Sin

[tsmith]

I've really been thinking a lot about what Alex said about sin Thursday night.

TO GOD, SIN IS SIN.

I know that in my life I definitely see some sins as worse than others. It was completely challenging to realize that the sins I think are "okay" - the ones that Gos has mercy on - are the ones that I am most likely to commit, while the ones that are HORRIBLE are just the ones that I cannot see myself ever doing.

I hate that I think of sin that way! I should hate ALL sin, and not just others but my own as well!

Why is it so hard to hate your own sin and so easy to hate the sin in other people's lives?
Am I just turning a blind eye to my own sin? Or do I want to think it's okay to continue sinning? I hope not...

Thanks for the lesson Alex...

[tantelman]

I was very convicted when I realized that most of my life I've been very legalistic. That was due mostly in part to I was realatively a good person. I didn't do anything illegal...(except once and it was a misunderstanding). Anyway, it wasn't untill the last couple years that that pride manifested itself by growing into some obvious sin in my life. It wasn't until a pattern of stumbling and falling, getting back up and dusting myself off, when the realization came from God that he could help me see that "thing" in my life that really kept getting in my way. He was able to show me that, and I was able to decide to avoid that sin. That avoidance became yet another point of pride and sin! GAH! It's interesting how the more we fail, the more we realize how sinful we really are. And how Legalism fades away as we focus on Christ, and daily preach the gospel to ourselves. I hope people understand what I'm saying. What God is really teaching me is mostly unclear at this point, but I'm joyful that he is teaching me, and I my desire is to understand.
_________________
"Good is the enemy of Great"

[tivo]

agreed gentlemen, it is always the sins you struggle with the most that you have the most sympathy for and conversely the sins you see yourself never doing that you tend to judge the most critically. i was like you tony, i always thought of myself as a good kid. i never did anything too illegal, at least more illegal than anything any of my peers were doing, and i kept myself clear of stuff like drugs, alcohol, and women. so far so good, right? thank God that's not where my story ended. it would have been a very sad existence to believe so much in myself only to face Him in His perfection humiliated for eternity in my pride.

we must cultivate empathy and love for those who struggle in ways we could never see ourselves struggling. we must learn to be humbled under the grace of God not only to us, but to whomever He so chooses. when we see the Spirit alive in someone, regardless of history, sin struggles, what have you, i pray we are excited about the hold God has taken on their lives, more so than we are incited to point out the ugliness of their sin, while not seeing the gravity and brutality of our own depravity.