Through A Different Lens

 

For the era will be when they will not tolerate sound teaching, but, their hearing being tickled, they will heap up for themselves teachers in accord with their own desires, and, indeed, they will be turning their hearing away from the truth, yet will be turned aside to myths. 

Paul To Timothy 4: 3-4, Concordant New Testament 

The truth is, I have not set foot in a church service for over ten years.  Why?  Well, it seems that I found a chink in the armor of the mainstream church.  That being the preaching that sin is still present in us all.  Indeed, for many well intentioned believers, sin is the elephant in the room.  We confess to know that Christ died for the forgiveness of sin, yet we continue to live as if His sacrifice had no meaning.  For many years I was that guy seated in a church pew on Sunday listening to the pastor tell me that I needed to seek forgiveness for my sins.  That is, until one Sunday when, after proclaiming that Jesus had indeed given Himself for the forgiveness of my sins, the same pastor invited the congregation to come forward to seek forgiveness for whatever sin they felt was holding them back.  At that moment, I was done.  I was done hearing that Jesus had forgiven me only to have some pulpit pounder tell me that wasn't true at all.  So it was over the following years that I developed a different lens than I had in my younger believer days.  The "Lens" I refer to is that which I believe to be true in my heart.  Don't get me wrong, I have not abandoned entirely the mantra of the mainstream church, I still feel that the gathering of believers is a good thing.  But, that's as far as it goes.  The church insisting to ram down my throat the idea that all have sinned and that this sin penalty still remains despite the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is not something I can get behind {Paul To The Romans 3:23-24}.  What I CAN get behind is the truth of the evangel which proclaims that Christ became sin on our behalf {Paul To the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  What I believe is that through the sacrifice of Jesus, sin has been put to death {Paul To The Romans 6:10}.  The fact that we were once all sinners should no longer concern us.  For through Christ Jesus we are a new creation {Paul To The Corinthians (2) 5:17}.  This is the lens through which I now see myself.  Not as one who has sinned, but as one who is in Christ {Johns Account 14:20}.  

Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for sin, for one who dies has been justified from sin.  Now if wed died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him as also, having perceived that Christ, having been roused from among the dead, is no longer dying.  Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to sin once for all time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God.  Thus you also, reckon yourselves to be dead, indeed, to sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

Paul To The Romans 6: 6-11, Concordant New Testament

Turn on any news station and you will certainly get a crash course on the existence of differing opinions.  These are the different lens by which we view the world around us.  So it is with the lens by which we view the gospel.  While many continue to view it from the lens of the mainstream church, still others see the truth which is spoken of by Jesus and His apostles is scripture.  The apostle Paul speaks to our union with Christ {Paul To The Galatians 2:20}.  The mainstream church?  Not so much.  The church will indeed speak to being "Like" Jesus, but that is a far cry from being in Him.  I've found that listening to local sermon broadcasts has become like watching the tv news.  Within minutes, my lens can immediately notice the church proclaimed message which has been fostered for thousand of years.  I have no doubt that were I to step foot once again into the halls of the mainstream church that I would see the differences between the teaching and what I now know to be true in my heart.  To borrow a phrase from former, and future, president Donald Trump, this church message is indeed fake news.  Now, before I get branded as a heretic once again, keep in mind that I have gone through much meditation and soul searching in order to come to the place I am today.  I do not take the sacrifice of Christ Jesus lightly.  I will not nullify His death by proclaiming that I continue to remain in sin as the church continues to preach.  Who I am is in Christ Jesus. 

~Scott~