Trending
I love people. I love the Word of God. And I love bringing the two together. Yet whenever someone sees their life in light of the Bible -- the holy Word of God -- they quickly realize how unholy they are. The reason is simple: the Bible reveals our shortcomings, our struggles and our sin. It reveals everything -- warts and all.
Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see example after example of humanity being selfish and prideful, jealous and angry, anxious and doubtful, lustful, insincere, insensitive, uncaring and unloving. To be perfectly honest, the Bible simply reveals the truth.
As Paul wrote in Romans, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:23). He also declared, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (3:10).
Likewise, David cried out in anguish, "Have mercy upon me, O God… Wash me... Cleanse me... My sin is always before me" (Psalm 51). All of this is difficult for people to accept. It's little wonder that many are turned off by the Bible. Some become angry with it; others even hate it.
I remember when my mom and dad explained the gospel to a young man named Clint and led him to faith in Christ. His lifestyle changed almost immediately. He walked away from a life of anger, deceit and destruction. He stopped getting drunk and he quit using drugs. But as he studied and searched the Scriptures, he realized that it wasn't only the external changes he needed to make; it was the internal changes -- the changes in his heart -- that were most necessary. The problem was that he didn't want his heart to change. He simply wanted to escape his destructive lifestyle. As a result, he became even angrier and more frustrated.
One day, while sitting in our living room, he stood up, threw his Bible against the wall, and shouted, "How do I get out of this club? I want out!"
My mom and dad calmly replied, "There is no getting out. It is the truth. You can get mad at it, ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist, but none of that changes the fact that it is true." Then they reminded him of God's words to Samuel: "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
You see, when God looks at our hearts, He knows we will fail. We all stumble. We all blow it. Yet that does not change the fact that God still loves us. Sin and failure seem to be everywhere. Addictions abound. Marriages fall apart. Children rebel and wander far from the Lord and His Word. People act selfishly, become angry and wound one another. What are we to do? Thankfully, the truth of God's Word not only reveals our sin -- it also reveals our Savior.
The Bible doesn't merely expose our hopelessness; it points us to our hope. The apostle John wrote these encouraging words: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).
John is saying that when we recognize we are sinners -- both inwardly and outwardly -- we can be encouraged because we have an Advocate, One who pleads our desperate case before a holy God. His name is Jesus Christ the Righteous. Jesus is the only perfectly righteous One. He is without sin, yet He willingly went to the cross and died in the place of sinners.
John explains this further with the word propitiation: "He is the propitiation for our sins." This means that Jesus became the atoning sacrifice, the full satisfaction for our sins. You can rest in the assurance that Christ's sacrifice on the cross completely satisfied the righteous demands of God's wrath against sin. God the Son satisfied the holiness and justice of God the Father because you and I never could. But Jesus could -- and He did. He accomplished this for you, for me and for "the whole world."
When you are confronted by this Book--the holy Word of God -- and become aware of your own unholiness, failures and sin, there is a response to make. If you are not a Christian, repent of your sin and receive Jesus Christ by faith. Accept Him as your Advocate, your Savior and your Helper. And if you are a Christian, reflect on this wonderful truth. Rejoice in it. Rest in it. Then be sure to tell others about it.
-- -- -- --
Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week's column comes from Rev. Tim Boger, senior pastor of Big Woods Bible Church in Lock Haven.