We live in a fallen, sinful world. Sin is not a popular subject to talk about, but it’s a subject that has been on my mind, and my heart, a lot recently. It’s not the world that I’m mostly concerned about, however, it’s the church. As I look around, I see two equal but opposite errors among believers when it comes to how we deal with sin. Either we are quick to condemn sin in others while excusing our own, or we avoid condemning sin in ourselves by not condemning it in anyone at all. The first is hypocrisy; the second makes us apologists for evil. Neither of these is the way of Christ. And I think we all know what the real answer is – I’m supposed to reject sin in myself first, and then help others to do the same. We know, but we aren’t motivated to do it.
Jesus did not say that I am not allowed to take the speck out of my brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5). Just the opposite – I absolutely am supposed to do that. But only after taking the plank out of my own eye. God’s intent for his church has always been that we would take a stand against sin, not hypocritically, but by living lives of holiness. As the Scripture says:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).
And also:
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Like I said, we already know this. And we also know, or should know, that it’s beyond our power to do it. But it’s not beyond our power to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as he does it. I can’t make myself holy, but I can practice remaining aware of God’s presence by maintaining a running conversation with him throughout the day. Not doing it very well at first, of course, but gradually getting better. Or I can find something in my daily activities that I can take a few minutes away from in order to spend more time in Scripture. If studying God’s word is not my favorite activity, I can ask God to make it a joy for me rather than a chore. None of these things will make me any more godly. Nor will anything else that I do. But any of them, and many other activities as well, can help me learn to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, instead of resisting him.
There is a paradox here. Scripture teaches us to, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Why? Because “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Living as a follower of Jesus is not about performance, it’s about being transformed (Romans 12:2). So let’s be transformed. Do more to draw close to Christ this month than you did last month, even if it’s only a little bit more. That little bit more can be your new baseline to build another little bit. Let God build his kingdom through you, by building it in you. I honestly have no idea how far I can go by just doing a little bit more. None of us do until we try.