Lies about sin

Lie:      Christians are sinners saved by grace.
Truth: Christians are saints who have sin.

This is a stark divide. Who are we – saints or sinners? We can’t possibly be both, can we? To get right to the heart of the matter, the real question is: do we have an un-eradicable, sinful nature carried over essentially unchanged from our state of unbelief? In other words, are we as Christians still essentially, in our hearts, sinful by nature? Can we get our theology straight on this?

In part 1, we learned how idolatry works and what makes it so insidious. In this part we’ll look at what idols actually look like and ask the question, what are the idols that tempt us today? What form do they take and how do we actually worship them? Let’s take some common examples; this list is by no means exhaustive.

Your house – Images of ideal homes are everywhere . . .

Lie: Idolatry is rare.
Truth: Idolatry is common.

When the God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, he meant for each to serve as a foundation stone in the building of his people. No word was wasted. It was a revelation beyond anything men could have dreamed up and it began – at least to our ears – very strangely: “You shall have no other gods before me.” and then right on it heals, the second command: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image.” This second commandment conjures up images (!) of ancient robed figures bowing before huge stone statues. But does this still go on? Or is it an anachronism? Did God overemphasize the importance of idolatry? or is it a timeless and fundamental temptation?

Lie: I’ doomed – I’ve sinned too much!
Truth: The danger of sinning too much (not counting the suffering that it causes), is not that God will stop being merciful, but that we will stop believing we need God’s mercy.

We’ve all been there — we’ve succumbed again to our besetting sin and feel the clouds of doom bearing down on us. But then a few hours pass and the clouds start to dissipate. At this point we can go in one of two ways: . . .

Lie: How I live doesn’t matter as long as I’m saved.
Truth: Our lifestyle reflects what we really believe.

The greatest source of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips but deny him by their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable. — Brennan Manning

As Brennan Manning says, it’s probably the biggest problem in the church today – this disconnect between what we say we believe and how we actually live. More than anything else . . .

Lie: I’m immune to the consequences of sin.
Truth: Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows that he will also reap.— Galatians 6:8

The mind has cliffs. — Dallas Willard

The crimes and misdemeanors of sin come in all shapes and sizes and seriousnesses: all the way from running a red light or lifting a pack of gum, to shouting at your daughter, to murder, rape, adultery, enslavement and pedophilia.
Some appear to get away with it, others don’t. Some bully, whine, bribe or manipulate their way out; others . . .

Lie: Man’s biggest problem is sin.
Truth: Man’s biggest problem is himself.

We have met the enemy and he is us. — Pogo

Sin is our insistence that, despite the overwhelming odds against us, we must have it our way. Obviously this sinfulness has penetrated deeply and infected our entire being. It’s gone so deep that . . .

Lie: Our hidden sins do not affect others.
Truth: Our sins, both visible and invisible, do affect others, especially the ones we love.

No man is an iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine . . .

Lie: Our sinful nature persists, even as Christians.
Truth: We are saints who have sin.

This is a stark divide. Who are we — saints or sinners? We can’t possibly be both, can we? To get right to the heart of the matter, the real question is . . .

Lie: The goal in life is to be sinless.
Truth: Sinlessness makes a poor and frustrating goal. Love is the goal in life.

Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Yes, we should avoid sin and we should be diligent to “make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.” We should also know our weaknesses and shore them up, and make investments in their corresponding strengths.
That said, why is this a lie? What’s wrong with trying to be sinless? Several things: . . .