Thursday September 9, 2010
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Mark 14:38
Why, with the best of intentions, do we sin? The body of course, is a metaphor for the sinful nature that invades both flesh and spirit. As Paul says, “what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Romans 7:15. Calvin put it this way; we sin necessarily, yet without compulsion. We all sin, but nobody makes us do it.
Despite this, if Jesus today asked the one without sin to cast the first stone, there would be plenty of us bending down to arm ourselves! At least the Jews of Jesus’ day had the humility to recognize their own sin and walk away. The greatest rogues are often the most self-righteous: Iran is conceited enough to want to “push Israel into the sea,” yet proclaims its sinlessness by taking up stones against an adulterous woman!
Saying we have no sin is a contradiction in terms. It is a lie for it is inspired by the greatest sin, arrogance or pride. It is precarious, because pride usually comes before a fall! Furthermore, it is cowardly. We find sin in others to protect ourselves against a subconscious acknowledgment of our own sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment