We need to confess and repent of our sins. Accepting the gift of salvation is great, but if it doesn't lead us to a change in heart and behaviour, it's hollow and false. This is an ongoing struggle, because humans naturally want to feel comfortable, happy, in charge, etc. Our very nature is to chase the things that promise happiness and pleasure. That's always a lie, though, because the "things of this world are passing away, here tomorrow, but they're sure not here to stay" (DC Talk, "Things of this World", Nu Thang). We are not worthy of salvation, but even so Jesus lifts us out of the mud of our own sin, gives us fresh clothing, and tells us to "go, and sin no more." (John 8.11)
Go and sin no more.
Jesus said this to the woman caught in adultery. He got all of her accusers to bugger off by pointing out that they were all sinners, too, and only sinless folks should be punishing anyone else. And then He asked her where her accusers were. She looked around and said they all had left.
"Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."
John 8.11, NRSV
Now, I wasn't there, but I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't stutter when He said that.
Note the important parts here. He says He doesn't condemn her, not that what she did wasn't sin actually. He says not to do it again, not that she can go ahead and keep doing whatever she wants.
When we condemn someone, we are expressing complete disapproval of them in public. In the legal system, when people are sentenced (particularly with corporal punishment) they are being condemned.
Condemnation is a pretty common thing in society today. That's what being cancelled is. With condemnation, there is no opportunity for repentance, no chance to right your wrongs, no presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.
Sin is the very thing that keeps us from truly knowing God. It looks great and feels good, and we think it's awesome when we start. But because it separates us from God, it is empty. When we repent, we turn away from sin and pursue righteousness instead. It's not easy, but it's worth it.
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger son goes to his dad and asks for his inheritance so he can go do his thing and be his own man. In the context of the day, asking for his inheritance is tantamount to telling his father, "I wish you were dead." And his father, heartbroken, gives him what he wants and lets him go.
The son heads off into the world and has a blast. He's got money for days, and he pays for prostitutes and food and probably drugs and so on and so forth.
But the money runs out, and then he hasn't got anything. The prostitutes didn't love him, they were paid for their services and then they were gone. The people he partied with weren't interested when he couldn't pay their way anymore.
He ends up tending pigs for someone. He sleeps in the muck and eats the slop he feeds them, and he's expected to be grateful for this horrid job (pigs are really smart but also can be awfully vicious, plus he's Jewish and pigs are unclean).
Finally, he realizes he's being stupid. His father is not actually dead. And looking around at his lodgings, he thinks to himself, "even the lowliest slave in my father's house has it better than this."
So he gathers up his courage and his filthy rags, and he goes home. He decides to apologize to his father and ask him to let him be a servant. He doesn't need a room in the main house, even. Just a good, safe place to live.
When his father sees him coming, he drops everything and races to his son. The younger man confesses his wrongdoing and asks for mercy.
And his father?
His father is so excited to see him again. He thought that would never happen. His son was lost in the world, he was dead, but he's back and he's alive. He calls for his servants and tells them to prepare a welcome feast for his son, to provide him with fresh, clean clothes, and to tell everyone around that he's back.
This is where the story usually stops in our retellings, because we're focused on the story of the young man who left and "enjoyed" debauchery but returned to his family in the end. But there's an older son in this story, one who resents this joy and celebration.
While his kid brother was gone, he had assumed more responsibility and had to do more work than he had to do before. And now he comes to his father and tells him he's mad.
"While he was gone, I did all this stuff for you and I haven't even gotten to have a nice party with my friends. Why are you having a big party for him when he said he wanted you dead and then went and did who knows what with terrible people?"
And his father turns to his eldest boy with love and concern and tears in his eyes. "My son," he says, "You have been here with me all along. I depend on you, and you will inherit everything I have. You never asked for a party, but if you want to have one, go for it. Right now, though, your brother has come home. We thought he had died, and I know that he has done many wrong things while he's been away, but I love him and I am so glad he is back. I am going to celebrate him right now, and tomorrow we will talk about his position and what he needs to do to stay here. Come, rejoice with us."
In this story, the father is God. The younger son is all of us when we sin. And the older son is all of us when others repent and return to the fold.
My favourite version of this story doesn't include the older son, but it is amazing and beautiful and you should listen to it.
Every week in the Anglican Church (and in other liturgical churches) we have a general confession. This is based on the understanding that humans are fallen. We fall for lies, we chase after things that aren't good for us, we do things we shouldn't do. That's all normal stuff. So we have a time of confession where we can speak to God of the things we know we did that are separating us from Him, and ask forgiveness and mercy and promise to do better moving forward.
The corporate prayer in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) follows:
Almighty and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
BCP, pp. 4-5
Here's the more modern version, in the Book of Alternative Services (BAS):
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your name. Amen.
BAS, p. 217
Something I've noticed over the years is that the BCP really does emphasize this foundational understanding of who we are, while the BAS downplays it. This is a sign of how the world has wormed its way into the Church.
See, if humans are fallen beings whose nature leads them to pursue pleasure above all else, then obviously we need to confess weekly (honestly, daily wouldn't be out of place and that's why the Daily Office is a thing) and repent and change our behaviour.
But the world doesn't like that. The world thinks that this emphasis on our fallen nature is bad for us because it makes us feel bad about ourselves.
So instead of focusing on God and repentance and changing ourselves and our behaviours, the world would have us focus on ourselves and being sorry for doing bad things but we don't actually have to change anything because we're good as we are.
The thing is, participation trophies don't make anyone feel better about themselves, either. Passing kids from one grade to the next when they haven't actually met the academic standards doesn't help them feel better about themselves, it eventually leads to them feeling unintelligent and incapable of doing anything, because they are so far behind their peers academically even though they're in the same grade.
All humans are created by God and worthy of respect and dignity because of that. At the same time, all humans are fallen and continue to fall into temptation and sin, which separates us from God and conveys on us a stark debt: our very lives.
God has standards for our lives. We all fail to meet these standards, because we are headstrong and want what we want when we want it, and sometimes we're willing to do whatever it takes to get it. This failure is sin. It is normal, it is natural, but it is not good.
God loves us; He loves all of His creation. He is distressed by our separation from Him. That's why Jesus came and died on the cross.
All wrongdoing has a cost, and sin's cost is death. When Jesus died on the cross, He took all of our sin onto Himself. He paid that price on our behalf, and when we accept His sacrifice we are made new in Him and able to come close to God once more.
But we do have to accept it. We do have to accept our fallen nature and accept Jesus's sacrifice as necessary. Only then can we be adopted children of God and live in right relationship with Him.
Peace & Blessings.
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