The Way of Forgiveness and Snares of My Own Arrogance
December 29, 2009 | Comments Off
FCC Family:
If you did not hear Pastor Tim’s sermon Sunday 12/27/09 entitled, “The Way of Forgiveness,” it’s a must! Here is an article I wrote regarding arrogance as a follow to that sermon.
- Jack Colwell
“Snares of My Own Arrogance”
I automatically and continually think in one of two ways that are snares of my own arrogance.
I convince myself that I am able to save myself by working hard and being good. This usually means pushing me above others, obsessing about others’ deficiencies and demanding total conformity to my personal standards from them. It can also mean falsely reconciling God’s standard to my life. “I am obviously OK, so God must be like me, and His standards must be like mine.”
Ironically, I can also catch myself in a snare of arrogance by feeling utterly overwhelmed by defeat and discouragement over my sinfulness; for example, when my behavior falls below my expectations for myself. As a result, I battle hopelessness and despair.
My first tactic is distraction, the second is despair – these tactics are the foundation of life in a fallen world. That is to say they arise instinctively and unthinkingly from within me (Jer. 17:9, Rom. 1:18-21) and are classic satanic discourse (Gen. 3:4, John 8:44, Rev. 12:10).
Stating the above number one and two another way -
1. I arrogantly create my own restorative process by:
Blaming / accusing others or ‘choking’ them – (Matt. 18:28, John 8:7, Rom. 2: 1-4)
·Self- justifying comparative judgment, making my standards as good, or even better than God’s standards – (Gen. 3: 6-7, 4: 1-8, Luke 15: 28-30, 18:11-17) to include self-blinding comparative judgment – (Matt. 7:1-6)
·Blinding immersion in worldly distractions to include work, possessions and family (Luke 12:16-20, 14: 16-23)
Which results in death, but I feel good about myself on the way because I elevated self as the ultimate lawmaker, judge and executioner of all others, including God – (Gen. 3:5, 4:1-9, James 4:11-12).
As Pastor John Piper puts it, “Concealed sin keeps us from seeing the light of Christ. Sin is like spiritual leprosy. It deadens your spiritual senses so that you rip your [and others] soul to shreds and don’t even feel it.”[1]
2. I arrogantly snub the Lord’s restoration process by:
Being remorseful over my own sin, rather than repenting – (Ps. 32, 2 Cor. 7:10) Implying that I know a superior or more effectual sacrifice than Christ - (Heb. 10:11-31)
This also results in death, but I feel miserable about myself on the way – (Matt. 27:3-5). Despairing of my own sin is as opposite to faith as suffocating is to breathing.
The fact is, awareness of my own wretchedness is my only access to Christ and should compel me to come to Him (John 6:29). His work is to forgive MY sin; my work is faith in Him expressed primarily by thankfully loving God and forgivingly loving others (Matt. 22: 37-40). I cannot love those I harbor bitterness toward (Matt. 18: 21-35). Bitterness toward others means I do not love God (1 John 4: 19-21).
Yes but…(insert whatever excuse I generate this moment) and then consider C.S. Lewis: “Anyone who makes excuses is not really seeking forgiveness”
Those times when I most need forgiveness of my sin, are the very times I can least comprehend my need, or His forgiveness. Only Christ can rescue me from this body of death (Rom. 7:21-25), I access Him through repentance and faith. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3: 19-21, NASU).
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[1] Piper, John. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Multnomah (Chapter 3, Emphasis added)