The "S" Word

No, not that "S" word! The one that is genuinely nasty and foul--sin.

Now that I think about it, I probably hear the four letter "S" word more often than I ever hear the word sin mentioned. I have a great story, by the way, of coming home from school in the second grade and announcing the four letter "S" word at the dinner table. I had literally never head the word before, and had no idea what it meant. But I knew that it was against the rules to say that word at school for some reason. (As a very helpful and newly made friend informed me in the bathroom.) And I wanted to be sure that my grandmother knew what all the rules at school were. I'm pretty sure she didn't appreciate my explicit detailing of said rules.

But anyway, back to that sin word. I didn't notice until very recently how rare it is to hear anyone, Christians included, talk about sin. You hear a great deal of talk about "poor decisions" and "bad choices." Girls, a bad decision is wearing a sleeveless t-shirt to the park when it is 40 degrees and windy outside. And a poor choice is eating that 5th piece of birthday cake.

Sin is a weighty issue. Its seriousness can't even compare to weak phrases like "poor decision." But we seem intent on downplaying sin. Maybe this does not apply to you personally. Maybe you have a real understanding of what sin is and the consequences of it. I hope so. In my experience, seeing the vastness of my sin was the starting point of massive spiritual growth. I'm not talking about making a list of every bad thing I ever did and then feeling really guilty about it. No, I am talking about understanding my total unworthiness to be forgiven and accepted by God. Only when I "got" that, did I begin to comprehend the awesome grace that God extended to me. And only when that reality sunk into my bones did I find myself truly free in Christ.

Psalm 130: 3

"If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?"

"But wait!" you are thinking. "Aren't we supposed to be jewels and treasures and precious possessions and brides and all that? And aren't we supposed to relate to God on those terms?" Well, yes and no. Scripture does compare us to all of those things. Here are two examples.


Malachi 3:17

"They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts,
"On the day that I make them My jewels."

Isaiah 62:3

"You shall be a crown of glory
In the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem
In the hand of your God."

Heady stuff, I know. Who doesn't want to be a jewel or a royal diadem in the hand of God? But here is the thing: you are nothing like a jewel or a diadem in and of yourself. You require transformation and redeeming by the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. If you spend all of your time trying to "believe" that you are a jewel, you will find yourself very frustrated. You know yourself too well. You can see all of your own imperfections and flaws. And somehow all of that knowledge doesn't quite square with being a jewel of God.

You can't skip ahead to the jewel part. You have to KNOW and ACCEPT that you are a sinner deserving the wrath of God. You have to SEE it and BELIEVE it. Calling your sins poor choices is not going to bring about that kind of understanding.

You are not a royal diadem in the hand of your God because of who you are. You get to be a royal diadem in the hand of God because of what Jesus did on the cross. One view is all about pumping up that all-important self esteem (please note heavy sarcasm intended here.) The other view is the truth. Truth is real, you can really believe truth. You can relish being a jewel and a royal diadem if you understand those things in light of God's amazing grace. If, on the other hand, you spend your energy trying to conjure up feeling like a jewel without focusing on God's total responsibility for it, you have a big recipe for confusion on your hands.

Because girls, there are days when being a jewel seems like the farthest thing from reality imaginable. I had one of those days recently. But instead of wondering where all of my sparkling jewelness had gone, I got to praise God that I am indeed a shiny treasure because of HIM. Not because of ME.

So, that is why the real "S" word is so vital. Our sin is what makes God's grace so unbelievably amazing. I don't know how else to say it. All of my words are failing me right now. If you find yourself constantly frustrated and confused, and wonder why you just can't seem to accept that you are God's treasured possession, I'd like to suggest that you might not have a clear understanding of your sin. That seems backwards, I know. But how can your socks be blown off by the reality of forgiveness if you don't see how badly you need it? How can you be stunned and awed by the grace God extends to you if you haven't seen how little you deserve it? And how can any of that happen until you see your sin for what it is?

Isaiah 54:11-12

"O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacle of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And your walls of precious stones."

Did you see it? Did you see WHO did all of this magnificent crafting? That's right-- God. Not you. Amen.