Would You Buy Meth From This Man, How 'bout a Massage?
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I'm listening to the old Issues ect. interview with Haggard again right now, Wilkens just asked Haggard if a christian needs to hear of his sin and depravity on a weekly basis and Ted answers oh no. A Christian doesn't need to hear that every time. There is so much more to talk about in the bible. Haggard also states that as we mature as Christians we will sin less and less, becoming more righteous. This is used as proof of our salvation.
I think we see some of the danger's of not having a clear, Lutheran understanding of our sinfulness. Meaning, if I believe that I will have proof of my salvation in my rightousness and will expect to not sin anymore, my sins will get less and less. If thats what I believe, then yes I have to marginalize the thoughts and actions that I'm doing. After all I was only tempted by Meth, buying it but not taking it, and massages from men in hotel rooms for several years on end isn't like cheating on my wife, so no sin there. What a terrible tyranny this theology must be, to rely on my miserable works for proof.
But blessedly, Christ does not ask me to gather proof of my salvation, rather I am to believe in the promise of Christ, to the cross we must flee and cling to Christ and Christ alone.
I pray that Ted Haggard remembers his discussion with Wilkens and come to a true understanding of sin and santification.
2 Comments:
Whey,
Don't you mean your last word to be "sanctification"? You are right though. If you are never reminded that you are a pitiful sinner, it is too easy to rationalize "I really am not that bad..." We sin without trying, and it is important to put that in our face all of the time. Without it, it is hard to be humble, hard to restrain the flesh, and hard to be the man or woman God intended us to be.
Yes, good catch, sanctification. Although I am now looking for a meaning of santification. I will settle on using it to describe the superficial way some one appears sinless (smiley, sing songy voice, falsly saying I'll pray for you) like some of the white washed tombs parading around as TV money preachers, or santi-fication will be the process one goes through to work as a department store Santa.
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