*Sarpali.us

A New Sin Category
Have you ever done something unintentionally? Some act performed or word spoken or thought had that you only later realized had an impact other than what you intended?

Sure you have. And so have I.

While we may have a category for the unintentional, I don't know that we have a category for unintentional sins. We tend to think of sin as something willful, or intentional. We picture sin as something we consciously do (or do not do) when it comes to God's commands and our pursuit of obedience to Him.

Hebrews 9, like so much of God's Word, breaks down preconceived categories for me. In the chapters leading up to this one, the author of Hebrews helps his readers understand the connection between the law, priests and sacrifices of the Old Testament with the sacrifice and role of Jesus. And as he writes about the high priest of the Old Testament entering the Most Holy place, he says this in verse 7:

but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.

This word "unintentional" stopped me in my tracks. I've loved the correspondence of God's Old Testament system to the glorious role and sacrifices of his Son. Don't we all? We all love the idea of God's atoning for our sins and well we should!

But this word sheds some light on just how pervasive and deep our sin really goes. God is so holy, that He demands a sacrifice for even the unintentional sins of His people.

Do you see yourself as a sinner saved by grace? What about an unintentional sinner saved by grace?

This thought rips us from the idea that we're basically good, but sometimes do bad things. It takes us off our pedestal of being merely responsible for our sin (which we most certainly are) to being DEAD in our sin. We're so bad, we even sin unintentionally!

While we certainly have weaknesses and shortcomings, we must always be careful to call sin, sin.

Intentional Redemption
I love that God never leaves us with bad news by itself. He cripples our will and our self-exalting, back-patting selves with the awful news of our eternal debt in our sinful condition. But then, He lifts us up with great, glorious news of redemption that cost him His Son and yet is so freely offered to us.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
(Hebrews 9:24-26 ESV)

God intended these Old Testament rituals (e.g. sprinkling of blood, high priest entering the most holy place, sacrifices, etc.) as copies of true, heavenly things. We as New Testatement Christians have the blessing and benefit of looking back through the lense of history (via God's Word) to see how it all connects.

God intended your redemption from unintentional sins. God has put away the sins of those He saves "once for all" by "the sacrifice of himself."

Perpetual Worship
The concept of unintentional sins ought to remind us that our intentional obedience doesn't cover our debt to God. Only Christ can accomplish that. But this message is not simply for us to implant in our minds; it ought to be flowing through our veins into a life that bears fruit. We read later in Hebrews...

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:19-23 ESV)

We have full access to the God of the universe. No more animal sacrifices. No more physical holy place. Jesus broke that all down.

Let us hold fast to our confession of faith and draw near with confidence to the throne of God. We have access because Christ has accomplished our redemption and brings us close in his gracious love.

The Wilderness
Christians love to talk about the wilderness. We see so much of ourselves in the Israelites and indeed we should! The history of Israel's time in the wilderness is marked by grumbling, idolatry and discontentment. Yet for some reason we like to use the analogy of the wilderness as a comforting thing in our own journey of walking with God.

Should we think of the wilderness as a good thing?

I'm reading a book by Andrew Murray called, "The Master's Indwelling" and it has been excellent so far. In this book, Murray emphasizes our need to pursue peaceful rest in God alone amidst a life tainted by the results of sin.

In his chapter titled "Waiting On God" Murray says

"The very secret of the Christ-life is this: presence that whether it was Judas, who came to betray him, or Caiaphas, who condemned him unjustly, or Pilate, who gave him up to be crucified, the presence of the Father was upon him, and within him, and around him, and man could not touch has spirit. And that is what God wants to be to you and me. Does not all your anxious restlessness, and futile effort, prove that you have not let God do his work? God is drawing you to himself. This is not your own wish, and the stirring of your own heart, but the everlasting Divine magnet is drawing you. These restless yearlings and thirstings, remember, are the work of God. Come and be still, and wait upon God. He will reveal himself."

"Be still before God, and wait, and say: 'Oh, God, take possession. Reveal Thyself, not to my thoughts or imaginations, but by the solemn, awe-bringing, soul-subduing consciousness that God is shining upon me bring me to the place of dependence and humbly.'"

These words were very challenging to me. How frequently I fail to cast my anxiety on him because of my doubt and my unbelief.

While these words were a punch in the stomach, Murray delivers another punch, this time to the head, as he uses the story of israel in the wilderness as an analogy of our failure to enter this rest God has so richly offered us. After outlining Israel's murmuring and discontentment, he writes,

"Your life in the wilderness has not only been a life of sadness to yourself, but of sin and dishonor to Good. Every deeper entrance into salvation must always be by the way of conviction and confession; therefore, let every Christian be willing to say: 'Alas! I have not lived that life, and I am guilty; I have dishonored God; I have been like Israel; I have provoked him to wrath by unbelief and disobedience. God have mercy upon me!' Oh, let it go up before God -- the secret confession: 'I haven't it; alas! I have not glorified God by a life of land in the rest.'"

There are times in our lives of anxious restlessness, which we sometimes quickly associate with the wilderness. We feel like we're waiting and wandering while we wait for God to give us clear direction. But in many cases, God HAS given us clear direction. He's created a place of promise and rest for us and we are keeping ourselves from entering into it.

Jesus/Joshua
As Joshua led Israel into God's rest, so does Jesus bring us to God. That is why he came to earth and died on the cross; so that we might find peace with God. Too often we, as Christians, try to muster up peace and contentment in ourselves. We cannot do it. We must rely on Jesus to lead us into that place of peace and joy and contentment. Jesus is not leading us through wilderness... He's wanting to lead us out of it.

Promised Not Perfect
On this side of eternity, our peace with God will not be perfect and we shouldn't mistake a lack of perfection for a lack of peace. We still have sinful flesh and are living in a fallen world. Jesus does not promise relief from temptation and suffering and trials. In fact he promises we will have them!

However, as Christians, we have the blessing and comfort of peace that passes all understanding and joy in the midst of struggle. The reason why is that we have all we need in Christ. We have been reconciled to the God of the universe and everything else simply pales in comparison.

We have peace with God. And this peace is a promised land on the opposite side of slavery to sin.

I turn 30 tomorrow. Here's 30 things I've learned before turning 30:

1. God really does work everything together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

2. Marriage is a great blessing and a gift from God full of unspeakable joy.

3. Marriage is hard.

4. Children are a great blessing and a gift from God full of unspeakable joy.

5. Raising children is hard.

6. You don't have to be smart to be a nerd and you don't have to be a nerd to be smart. I'm a nerd.

7. Salvation really is by grace alone.

8. Enemies do exist.

9. Loving your enemies is only possible by the work of the Holy Spirit.

10. You can't do everything you set your mind to.

11. Playing guitar isn't that hard. Playing guitar really is hard unless you have a gift.

12. We do what we want.

13. Theology matters. A lot.

14. I'm not very good at praying.

15. Godly friends are invaluable.

16. Chocolate is addictive.

17. "Self Esteem" is dangerously idolatrous.

18. Joy in the midst of suffering is sweetly possible.

19. God's new mercies every morning mean you only have enough mercies for one day at a time.

20. Apple is better than Microsoft/Dell/HP combined.

21. Don't ever buy the first version of an Apple product.

22. Cooked carrots make me gag.

23. Peet's coffee is better than Starbucks coffee.

24. The first 18 years of your life have a profoundly significant impact on the next 12 years (at least) of your life.

25. Chuck's Donuts beat all other donuts every hour of every day of every week.

26. There is nothing new under the sun.

27. A private college degree is not (usually) worth the money.

28. The better you understand your sinfulness, the better you'll understand God's love.

29. God's highest pursuit is his own glory and this is the best news in the universe.

30. A godly wife is the greatest blessing in this life a man could ever hope for. I have a very godly wife.

How big is your God?

Ever been asked this question?

You better have an answer and it better not be subjective.

Here's what I mean:

Usually the answer to the question, "how big is your god?" is something to the effect of, "bigger than my problems and sins." But is this the right answer? I think it's partly right and partly lacking.

The answer that God is big enough to overcome your problems tends to help when you have problems, but it doesn't tend to inspire worship when things are going relatively well.

Increasing God's size in proportion to the size of your problems is a recipe for idolatry. It subtly, but surely turns Jesus into another self-help option like yoga or a good latte. He becomes another method for comfort or peace or strength. God IS a source of comfort, peace and strength, but he is not ONLY those things.

I think we don't spend enough time contemplating the power and complexity and vastness of Jesus. We view his 33 years on earth (and mostly his 3 years of ministry) as the definition of who he is. And while this definition is certainly not incorrect, it is not complete.

Be Careful
We must be careful when discussing the size of our God. We dare not presume to have the capacity to truly define Him. We cannot attain full understanding of him and this is not our aim. We need to be careful to not allow our attempt to increase the worship of God to become blasphemous by presuming to have him figured out.

Be Observant
Our observation of creation can be an incredible stimulus of a right perception of God. Take a walk through the park or a trip to the beach or lay flat on your back to stare into a clear night sky and you'll get a tiny sense of how little we really are compared to creation. Delving into the science of the complexity of the human body and the way we function and survive in this world is incredibly awesome. There is so much that we miss in the beauty of God's creation. Slowing down to observe will help fix our focus and can inspire wonder and worship.

Be In The Word
Knowledge of God, however, is only partly revealed through creation. Our fallenness has kept us from rightly understanding what we observe and so we need help. One of the greatest passages on the greatness of God can be found in Isaiah 40:

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

13 Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?

14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?

21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.

I am particularly fond of the image of God stretching out the heavens like a curtain!

The Answer
The answer to the question, "how big is your God?" should not first be, "He's bigger than my problems." but should be, "He's bigger than me." Another way to answer might be, "I'm a grasshopper."

God is so quantitatively and qualitatively bigger than us, that we will never be able to fully comprehend Him. His power is great. His ability is infinite. His character is flawless; indeed it's the very definition of purity and love.

A right view of God will help us rightly view ourselves, our sin, our neighbors, our work, our world.

Yes, God is big enough to handle your problems. But He is so much bigger than that.

I like to think of the line between Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Transformation as a perforated piece of paper; they really are a piece of the same large sheet. Yet the fragile line between the two, if broken, will turn them into two separate things entirely.

Spiritual Formation is wildly popular in the church today. There has been a growing interest in books like Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" or Dallas Willard's "Spiritual Disciplines". I think that the interest in spiritual practices is largely helpful and mostly good. For too long the church has neglected the fact that biblical faith necessitates movement. Free grace has become cheap grace.

It should not be so.

In response to this easy believeism, the emphases has begun to be placed on taking action and doing more things. Practice of virtue and exercising individual will have started to reign supreme in the pulpits of our churches and the hearts of our fellow believers. I'm thankful for this emphases in so much as it has encouraged me to take obedience to Jesus very seriously by squashing my laziness and encouraging zealousness.

However, if we are not careful to keep the perforated line between Formation and Transformation in tact, we may soon tear ourselves away from the power of the cross and the glory of Christ.

The Stone and the Clay

Formation
Often times, spiritual formation can be likened to giving a sculptor a lump of clay and a small, ugly stone and telling them that they can do whatever they want with the stone and the clay, but they can't discard either one. In order to hide the ugly stone, the sculptor will always choose to mold the clay around the stone. The clay can be molded by the sculptor with their hands using water and shaping tools and physical exertion. But no matter what the sculptor does with the clay, the stone inside will always be stone. The clay may look good and even be pleasing to the sculptor after enough refining and molding.

Spiritual formation without the cross of Christ turns US into both the sculptor and the clay and fails to do anything about the stone. Discipline and exertion and pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps will help the clay to form and change, but it will not do away with the stone inside.

In a way, this spiritual formation is not unlike the self-help movement of our day. Tips and tricks and tools are touted as the way to truly accomplish change.

Transformation
Spiritual transformation, in using this analogy of the stone and the clay, is the removal of the stone altogether. It's replacing a heart of stone with a heart of flesh. In spiritual formation, the sculptor cannot get rid of the stone no matter what he does. But in spiritual transformation, God is the sculptor and he can do with the stone whatever he pleases.

As fallen human beings, we are in need of a transformation. We are in opposition to God with no desire to please or obey him. This is the bad news of the consequence of sin. The good news of the Gospel, however, is that God has made a way, through the cross of Christ, to pay the price for our sin and transform us into the image of his Son.

The Love of God

Never More Loved 
The fact that our spiritual transformation is based on God's justifying grace alone teaches us that God's love for us is not based on our behavior (good or bad). In his love, he has made us right with himself (justified us) and we are never more justified as we mature in the faith. Think of a marriage, for example: if you've been married for 5 years, you're no more married this year than you were in year one. 

Consider the words of Titus 5 3-7 and what it says about our permanent place in Christ because of his righteousness:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Always More Lovable
While we are never more or less justified after that glorious moment of conversion, we must understand that we can be more or less pleasing to God after the moment of conversion. We are saved for good works (Eph. 2:10) and ought to be insistent on workout out our faith. Verse 8 of Titus 5 says,

"The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people."

Our working to discipline ourselves in pursuit of holiness is because of our love for our Father and our desire to please him. It is not to initiate our relationship to him as Father, it is to grow in our love for him as adopted children.

Glory to God

Our spiritual formation has one goal: pleasing God through bringing him glory. The foundation of our spiritual transformation in Christ is what allows a weak humanity to be formed and shaped into a pleasing, living sacrifice. 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Ro 12:1-2)