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Christian Leaders: Chiefs of Sinners


The pastor in Colorado Springs at least got a "massage" and at least bought the drugs. This hit the news, and outside the church, there was great rejoicing.

At first I wondered why the media and the world were working themselves into a frantic frenzy of excitement about this. It almost seemed like the circus how much people were enjoying this. Like it was the most fun they could have with their clothes on.

Meanwhile, the church is mourning, some church-goers running around just as frantic, but in sadness, frustration, anger.

Then it hit the news that a local youth pastor was having sex with a female student under his watch (not having sex under his wrist-watch, but with a girl under his care).

I understand the impact these situations have on relationships, but it has no impact whatsoever on what it means to follow Jesus.

Jesus didn't give up this month. Jesus didn't throw up his hands in surrender to sin and go back in time and narrowly escape death on the cross.

I don't really understand how everyone is so shell-shocked at the news. Politicians in Washington have run male prostitute rings out of their homes in DC, and they continued to get re-elected. Thousands of charges of improper sexual behavior by people in positions of trust are lodged against school teachers every year, and we keep sending kids to the schools.

Let's just get it out there in the open:

Christians and those they follow are the Chiefs of Sinners.

David, the man after God's own heart was an adulterer, liar and murderer.

Peter denied Jesus after being so outspoken for him. He was forgiven, reinstated, then was a complete hypocrite in dealing with the Jew/Gentile dynamics of the church and was rebuked publicly by Paul.

Rebuked by Paul. The blasphemer, persecutor, and violent man who was going around watching Christians be killed and thrown in jail for heresy. This is the guy who wrote in 1 Timothy, "Here is a trustworthy saying and worthy of full acceptance:

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst. But for this very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example..."

Teachers, Deans of students, and dictators love to make examples of people. They love to humiliate, embarrass, ridicule, or even kill people as an example. They're going to make an example of you - of what they will do when your 'sins' (as they define them) stack up high enough.

I love that when Jesus makes an example out of someone is is through divine forgiveness. That, in fact, is the beauty of Christianity. Hypocrisy is rampant everywhere. In your family, your school, your government, you work and your church. It will never leave.

To deny there is hypocrisy is just another layer of hypocrisy added to the mess.

The acceptance of hypocrisy is Christianity, because it is the place you are accepted and forgiven. You have to be a sinner in order to be a Christian. It's in the Bible.

If you're not a hypocritical sinner, you can't be a Christian.

It's just not allowed.

The beauty of Christianity isn't the hypocrisy, but the honesty of accepting that it is there, the the total forgiveness that is found in Jesus and his followers how have been forgiven much and are then free to give forgiveness to others.

Have we forgotten that we are sinners? That is very dangerous. Maybe we needed these highly celebrated sins in our media to remind us.

1 John 8-10 says
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Martin Luther, in "Let Your Sins be Strong" wrote:
If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign.
Letter 99, Paragraph 13. Erika Bullmann Flores, Tr. from: Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften Dr. Johann Georg Walch Ed. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.), Vol. 15,cols. 2585-2590. Entire article of "Let your sins be strong" here.

Yes, Christians are the chiefs of sinners. It is time for you to accept this. It's also time for you to remember how much you have really been forgiven, and to start forgiving others who have sinned against you and against Jesus, including those which make the media's eyes roll back in their heads.
Read More 3 comments | Posted by Jon the legal immigrant | edit post

3 comments

  1. Anonymous on 11/21/06, 11:07 AM

    Wow, Jon.

    That was an awesome post!

     
  2. Fr Joseph Wilson MSC on 4/6/09, 3:08 AM

    Know what Jon, Luther should read his bible, and submit to the word, "sin boldly..." is already covered in Romans 6:15. Joseph

     
  3. Jon the legal immigrant on 4/6/09, 8:36 AM

    Hi Joseph, thanks for the comment. I had not thought about this post in a long time and was encouraged by reading it.

    Did you read Luther's quote? The context is "God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners."

    Do you disagree? Luther is saying that you should admit that you're a real sinner, getting rid of all false ideas of self-righteousness.

    If you disagree with Luther, you should read your Bible. 1 John 1:8-10:

    If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

     


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