I sinned yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. In fact, I can't make it through a day without sinning in one way or another. Sure I have my "good" days and my "bad" days. Doesn't everyone? So, how much sin is okay in my day or your day? Well, actually, none is okay. Matthew 6:33 states "Be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect." At least that's what it says in English translations. What the Greek (ancient Greek) says is "Be being made perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect." Now that makes more sense because we as fallen sinners (Thanks Adam and Eve) are not capable of being perfect as God is. Be "being made" perfect is a process of sanctification and not permission to be bad. Sanctification is a process by which we die more and Christ lives more in our lives. The more of our life we let go of to Jesus, the more like him we are. We were created in his image and that image doesn't just disappear. The sanctification process is the uncovering of the image of God in each of us. The more we fight the process, the less we see of the image of God in ourselves. The more we surrender and die to self the more of the image of God we see. What we should be doing is seeing how much better the image of God is than the image of Steve. Or yourself.
What would happen if the image of you or the image of I would be totally replaced with the image of God? Well, we would be in heaven then. So, let's just imagine that we are 99.9 percent living the image of God. What would that look like. Maybe that would mean that we only did a "small" sin in a day. What would it look like if we were perfect except that we thought of being selfish? That's just one sin. It's not small but if it was missing from our lives wouldn't that be great! The kicker is that God cannot inhabit that part of our lives that is still seeking to sin. He has given us free will to either be god or to let Him be God. There are no other choices. I read through the "Free" ads in Craigslist instead of doing my blog this morning. Was that a sin? I was being selfish to address my wants before God's wants. But was it a sin? That's where we have this "thinking" problem. We think. When we have the spirit of God indwelling in us, encouraging us in the way to go, and prompting us to choose God over god, we have our needs met and some of our wants. No, reading the Free ads wasn't a sin. It was entertainment, enlightenment (what some people give away!) and let me relax and think about what God wanted me to write about today.
There are two definitions to everything. Only two. There is the definition according to the world which is sin based and there is the definition according to God which is sinless based. Both are extremes and are pitted against each other. The definitions of the world are pitted for the sinful choices of the world. The definitions of God are of his love and mercy and are FOR you and I. Big difference. The first proclaims the "correct" definition which isn't and the second proclaims the "correct" definition and is. Because we haven't relinquished sin in areas of our lives we are living in the definition given by the world with the expected less than perfection outcome. We believe, in this state, that we are honoring the "right" definition while all along that definition is pitted against a Godly life that is ours for the taking. When we surrender our lives to God the Holy Spirit comes into our lives to dwell with us and provide that "most excellent way" of Jesus living through us. Whether or not we know it, the Holy Spirit draws us to let Jesus have more of our unsanctified life by abandoning the definitions of the world. In the world it may be perfectly okay to do this or that, think this or that or even say this or that. Yet it's still wrong. Giving up that area leaves a void where Jesus can now bless us with a better and more perfect way. His way.
These days of perfectly imperfect living should become shorter and shorter as we move forward with a life in Jesus. Thank God who is the author and FINISHER of our faith! For without God the Father who gave us our image, God the Holy Spirit who gives us guidance and conviction and through God the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us life and the forgiveness of sins! Without the Lord we would be perfectly imperfect according to the definition of the world...and lost. With the Lord we are perfectly imperfect being defined by the Word given by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and lived through the Son. Given the condition of the world and the condition of my soul I think I am living below par but on the right track. I won't spend a day on earth without sinning. It's just a fact backed by heavenly verification. However, the process is well worth going through to be more like Jesus and live in the world until he takes me home. It's my choice and I like it!
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