Secrets can eat away at the soul and whisper unworthiness. They can woo the broken into dark places where the fear of discovery, the fear of admitting imperfections and struggles with sin, leave many shuddering in the shadows. So, we cover our sins, our worries, with good works, pretending we have always been so grown-up, so pulled together, so perfect.
So untrue.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…”
All. You. Me. Everyone.
I struggle with my sin nature. Specific sins have caused me great grief, shame, and regret. But, right when I feel hopeless, right when I feel beyond the redemptive reach of God, I read the beautiful words in verse 24:
“…and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Justified freely by grace through redemption. And fear is overcome by the God who sees me and my sin through the redemptive lens of His Son. He declares me beautiful and clean.
My sordid history, your sordid history, is part of a story about a God who died for us while we continued to sin. Bringing hidden sin into the light, confessing and repenting, does what nothing else can. It illuminates our desperate need for grace and forgiveness. It reveals that anything good in you or me is the result of God’s mercy in our life. It shows us what God has known all along, we need a Saviour.
Nick just turned five, and the name Slick Nick still applies. He has, in the past, had adventures with Vaseline that have earned him the name (like the time he covered himself completely in Vaseline!.
It’s hard to imagine this angelic boy EVER disobeying.
We use Vaseline to sooth the dry patches of skin that plague our children. They all know the large tub is off-limits and only Mommy applies Vaseline, but man, does it look gooey and fun. Judging by Nick’s slippery body and slick hair, he had a blast.
His petroleum jelly grin prompted an outward smile and an inward groan. As a former hairstylist, I know it takes a shower marathon to remove Vaseline from the hair.
As Nick unhappily scrubbed down for the third time in less than an hour, it occurred to me that his curiosity came with a high price tag. He missed game time with the other kids as we attempted to rectify his retro 1950’s hairdo.
Sin comes with a high price tag. Whether our slip is premeditated or innocent curiosity, there are consequences and a price. Nick paid with two days of showers and it cost me free time and a replacement tub of Vaseline.
Like Nick, I experience consequences for my sin as I live in a fallen world filled with other sinners like me. The price of my sin is a life – either my eternal life or Jesus’s life. One of us will pay.
Jesus died on the cross and offers God His life as payment for my sin. After Jesus died, He rose from the grave, swallowing death in victory. I can thank Him for the payment, live a life of repentance and change on earth, look forward to an eternity in Heaven. Or, I can refuse His offering and by default commit to paying the cost myself in an eternity spent in Hell.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
