Sin In Other People

Every person is sinful.  This is theology we know and even notice in our world.  Though the media may not call it sin, they know it is; and because it is what brings the most traffic, they love it.

While we may respond to the reports of sin by giving our attention, we often fail to know how to address sin when it slaps us in the face.  Americans are really good at trying to avoid it altogether. Billions of dollars are spent on numbing activities such as sports, movies, games, and the like.  Not that these things are bad; but to deny that they can be is plain denial.

Again, every person is sinful.  Relationships will always be spotted with inevitable sinful collisions. Trying to avoid them is like kicking the proverbial can down the road. Only people are not cans. And if you kick them long enough, they become more like pit bulls.  Eventually you're gonna lose a leg, a hand, or worse.

If we are honest, the most common way we deal with sin in others is by making every attempt to have them stop sinning.  We neglect, avoid, yell at, pacify, or even abuse in order to put out the sinful flame in those around us.  No matter what, however, we can never reach sin-deep.  Instead of saving, we end up aggravating.  Why? Because if we use another means other than the gospel, we only treat sin with sin.

We do this because we don't really believe that Jesus can and does redeem us, and others, from the enslaving chains of sin.  He simply takes too long.  I want sin gone now.  But, he apparently doesn't.

The gospel calls us to love and trust.  We are to turn the other cheek, to return good for evil, to bless when we are cursed.  We are to give when others take - to die so that others may live.  I understand this is harder than it sounds - even impossible.  But this is the light of the gospel.  If we don't believe it, we are fools.

The Spirit gives us the faith to trust that Jesus works in the lives of others.  After all, he saved us.  I personally struggle to trust him here.  Even with those closest to me, I feel as if it is my job to save - to get the sin out.  But lately I have been so broken by this activity, I simply cannot do it anymore.  I have found that when I try to be Jesus to others, I turn out to be more a Pharisee.

And as odd as it sounds, he is using the sin in others to humble me and to sanctify me.  He is using the sinful actions of others to point out my own sin.  And he is using all of this to draw me closer to himself, in complete dependence upon his grace, to save me and those I love so much.