“Jesus doesn’t invite you to downplay your sin or implore you to brood over it. He invites you to envision your sin erased by His intervention. Hie invites you to see as He does — He sees the depths of your sin and then sees your sin no more.”- Alan Wright
In Chapter 5 (“Repenting: Seeing Your Sin Erased in the Dust”) of Seeing as Jesus Sees, Alan Wright asks how you think Jesus sees your sin. Above all, how does Jesus view you when you are at your worst? Because, Pastor Wright underscores, all authentic spiritual and psychological growth hinges on your answer to those two questions.
Furthermore, Alan looks at three ways we can view our trespasses:
- Deal with guilt feeling by treating sin lightly. As a result, we can rationalize, justify, or redefine our sin.
- Cope with guilt feelings by judging sin to be a serious problem — in others, not ourselves. Consequently, we can hide behind hypocrisy, sidestep our sin through pride, or tip the scales through self-righteousness.
- With Jesus, deal with the predicament of sin through His redemption. Rather than through rebellion or religion.
In other words, people need an authentic encounter with Jesus. Otherwise, they become either rebellious (I don’t really have to obey) or religious (I’m too good to be prosecuted).
Furthermore, Alan suggests, see yourself as the woman caught in adultery. Cowering in shame. Because if you can imagine yourself in that woman’s humiliation, then you can look Jesus straight in the eye. See how Jesus sees you at your worst.
In conclusion, Pastor Wright exhorts:
“Jesus sees your life not through the eyes of your past but through the possibilities of your future. Though Jesus knows the depth of your failings, He isn’t repelled by your iniquity. When you were at your worst, He came near, and He Himself took a lower position.”
Today’s question: Do you truly envision your sin erased by Jesus’ intervention? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Glossing over your sin never heals”
