<\/p>\n
\u201c. . . but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us\u201d (Romans 5:8).<\/p>\n
INSIDE ALL OF US IS A DEEP NEED TO SEE OURSELVES AS GOOD PEOPLE. We readily admit we\u2019ve made mistakes, but we like to think that\u2019s all they were: just mistakes. If others knew the extenuating circumstances, they would see how hard we\u2019ve had it and how understandable the errors have been. Even in our confessions of wrongdoing, we often come out of the experience with people thinking more highly of us for being so humble and courageous.<\/p>\n
The gospel, however, asks us to see ourselves not as nice folks but as sinners.<\/em> It was not the inadvertent slip-ups of good people that put Christ on the cross, but the rebellious acts of creatures unwilling to accept the will of their Creator. And lest I think that \u201csinners\u201d is just a reference to the human race in general, I need to understand this: if I were the only person God ever created, my sins alone would have been every bit serious enough to crucify Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n But do we see ourselves that way? Probably not. If I\u2019m giving a talk at the Lord\u2019s Table on Sunday, my eyes may fill with tears as I talk about how \u201csinful\u201d and \u201cunworthy\u201d I am, but on Monday I may bristle with defensiveness if I find out that some of my peers actually do view me as a wicked person. I will probably feel that I\u2019ve been judged unfairly and try to salvage as much of my reputation as I can. But if I cry, \u201cGod, be merciful to me, a sinner!\u201d (Luke 18:13), I need to get comfortable wearing that suit of clothes honestly. If that\u2019s the truth and I really believe what I said about myself, why should I object if others see me the same way?<\/p>\n The gospel is indeed \u201cgood news.\u201d It\u2019s the message of a love so great that it moved God to give the life of His Son for our sins. Rightly do we celebrate the goodness of God\u2019s forgiveness. But those who appreciate it most are those who see the seriousness of their own sins most clearly (Luke 7:47). As long as we live in this world, godly sorrow and repentance will always be the springs from which our joy flows. We can\u2019t have the latter without the former. So when we say Christ died for us \u201cwhile we were still sinners,\u201d let\u2019s be sure we understand exactly what we\u2019re saying.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of us feels the true love of God till we realize how wicked we are. But you can\u2019t teach people that \u2014 they have to learn by experience\u201d (Dorothy L. Sayers).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n