Given that life can be frustrating, that people disappoint us, that situations of unfairness exist all around us, we get fed up and sometimes vent our anger in entirely inappropriate ways. Well, I do, anyway! I would not want some of my past tirades displayed on YouTube for all the world to see. So, I feel some compassion for the Rev. Wright, the pastor of Barack Obama, whose pulpit tirades were the object of much media attention this week. There is good reason for black American to feel anger, to hate what was done by a social structure that first enslaved and then oppressed their fathers. But, Wright as a Christian, should have known what we all need to know: rage feeds irrationality and, though it feels good in the moment, produces terrible fruit down life's road!
Paul challenges Believers to deal with the 'justifiable' anger over life's injustice with stern admonitions. He says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32, NIV) He says the same thing in both Galatians and Colossians! That ancient book of wisdom, Proverbs, tells us that "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." (Proverbs 16:32, NKJV) When I reflect back on times when I set aside moderation and self-control to give myself over to rage, I see moments of folly. With reason replaced by white hot passionate emotions, I am capable of saying and/or doing things that can only cause pain, that hurt others and myself.
And, while my first reaction to Wright is sorrowful indignation, what follows quickly is a kind of fear and humility. Why? Because I know that I, too, am a man with a sinful nature that struggles to master me. And, Believer, so are you! In a recent gathering of pastors that I attended, someone spoke of a local minister who had broken his marriage vows, sinning against God and his family. We all made the appropriate noises of disgust and professed our dismay that one of our fraternity would 'do such a thing!' Our indignation masked this simple truth - anyone of us sitting there could easily do the same thing except for the grace of God. Wright's rage and our brother's adultery are evidence of the very real struggle with the sinful nature that goes on inside the mind and heart of every person!
Please don't read this as excusing sinful behavior. Paul, even as he acknowledges being "the worst of sinners," (1 Tim. 1.15) determines to live a holy life that honors his Lord and Savior. And so should we. Here's the paradox, when we acknowledge the reality of the potential to sin that is very real, we have taken the first step to break its hold on us. By humbly admitting the truth, we release the power of God in our lives. No one cleans himself up morally and then presents himself to Christ as worthy of being a child of God. The Bible dismisses even the most sincere attempts at making ourselves holy saying, "all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory!" (Romans 3.23) Isaiah declares that our attempts at self-righteousness have all the value of 'filthy rags!' (64.4)
But here's the rest of the story.... "now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—"he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26, NIV)
God stepped in! What we cannot do for ourselves, He did for us. What is impossible for us, holiness, He makes not only possible, but inevitable, as we are filled with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. The Word exults in our victory. After listing many evidences of the old sinful way of life, Paul says, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ... By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also."
(1 Corinthians 6:11,14, NIV)
Believer, do not accommodate your sinful nature. Make no excuses for those things that are 'normal' but not God-glorifying. Watch out for spiritual pride that points out the sins of others while failing to admit your own. Instead, kneel at the Cross! Receive the gift of salvation and the power to live a new life that is free to all who will believe and receive.
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