No Justification

So it's been quite a while since I last wrote, and it may be quite a while again. Maybe not. I'm getting the itch to write more frequently.

But I'm here today. Because there's a thought that has been going through my mind a lot lately. It's related to some of the struggles I've experienced this year. One of those struggles was leaving Swanton Alliance Church. I wish that our time with these brothers and sisters had gone more smoothly and that we could still be there. And the other has to do with my wife's recent announcement (http://www.simpletruth.me/2011/11/lets-be-honest-folks/), and all the weighty implications of it, too. Between them, there's been a good bit of pain and struggle in my life this year.

And to be honest, I have often felt like blaming people. All kinds of people. Maybe you, if you know me. But that's what I wanted to write about.

As I've watched this year unfold, I've seen reasons to blame my troubles on myself, my wife, my parents, Christy's parents, past churches, friends, etc. I've seen plenty of sins. Now, I can't say for sure that all the struggles I have experienced are the results of the specific sins I've observed. But they could be.

On the other hand, I have seen things happen that seem to justify these sins and choices. I can look back on decisions people made and say, "That was wrong." But then something else happens and it seems to argue in the opposite direction: "Maybe that wasn't such a bad choice after all. Maybe that was done the right way." So which perception is right? Were the things I called sins actually wrong? Or were they right?

I know I'm being rather vague about the things that happened. That's on purpose. I'm not trying to call anyone out or make any public accusations. Instead, I'm grappling with the question, "How can we tell when an action or an attitude is sinful and when it is not?" Or, "How can we prove that we're in the right? How can we justify our actions, even when they don't seem to be good?"

And the conclusion I'm coming to is this: If the Bible says a behavior or attitude is wrong, then it is wrong and sinful. This is true regardless of what future results come about. Future outcomes do not justify past sins. However...

Jesus does. Only Jesus. He is our Justifier. That doesn't mean that He takes all our past sins and makes them right. It means that He takes all our past sins and pays for them by dying for our sins, and at the same time He takes all His righteousness and gives it to us so that we stand before His Father justified. Our sins are not justified. WE are. Because of Jesus.

As I said, I have seen a lot of people's sins pretty clearly this year. My own sins included. And my hope for myself and for all of the other people -- all of the brothers and sisters in Christ whose sins I have seen -- has nothing to do with finding some way to prove that their sins were not actually sins. No such shallow justification provides the hope we all need. My hope for all of us is the justification that came at the price of Jesus' blood. May we all be humble enough to stop trying to justify ourselves in any other way. Let's receive His death- and resurrection-based justification together.

Merry Christmas, everyone. We're receiving quite a gift.