Far better than lies

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God!

(1 John 1:8, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 7, 2016)

[8] If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The church as a place where forgiveness is declared (John 20:22-23)

The resurrected Christ has established His church as the kingdom of heaven on earth. From the first century disciples down to the worldwide assembly of his people today, we have a sacred role to play in declaring the Word of our King. That Word announces the fullest forgiveness to all who put their trust in Jesus and who turn from their sins.

[19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [20] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:19-23)

The church's message of forgiveness is based on what Jesus has done. He is the one who was was wounded for our transgressions and He is the one who sends us the Word of peace from heaven.

What is sin and why is it such a controversial topic?

The catechism tells us that “sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God.” From the earliest age of our conscious memory we have understood that God was calling us to obedience. We were called to honor father and mother as those who had authority from above for order in the home. When we preferred self to the obedience of love, we learned sin.

Sin has become a very controversial topic over these many centuries because the authority of God as a Law-Giver over all has been denied. Ancient understandings of right and wrong have been rejected. Just as the Lord warned so long ago in Romans 1, we have embraced a lie:

[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. [19] For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [20] For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [21] For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [22] Claiming to be wise, they became fools, [23] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
[24] Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [25] because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:18-25)

Ultimately, sin has become a very controversial topic because there is a battle being waged for our souls. While sin shows up in countless violations against God's specific commandments, the root of it is in pride and treason against the Almighty. Rosario Butterfield, the author of “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert,” writes, “Pride puffs one up with a false sense of independence. Proud people always feel that they can live independently from God and from other people. Proud people feel entitled to do what what they want when they want to.” Yet when we feel the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit, when the battle for new life might seem to be gaining ground, our old flesh may resort to imagining sin to be only a small offense against an very small god who is either not there at all or cannot really be concerned about us. Butterfield writes, “Sin is not a mistake. A mistake is taking the wrong exit on the highway. A sin is treason against a Holy God. A mistake is a logical misstep. Sin lurks in our hearts and grabs us by the throat to do its bidding.”

The temptation of self-deception

We know that we have minimized sin and that our God is too small when we say that we have no sin. This is a tempting self-deception. We need to hear the Word of God again and apply it to our own souls. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” “You shall have no other gods before Me.” “You shall not covet.”

We need to fight against wrong understanding of sin that administer a word of health to us without even confronting the disease. If sin is so small that we can imagine that we don't have it, the cross of Christ is emptied of its necessity and its power, and we are left in our pretend world as the CEO of our own imaginary corporation.

Sin is pride. Sin is idolatry. Sin is treason.

We don't get to determine the penalty for sin, because we are not God. Consider the sanity of David when he went below the surface underneath his adultery and murder:

[51:1] Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
[2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
[3] For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
[4] Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:1-4 ESV)

The dangers of self-deception

Unless and until we are able to receive the Word of God concerning sin, we are in a very dangerous spiral of self-deception that leads to death, and the truth is not in us.

Confronting the facts may be quite costly, as it certainly was for any believer from Moses in Exodus 5:22-23 to Rosaria Butterfield in the present day. Yet the benefits that come from the truth are substantial. The truth of God in us is the beginning of a new life. Again David writes:

[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10 ESV)

This is what our soul longs for, and this is the spiritual provision of the Father for us through Jesus the Son. This is the truth of God that makes all things new. Let that truth of Christ dwell richly within you, and grow in the grace and knowledge of God. That road is greatly superior to every false substitute.

Old Testament Reading—Joshua 7:10-26 – The Sin of Achan

Gospel Reading—Luke 4:31-37 – Casting out unclean spirits