this is not news. It is the very
foundation of our faith.
But do we really understand it? Do we understand how much we
have been—and are being— forgiven? Is it for a little or for a lot? It’s so
easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that we only need God to help us smooth
over a few rough patches. But thinking this way only reveals pride. And that’s
no small thing. I am convinced that pride is a far greater sin than the obvious
culprits—sins of the flesh—because it can so easily mask itself as a virtue.
Jesus addresses this in Luke 7:37–47. He is the special
guest at a meal with a Jewish leader named Simon. A prostitute, desperate for
forgiveness, bursts into the room, finds Jesus, and falls down at his feet,
weeping and washing His feet with her tears. She surrenders any false dignity
she may have had and makes a complete spectacle of herself. She is well aware
of what a great sinner she is, but she also knows what a great savior Jesus is,
so she bares all to him and trusts Him to love her and give her grace.
And Jesus does not disappoint. He forgives her and loves her.
He communes with her at the deepest possible level, and her life is forever
changed.
Simon, on the other hand, is disgusted and shocked. Not only
has this filthy sinner entered his house and embarrassed him in front of his
guests, but Jesus is allowing it! Doesn’t Jesus realize that she’s a sinner?
Simon, you see, is deceived by pride. He thinks he is
righteous already because of his title and his respectable standing in the
community. He probably even follows the Torah better than most other Jews. But
he has no compassion or love for this woman, only disgust. His pride has
blinded him to his own desperate need for Jesus—the only one in that room who
could forgive him for his stony, self-righteous heart. But Simon doesn’t see
his need for a savior. He thinks he’s doing just fine on his own.
Jesus’ response to him
is crucial:
“Someone who has been forgiven only a little loves only a
little.”
The truth is that we all need to be forgiven for much—and that
doesn’t stop after the sinner’s prayer. If we truly want to abide in Christ and
walk with Him through this life, we must be able to see our need for Him daily,
hourly, minute by minute.
Don’t be blinded by self-righteousness and pride. Understand
that the chasm of sin that separates all of us from God is massive, but God’s grace
and love for us through Jesus Christ is deeper still!
“God made this sinless Man be a sin offering on our behalf,
so that in union with Him, we might fully share in God’s righteousness. (2 Corinthians
5:21)
