Father, Protect Me from Myself

[This a journal entry from my quiet time with God a week-and-a-half ago. I hope you find it helpful.]

Look: [God said:] “...Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death....Nothing impure will ever enter [the heavenly city], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:7-9, 27)

John receives a vision of the new creation descending to this old creation, supplanting and replacing the old. He describes those who inherit this kingdom in which God dwells in fullness by speaking of who will not be part of it: “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars.” Their place will be in the condemning fires of hell. He goes on to say that “nothing impure will ever enter [the heavenly city], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Listen: No human being, no matter how much faith in Christ they have, will ever be fully free of sin on this earth. We’re sinful by nature. Sin is in our DNA and to fall prey to it is like breathing to us. Our only hope is in Christ, on Whose grace we throw ourselves in trusting faith and through Whom we receive forgiveness and new life we don’t deserve. Thank God for grace!

But these words from Revelation show that willful sinning, insistent sin on the part of believers who simply ignore God and do whatever they want to do, will not enter God’s eternal kingdom. When we willfully go against God’s will--away from true love of God and of neighbor, we build a wall between ourselves and God’s grace. This is what Jesus references when He says that, “every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31)

It’s the Spirit Who, by the Word He inspires, both convicts us of sin and convinces us of the power of God’s grace given through the crucified and risen Jesus, can save even us. It’s the Spirit Who creates faith within us by the power of the Gospel Word about Jesus.

But when we think so little of God’s grace or so little of the Lord Who dwells in His people or so little of ourselves that we turn a deaf ear to the Holy Spirit, we set ourselves up for separation from God and from the life He gives to those who believe in Christ.

Response: Father, when I am tempted to ignore Your clearly disclosed truth about a sin that tempts me, give me the power to resist it. Help me not to make excuses or rationalizations.

There are no excuses or exceptions for a disciple of Jesus to willfully ignore Your will, to sin because I may think it’s a good idea or an excusable breach. Even these sins are forgivable, of course. But the problem with willful sin is that after you’ve done it once, it becomes easier and easier to do the next time and the next. We think that we’re living free as we descend into a life apart from You in this way and may even convince ourselves that these sins are simply part of the freedom in Christ you give to those who believe. But, in fact, we’re only handing Satan, the world, and our sinful selves the shackles to re-enslave us.

Paul wrote to the first-century Galatian church: “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” (Galatians 4:8-9)

The preacher in Hebrews says, chillingly: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” (Hebrews 6:4-6)

Is it possible for those who have experienced the saving grace of God given through faith in Jesus Christ to depart from the faith? The Word seems to say this is possible. Why else would the devil spend so much time trying to take us from Christ? Why else would Peter write to the first-century churches in Asia Minor?:

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

I take comfort from the words of the apostle John:

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (John 2:1)

God loves to welcome home we prodigals.

Respond: Lord, You know me. You know the ways in which I have rationalized and excused my way to the sins I wanted to commit even as I heard Your Holy Spirit telling me to repent and believe, to return to You. Protect me from myself, Father. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen 

[I'm the pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

Just because you've experienced no ill consequences from past unrepented unkindness, injustice, or sin you've committed...

...doesn't mean that there are no consequences to be incurred.

We can be thankful that God "is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing."

But we should also thank God if we're not among those God lets go their own ways.

God disciplines those with whom He is in relationship, His task being--as it is for any good parent--to shape our wills without breaking our spirits. That's what the preacher in Hebrews was talking about when he said:

...the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.” ⁷Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? ⁸If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. ⁹Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. ¹¹Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:6-11)

Almost daily, I ask God to give me the faith and the strength of character to pray not just, "Lord, reign over me," but also, "Lord, rein in all about me that is displeasing to You or destructive of your ends or my good."

Some times, I almost mean it when I pray that prayer.

One day, I know that I will mean it completely. In eternity with Christ, I'll see things more clearly. Along the way, I will even catch glimpses of how desperately important it is to pray that the God revealed in Christ will both reign over me and rein me in.

As I do, my loving God will keep disciplining me in countless ways. I won't always understand or like that discipline. But as I look back on the paths I've taken in my life, I can see with painful clarity the things I couldn't see back then--things like the sinful potholes into which I'd fallen (from which God forcefully extricated me), the bad decisions I almost made, and the depths of God's love for me.

One thing I always try to convey to new parents is that there are two sides to loving a child. Side one is what the psychologists refer to as "unconditional positive regard." That's the unshakable love every child needs to know that she or he has from parents.

The other is discipline: caring enough about a child to structure their lives, to guide them in the right directions, and to force them to face consequences for going in the wrong direction. (Forcing children to face consequences for the minor ways in which they may hurt themselves, others, and God is a great way of helping them to avoid larger and far more consequential breaches of God's loving plan for all of us later in their lives.)

If both sides of love aren't apparent to children, their lives will inevitably veer off into hurtful and self-destructive behavior. Children who receive psuedo-love dealt predominantly from one side of the coin rather than the other, can become real monsters.

God may be slow to anger. But God does discipline His children. God is too good a parent to do otherwise.

God's patience with us when we sin shouldn't be interpreted as weakness on God's part or as proof that God isn't there. Think about Paul's words in the New Testament book of Romans,

...do you despise the riches of [God's] kindness and forebearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed...(Romans 2:4-5)

Individuals, nations, and even church bodies may presume to ignore God's will. When we do, we may interpret the lack of immediate consequences as an indication of God's indifference, absence, or even approval. But even Paul, the apostle of grace and love, reminds us:

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. ¹⁰So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. (Galatians 6:7-11)

I pray that I will take these words to heart and live in authentic love toward all people.

I pray that my country will take these words to heart and turn in faith to Jesus Christ and so begin to treat all people--at home and abroad--justly.*

I pray that my denomination will take these words to heart and repent for its twenty-year rebellion against God and the authority of Scripture.

We mustn't interpret God's patience for anything other than patience. We must all turn to God while we can.

*This is not a political statement, although I pray that love for God and love for others can be openly embraced as a value in our society and in our governments.