Godly Sinners

When people think of a "godly" person, it is natural to think of someone who is blameless and above reproach.  In our primary school days it would be the equivalent of a "goody two-shoes" or a "teacher's pet," a student so eager and intent to please the teacher it grated on other students.  It may be a surprise to people that a godly person is far from perfect but one who freely admits their faults and confesses their sins to God and man.  Godliness is righteous standing by virtue of God's grace by faith in Him, and in light of God's perfection His people notice our sins more than ever.

David wrote in Psalm 32:5-6, "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah ⁶ For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him."  David said everyone who is godly will pray to God and acknowledge their own sin before the LORD, those who recognise their need for forgiveness and restoration.  It is not good deeds that lift Christians above judgment that rushes like a flood to drown mankind in perdition, but humble contrition and repentance for sin before the God who hears, forgives and exalts the lowly.

In a sermon C.H. Spurgeon delivered concerning Romans 8:7 that says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God," he shed light on the enormity of man's sin and how the godly become acutely aware of it:

"The carnal mind," he says, "IS ENMITY against God."  He uses a noun, and not an adjective.  He does not say it is opposed to God merely, but it is positive enmity.  It is not black, but blackness; it is not at enmity, but enmity itself; it is not corrupt, but corruption; it is not rebellious, it is rebellion; it is not wicked, it is wickedness itself.  The heart, though it be deceitful, is positively deceit; it is evil in the concrete, sin in the essence; it is the distillation, the quintessence of all things that are vile; it is not envious against God, it is envy; it is not at enmity, it is actual enmity...

The holiest men, the most free from impurity, have always felt it most.  He whose garments are the whitest, will best perceive the spots upon them.  He whose crown shineth the brightest, will know when he hath lost a jewel  He who giveth the most light to the world, will always be able to discover his own darkness.  The angels of heaven veil their faces; and the angels of God on earth, his chosen people, must always veil their faces with humility, when they think of what they were.  Hear David:  he was none of those who boast of a holy nature and a pure disposition.  He says, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."  Hear all those holy men who have written in the inspired volume, and ye shall find them all confessing that they were not clean, no, not one; yea, one of them exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. Spurgeon’s Sermons: V. 1-2. Baker Books, 2004. pages 232-233; 235)

The child of God can have confidence in forgiveness, cleansing and pardon of sin by faith in Jesus Christ when we ask as it says in 1 John 1:9-10:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."  Those who refuse to admit their sin in pride--like the self-righteous Pharisees Jesus confronted--are marked by sin which remains.  The godly who walk in the light of God's word see how often they stumble; the indwelling Holy Spirit who illuminates our consciences convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment.  The godly are not people without need to confess and repent of sin but those who frequently humble themselves before God to acknowledge their sin in light of God's holiness.  It is the ungodly who refuse to repent of sin, and without atonement for sin it will cling to them forever.

The Sanctifying Journey

In the Australian show Kath and Kim, on occasions Kim referred to her husband as a "pants man," which is Aussie slang to convey he was promiscuous.  She always said it as a matter of immutable fact, as if there is no possible way Brett could change--that his dalliances were indicative of a character trait so fundamental to his nature the only option was to accept it.  In regards to the show, Kim's husband was unable to change his ways, similar to how a leopard cannot change his spots.  As born again Christians, however, we have all experienced the transformation Jesus brings to our lives.  God fundamentally changes who we are by spiritual regeneration, and He frees us from bondage to sin.

There are aspects of our personality and character that are not in themselves sinful, and I believe God is able and desires to change these natural tendencies as well.  One trait I have observed in myself is I tend to be a "destination" person, focused on completing a task without any appreciation of the journey at all--especially if there are delays, obstacles or setbacks.  I have observed God in the Bible as being One who redeems long, time-consuming journeys of sanctification.  Jesus was not in a hurry like I can be; God does not expedite troubles or immediately bring resolution.  He allows the righteous to suffer for a long season, and He allows the wicked to prosper for decades.  While I look for the satisfaction of a job done, God is doing a job through the process that is greater and better than my efforts and aims.

Over time the LORD has opened my eyes to the benefits of relishing the journey as well as accomplishing a task.  I believe I appreciate my journeys more than I used to, but I confess I still tend to want to just reach the destination as quickly as I can to move on to what I would rather do.  Rather than being disappointed with my lack of progress, I am encouraged the LORD opened my eyes to realise the benefit of the journey and my desire and intention to appreciate the journey more.  Even in this journey patience from the LORD is required to keep from giving up when change does not come easy.  Knowing God has created me to be me is coupled with the knowledge He wants to transform me too--and He has the power to do in all aspects of my personality and character by His grace.

Because God is good, the sanctifying changes God desires to accomplish in our lives are also for our good.  Life is trying and change is hard, but Jesus promises His disciples His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Let us be patient with the changes God is doing in others and humble ourselves to walk in His grace as He changes us.  Has it ever occurred to you God desires to change how you naturally are--even concerning personality traits that are not expressly sinful in themselves--to lead you to humble yourself, know Him, rely on Him and resemble Him more?  Do not lose heart when progress is painfully slow or when you suffer setbacks, for God is with us on this sanctifying journey He has masterfully designed.  Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"

New Spiritual Wardrobe

Deciding what clothes to wear can be quick and easy for some people, and for others it resembles an arduous chore.  I suspect if we are looking for comfy clothes to wear around the house or clothes for work it is easier than finding suitable clothes for a fancy formal or party.  Such occasions can overwhelm us and suddenly we exclaim, "I have nothing to wear!" though our closet and chests of drawers are full of clothes, shoes and accessories.  We feel a twinge of horror to go to a luxurious event with a dress code without wearing something new.  Praise the LORD God provides His own righteousness to clothe us when we enter into His presence for eternity, for our best works are filthy rags by comparison.

David sang in Psalm 30:11-12, "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, ¹² to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."  What an exchange God offered David, for his mourning was turned into dancing in the presence of the LORD.  David credited God for putting off his sackcloth and clothing him with gladness.  I suspect David did not rejoice in painful and sorrowful circumstances of his past, but by faith in God and His goodness he was enabled to rejoice in God presently moving forward.  Wearing sackcloth was a strong statement of grief and mourning, rough clothes worn to proclaim great depth of sorrow.  God was not cruel or unkind to remove David's sackcloth, for the LORD would not leave him naked and exposed:  God clothed David with gladness.

God gave David a choice and capacity he did not possess on his own in the midst of sorrow and mourning, for the LORD divinely, miraculously provided David a change of clothing.  Putting on clothes is merely an external exercise that cannot change the person, yet laying aside sackcloth and donning gladness was a result of an inner work by faith in God.  This prompts questions we ought to consider personally:  should we continue to mourn our past or what is lost when we can praise God for His presence today?  Should we perpetually mourn for ourselves over what we cannot change when God draws near to change us and make us more like Him?  Do we believe God is able to turn our loses and griefs into net gains we would not trade for the world through His love, grace and mercy?  David could have clung to his sackcloth, yet he welcomed the joyous change God ushered into His life.

Did you see God's purpose in turning David's mourning into dancing, putting off sackcloth and clothing him with gladness?  It was to the end that David's glory would sing praise to God and give thanks to the LORD forever.  The Messiah was anointed for this purpose in Isaiah 61:3:  "To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."  Hebrews 1:9 says Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness more than His fellows, and being born again by faith in Jesus means we are of God and have more than consolation--also oil of joy in exchange for mourning and the clothing of praise for the spirit of heaviness--so He might be glorified.  This is the new spiritual wardrobe God has provided us as His children, and it is our choice if we will gladly wear it.

God's Unexpected Ways

During a morning walk before dawn I prayed the LORD would speak to me, and He did in a most unexpected way.  Not long after I saw a woman jogging towards me, so I moved to the edge of the footpath to make as much room as possible.  What happened next was in slow motion:  my toe clipped the edge of the slab of concrete (which had heaved from a mature tree) and after a couple of stumbling steps I sprawled onto the footpath in a heap.  I can't remember the last time diving onto concrete, but it was a good reminder to keep stumbles and falls to a minimum.

The jogger stopped and asked if I was ok, and I said I was fine as I popped up on my feet, relieved no bones were broken.  Apart from grazes on my hand and leg, I jogged away relatively unscathed.  What struck me is that even though I was able to stand up unassisted, it was kind of the woman to pause and ask if I was ok after seeing me fall.  I imagine me falling looked hilarious, but her instinctive inquiry about my wellbeing was a gesture I appreciated.  Then I considered how automatic my response was, that if it was at all possible to stand up without assistance, that was my preference.  My instinct would be to stand on a broken foot or leg if it was at all possible and "walk it off," not even calling for a ride.

What happened on the footpath today was insightful concerning when someone falls spiritually into sin or stumbles into depression.  As an observer we may not want to ask if others are ok lest we embarrass them or draw unwanted attention to the fact we noticed.  The one who falls may be incapable of rising and still wave the observer on, not willing for others to slow down or stop on their account.  The good Samaritan in the parable drew near to the man who was beaten and left for dead, and given the background between Jews and Samaritans perhaps the wounded man only received help because he was physically unable to refuse it.  Speaking for myself, I have room to grow both in expressing care for those who are down and also willingness to receive help after I have fallen down.

Another thought that came from today's incident was how God can use our embarrassing and painful experiences to teach us and others.  There are always good lessons to be learned from our fails, and the fact I am around to speak about it tells me it could have been much worse.  I can praise God for guarding my bones, and the fall prompts me to be seeking God earnestly who can keep me from stumbling--physically and spiritually.  What we learn from a fall can be more valuable for our character and spiritual growth than walking without ever stumbling.  See how God can redeem a painful, awkward situation for good?