Sin and Repentance

“The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds!” (Galatians 6:8 MSG)

Sin is anything that separates us from God. It leads to decay and destruction. The descent from decency to depravity can be gradual. It may start with a few seeds of selfishness scattered here and there. We may justify it as taking care of our own needs. The Spirit within us may prick our conscience. This takes the fun out of sin, so we learn to disconnect from God.

“There comes that rash leap, so dishonorable, so disgraceful, so full of ignominy and confusion; a leap from the heights into the abyss, from the courtyard to the dung heap, from the throne to the sewer, from heaven to the mud, from the cloister to the world, from paradise to hell.” (St. Bernard of Clairvaux)

Step by step, we go down further into the depths of evil--from honor to dishonor, from grace to disgrace, from clarity to confusion. But we can reverse our degradation! Repentance is the act of turning back toward God. Climbing up a flight of stairs takes more effort than going down. Similarly, the ascent out of evil will take some work. Step by step, we can rise out of the abyss to the heights, from the sewer to the throne, from worldliness to godliness, from hell to heaven.

“But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life.” (Romans 6:22-23 MSG)

Lord, teach us not to listen to the whispers of our sinful nature. Instead, help us discover the delight of listening to Your directions. Empower us to leave the dung heap and climb up to Your courtyard. Heal our brokenness. Put us back together. Make us whole.