Do you ever notice how quickly people rise up and shout “hypocrite” when a Christian messes up? Un-believers seem to gloat over the fact that a Christian sinned as though it somehow validates their own decision to do life without Jesus. It’s like they think that the fact that a professing follower of Christ sinned somehow negates the Gospel message they professed. What they’re missing is that is the whole point of the Gospel message.
Here’s the story … We all sin! We may all sin differently, but we all sin. And because God is holy and just, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished. And God himself set the punishment for sin – death. (Romans 6:23) Eternal separation from his presence. Not heaven, but hell. But praise be to God, he also provided the solution. One solution. He sent his Son Jesus to pay the price for our sin. He was sinless, yet he died a brutal death so that we would not have to. At the moment of his death, he bore the sins of everyone throughout time that would put their faith in him. (1 Peter 2:24) So when someone makes the decision to surrender their life to Christ, they are not suddenly claiming to be perfect. They are acknowledging the exact opposite. They are acknowledging that they are a hopeless sinner in need of a Savior. They are redeemed … not perfect.
One of my favorite Christian bands wrote a song that describes this perfectly. I encourage you to download it. In the meantime, here are the lyrics. Hopefully they don’t mind my sharing them.
REDEEMED… Big Daddy Weave
Seems like all I can see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son
stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
Wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”
I remember oh God, You’re not done with me yet
I don’t have to be the old man inside of me
Cause his day is long dead and gone
I’ve got a new name, a new life I’m not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
