- Image by nebarnix via Flickr
The other day I was driving to work and ended up going past a (then-deceased) skunk lying in the middle of the road. Believe it or not, there was a particularly pungent odor around the skunk. I could smell it well before I saw the skunk and it’s scent lingered even after I had passed that cute little varmint.
The skunk wasn’t ugly. Actually, it was kind of cute. But that cute little bugger packed an odoriferous punch that was nearly beyond compare. There was certainly no way that a little Febreez would have covered the malodorous air of our furry little friend.
I believe that our our sin stinks. It makes it impossible for us to be in close relationship with God – and there’s no way we can cover up the smell. And we sure can’t pretend our sinful stench simply isn’t there.
That’s where I’m going to leave this one. I have other posts related to forgiveness and the grace of God. You should definitely check those out.
But we do need to remember that these are not an excuse to continue in sin – it still stinks.
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I had a prof once describe sin in the eyes of God as the muck that sits at the bottom of an outhouse. That REALLY stinks. Unfortunately, so many of us work so hard to avoid any thought or mention of our sin. But it's a recognition of our sin that helps us better appreciate God's grace and the full weight of what happened on the cross. That doesn't mean we should wallow in it; it just helps us recognize how good we have it. I personally think that having a healthy understanding of our sin is good thing. But like most Followers of Jesus, I also tend to over-emphasize (i.e. complete neglect sin) grace.
This was short and simple, yet thought provoking. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment. We're all in that same boat (me too). Accepting both sides of grace (you're forgiven but that doesn't excuse what you did and doesn't mean you should do it again) is difficult.
I had a prof once describe sin in the eyes of God as the muck that sits at the bottom of an outhouse. That REALLY stinks. Unfortunately, so many of us work so hard to avoid any thought or mention of our sin. But it's a recognition of our sin that helps us better appreciate God's grace and the full weight of what happened on the cross. That doesn't mean we should wallow in it; it just helps us recognize how good we have it. I personally think that having a healthy understanding of our sin is good thing. But like most Followers of Jesus, I also tend to over-emphasize (i.e. complete neglect sin) grace.
This was short and simple, yet thought provoking. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment. We're all in that same boat (me too). Accepting both sides of grace (you're forgiven but that doesn't excuse what you did and doesn't mean you should do it again) is difficult.