Haggard Mess, Part 2
I don't want to "beat a dead horse" but I do want to re-state what I feel is "lesson #1" for all of us evangelicals: we need to work really hard at creating an environment where it is safe (and normal) to honestly confess sin with one another.
In most evangelical circles that is not the case. People do not disclose sin because we tend to shoot our wounded in evangelical churches. Instead of extending grace we extend condemnation. The result? We bottle up sin and hide it and pretend we have our act together. The result? We wait until we're caught to confess our sin (way too late).
That's why many are arguing that we need to create a different environment in our churches. Not one that sweeps sin under the carpet...but one that allows Christians and pastors to confess sin to trusted friends and get the appropriate help needed for restoration to take place.
Here's a question for the Crossroads community: if you made the Washington County Bulletin stats for driving under the influence of alcohol or for _______, would you show up to your Life Group and would you attend church the next weekend?
The issue is whether or not we think we have to go into hiding after we've messed up.
In most evangelical circles that is not the case. People do not disclose sin because we tend to shoot our wounded in evangelical churches. Instead of extending grace we extend condemnation. The result? We bottle up sin and hide it and pretend we have our act together. The result? We wait until we're caught to confess our sin (way too late).
That's why many are arguing that we need to create a different environment in our churches. Not one that sweeps sin under the carpet...but one that allows Christians and pastors to confess sin to trusted friends and get the appropriate help needed for restoration to take place.
Here's a question for the Crossroads community: if you made the Washington County Bulletin stats for driving under the influence of alcohol or for _______, would you show up to your Life Group and would you attend church the next weekend?
The issue is whether or not we think we have to go into hiding after we've messed up.
posted by Pastor Phil Print at 2:13 PM
7 Comments:
Short of being on my death bed with illness or being locked up (in your scenario) I would be in church the next week. I came this week after lots of sins. I'll come next week under the same conditions. By Jesus' standards I'm not certain there isn't a commandment I didn't break at some point this past week. Thankfully I have received grace not condemnation through Christ's crucifixion.
Big Chris
Thank you for your beautiful testimony, Silent No More.
If my sinful thoughts were written out and displayed on the church monitor for everyone to see (perhaps with a lovely sunset background?) I would change my name and move to a really obscure place, like ... like Oakdale.
(That's just a joke. I love Oakdale. Really. It's got K-mart and everything.)
I trust God to make use of me in spite of my sinful nature, and try not to dwell on it too much. But if a particular sin took hold of me, I would confess it to only a small, trusted circle or perhaps a pastor. Otherwise, it might inflame gossip.
Sin is terribly, powerfully, magnetically interesting. Imagine if we had a tabloid for Crossroads ... "The Evangelical Inquirer."
warrior- very well said. thanks!
those of us who've been born-again are no longer sinners by nature/no longer slaves/addicts to sin, but we are holy by nature. we need therefore only to walk in the spirit so we won't fulfill the lusts of the flesh. therein lies our battle! it doesn't matter who we are or what position we occupy, if we sow to the flesh we will reap the equivalent destruction in our lives. but if we sow to the spirit we will reap abundant life & eternal rewards!
if haggard has been born-again, he is forgiven & can immediately resume walking in the spirit. however, that's not to say that I personally would appreciate him returning immediately into public ministry!
Denise Marie…
I think I see where you're thoughts are going & if I may, I'll elaborate again on warrior's comments.
I'm assuming that you're maybe struggling with how God's forgiveness can conflict with how haggart, wife, family, congregation... are going to be able to forgive, be healed & move on with their lives.
As we can all agree, sin leaves a devastating trail of destruction & victims. It can also establish habits in our flesh (soul & body) that are difficult to break.
However, since God is Spirit, it's our spirit nature that is regenerated when we're born-again. Just as an unregenerate person is in a perpetual state of un-forgiveness through a fallen nature, so a regenerated individual is in a state of justification/forgiveness through the new nature. This comes through no fault or righteousness of our own.
Therefore as Christians, though we're not faithful, God is faithful & just to forgive us. However, it is not easy for us, in the flesh, to forgive & trust those who've wounded us.
The lesson for Christians once again (this time through haggart), is that it obviously pays to pursue out-living the work of grace that's been accomplished within us.
This admonishment summarizes most of what the holy epistles have to say!
The gospel message is; through Christ we can be forgiven, sin is no longer imputed unto us & we can share the nature of God. This should propel us to leave a path of life & blessing rather than one of selfishness & devastation.
I know this is basic stuff to most of us, but I never tire of re-iterating it!
denise -
i think that col 1:24 is a reference to the continual labor that paul/the body of Christ now has to propogate the gospel & expand the church. i do not believe that it has anything to do with the victory that's been won over sin, death & hell.
denise - you raise a good point! haggard could become an effective minister to meth users & gays.
i've heard that the infamous jim baker (hubby of tami faye) has become a very effective & gracious minister of compassion to wounded believers!
warrior & denise - great blog stuff! i get thoroughly blessed by reading & writing these things, & i really appreciate y'all!
an additional thought i had regarding our understanding of the victory won over sin is:
through Christ, sin is completely abolished through the new birth in the "spirits of just men made perfect" (heb 12:23). it is not apparent to the natural man what happens through the new birth, often it is not even apparent to those to whom it's happened, however it happens none the less. our position of joint-heirs with Christ is not just figurative or judicial, but it is actual & tangeable! walking by faith means believing that we're 'new creatures in Christ' & can walk according to the spirit so as not to appease the flesh. it also means that we're capable of doing "greater works" (jn 14:12) than Christ has done, but that's another topic!
therefore, we see that Christ has abolished sin in the nature of those who've been born-again. sin, however of course, does still exist in the actions of saints when we allow it, & in the nature of those who've not been born-again.
warrior - you've said that it's taken awhile for you to understand these things. may i ask how long?
it's taken me about 25 years!
Post a Comment
<< Home