There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.

  - Psalm 38.3

Come to help me, for the multitude of my inveterate sins have made dense my too guilty heart; they have bent me, perverted me, have blinded me, have twisted me and withered me...

  - Anonymous, Litany of Confession, Irish, 15th century[1]

Sin is a terrible power. It is to be neither ignored nor taken lightly. The present attitude of not making a big deal out of sin reminds us of nothing so much as the Corithian church, which Paul scalded and scolded into doing what was right.

Sin is spiritual cancer. It eats away at our affections, poisons our minds, compromises our values, and corrupts our lives. It’s no wonder the Scriptures command us to hate sin (Ps. 97.10). We may think we can get by with a little self-indulgent, secret sin or two, but we’re setting ourselves up for disaster at some point. We may think that having in our churches people who flaunt their supposed righteousness while concealing wickedness in their hearts is merely the norm these days; yet the Holy Spirit does not share that opinion (cf. Acts 5).

The psalmists described the wearying effects of sin harbored in the soul. It pollutes the whole being, cuts us off from fellowship with God, and deflects our prayers from His holy ears (Ps. 66.18). The best thing to do with sin is to face up to it, confess it, denounce it, and then set your life on another course.

But sin isn’t much talked about in churches today. Too negative and old fashioned, I suppose. We don’t want people to feel like they’re sinners; we want them to know we accept and love them just as they are.

What, we can’t do both?

Of course we must love even the worst of sinners, but that doesn’t mean we may overlook sin in them any more than we should overlook it in ourselves. Sin is corrosive and destructive wherever it lurks, and our calling, in loving our neighbors as ourselves, is to help them escape the clutches and snares of sin with as much fervor and forthrightness as we should direct toward ourselves.

Jesus’ attitude toward sin was not to wink at it, as though it were but a small thing. He exposed the sins of wicked people, confronted them in their self-centered ways, humilitated them for their hypocrisy, and drove them and their sinful practices from the house of prayer. We would find such an approach to sin shocking and unacceptable.

But then, we seem to know better than the Lord in so many areas of “Christian” life.

The promises of God that lead us to intimate communion with the Lord will always elude us as long as we regard sin as a light matter. Until we have escaped the corruption of sin, we will never partake of Jesus (2 Pet. 1.4). This is not a call for perfectionism of life, which is not possible. It is rather a call for diligent and consistent confession and repentance, whenever the Lord convicts us of sin in our lives or our churches.

When the early church faced up to sin and dealt with it according to the leading of the Spirit, the Word of God increased, and the church grew in holiness and power.

Today, when the Word of God is not increasing in our society, and when the church is not growing in holiness and power, we need people, led by the Spirit, who will help us come to our prodigal senses, repent of our self-serving ways, and return in humility to our Father, Who waits for us eagerly.

Are you willing to be one of those?

Psalm 38.17-22 (Leoni – “The God of Abraham Praise”)
My sins I now confess; my anxious soul relieve!
Though foes are strong, Lord, heal and bless all who believe!
Forsake me not, O Lord!
Repay my foes with wrath.
Stand by me with Your saving Word and guard my path!

I’m a sinner, Lord, but in what ways? Let me not hold on to any sin which keeps me from communing with You.

The Rule of Law
This week, in our In the Gates column, we begin a new series on “The Rule of God’s Law”. Everyone is ruled by some law; only one Law can fit us for loving God and our neighbors and knowing full and abundant life in Christ. The Law of God enables us both to know our sin and to discern the path that Jesus walked in righteousness (Rom. 7.7; 1 Jn. 2.1-6). If you have not been reading In the Gates, I encourage you to visit the website for each day’s installment in this important subject. Further, each week we offer a video introducing that week’s study. Be sure to watch each week’s video as well.

Two books on the Law of God are available in our bookstore. The Foundations for Christian Ethics shows why the Law of God is so important to living full faith in Christ. You can order a copy by clicking here. And The Law of God offers a compilation of all the statutes and precepts of the Law, arranged under the Commandment (of the Ten) which it elaborates, clarifies, or illustrates. This can be a useful resource for meditating on God’s Law daily, and you can order your copy by clicking here.

Thanks to those of you whom God has moved and enabled to support our work with your gifts. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.
T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.