Now perceiving it, Simon Peter prostrates himself before Jesus' knees, saying, "Come away from me, for a man, a sinner am I, Lord!"
Luke 5: 8, Concordant New Testament
The young fisherman, Simon, had just witnessed one of the first miracles of Jesus. His once empty boat was now brimming with one of the largest catches he had ever seen. What he could not do after a night of casting nets, Jesus had accomplished in mere moments. By all rights, even Simon had to recognize that this was indeed a miracle. But then, as he realized that he was indeed in the presence of the Christ, Simon did what all too many believers do, he suddenly became unworthy. Unworthy of the affection of His Lord. Undeserving of the bounty which Jesus had just provided for him. In Simons mind it was simple, he simply could not be in the presence of the holy Christ whom he had prayed for since he was young. See, Jesus is indeed holy, and too many times we cannot wrap our understanding around how we, as sinners, could be worthy of the saving sacrifice of Jesus. The reality is that it is because all have sinned that Jesus gave of Himself. But most believers refuse to allow that their sin, which Jesus put to death at the cross, is indeed a thing of the past. I believe that sin is the greatest obstacle we face in coming to know Jesus. Scripture tells us that all have sinned {Romans 3:23}. It's something which we cannot escape from on our own, somewhere along the line we were sinners. However, scripture also proclaims that through Christ our sins are no more in the eyes of God {Acts 13:38, 1 John 1:9}. If we're to bring these so called sins before the Father, we might be surprised when He replies, "What sin?" See, in the eyes of the Father, our sins are a thing of the past. That old sin nature, our old man, was put to death with Jesus at the cross. It is Jesus who became sin that its penalty would be taken away from us {2 Corinthians 5:21}. Knowing this, all too many believers continue to live in the mindset that their sin prevents them from a close relationship with the Father. After all, God is holy and we are but sinners, right?
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loves us, and dispatches His Son, a propitiatory shelter concerned with our sins.
1 John 4: 10, Concordant New Testament
I was once one of the unworthy believers. I was all too aware of all that I had done in my life. On a daily basis Satan reminded me of the dirty rags I continued to wear. I knew the story of the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, but I didn't accept it in my heart. My sin was always before me. I knew that I was not alone in this thinking, because I often heard others speaking to the very same struggles. However, one passage of scripture helped change my view of who I was. The passage which proclaimed that it was the gift of God in that He released me from my former sin nature. Not because I had loved God, but because He loves me {1 John 4:10}. He loved me enough to create me in His own image {Genesis 1:27}. He loved me enough to send His Son in my place {John 3:16}. God knew the burden of sin I once carried, and because of His love for me He took it away. Not too many passages of scripture have affected me as this passage in 1 John. The apostle John lays out for us that it is by the Fathers love for us that we are no longer sinners in His eyes. There is now nothing preventing us from a personal relationship with the Father. This is the desire of the Father after all, that His children would once again return to Him {John 17:21}. Once we realize that God has removed that sin barrier, it opens up a entire new reality in Him. With our old sin nature out of the way, we're free to be in the presence of the Father. Better than that, we're now free to realize what we've always had, the indwelling Christ within us {Galatians 2:20}.
"I don't need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It's not my purpose to punish it; it's my joy to cure it."
William P. Young, The Shack
~Scott~
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