Enduring Christianity

In our world today, the common message of Jesus is that he came to die and rise again for our sin and this is absolutely true. But, this alone is not the entire message of truth. Jesus also came into the world with the purpose of revealing our sin, so that we would turn away from it and turn to him instead.

On the mount Jesus said, "You have heard it said do not commit murder, but I say to you that if you hold onto anger against your brother in your heart you have already committed murder." In Luke 13:3-5 Jesus also said "Unless you repent, you too will perish" - Yes, this type of language, "unless you repent, you too will perish" can be off putting, but if so, why? Is it because it becomes uncomfortable for us to face the reality of denying our sinful desires?

Hopefully you know, Jesus does not leave us alone to fend for ourselves against the sin of this world as though our salvation of repentance was totally up to our own strength and will power. No, Jesus said, "It is better that I leave so that the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, may come to you and the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin for the purpose of training in righteousness." When we begin to understand that becoming aware of our sin is the first step in being trained in righteousness, we learn to rejoice in the truth and the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). And when becoming aware of our sin becomes less "off putting" and more joyous, we come to understand the scripture in Luke 15:10. "There is more joy in the presence of the angels in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety- nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

The simple reality is that if we believe Jesus is the BEST, then the BEST possible thing for us is to become more like Jesus. But in order to become more like Jesus, the process demands the awareness of sin. So let's dive in.