Come Clean, Find Grace
Have you ever wondered what the main point of the Bible really is? Someone once asked me if the Bible's message was essentially "don't be a jerk." While the Bible certainly contains commands to be kind, loving, forgiving, and to put others before yourself, that's not actually the core message.
The real message goes deeper: The Bible tells us we already are jerks (or sinners, to use biblical language), but there's still hope. That's the chief benefit of Christianity - for people who have already blown it, there's forgiveness and a fresh start.
TAKEAWAY THOUGHT
God wants to heal the real you--not the version of yourself you projectWhat Does True Confession Mean?
First John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When we hear "confession," many might think of a formal religious practice. But confession in its most basic sense simply means agreement. It's acknowledging and owning our mistakes and shortcomings. The power in this verse is that there's a promise attached to those who do what isn't intuitive - admit they have a problem.
Why Is God "Just" to Forgive?
The Christian faith isn't about being a self-made person. It's not about trying hard not to be a jerk and earning God's approval. The message is that we are sinners with a problem, but we also have a rescuer who loves us.
But what does it mean that God is "just" to forgive our sins? When we forgive, we often just sweep things under the rug or look the other way. We haven't dealt with the infraction; we've just ignored it.
God is different. He is righteous and hates sin. So how can He forgive while maintaining His righteousness? Galatians 3 gives us the answer: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us."
The righteous response that our sin deserves was poured out on Jesus. Our sins haven't been swept under the carpet - they've been placed on Jesus, who paid the price we should have paid. That's the good news.
Why Do We Keep Telling the Same Story?
I'm convinced that authors, even those who aren't Christians, can't help but write some version of this redemption story. It's what we all crave deep down. Consider these examples:
In Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," Sydney Carton takes Charles Darnay's place at the execution.
In "Les Misérables," Jean Valjean's life is transformed by a bishop's undeserved kindness.
In "The Brothers Karamazov," Alyosha kneels beside people in their pain, offering comfort without words.
In "Charlotte's Web," Wilbur is saved by Charlotte's sacrificial love.
In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch stands at great personal cost to defend an innocent man.
In "Don Quixote," Aldonza is transformed when Don Quixote gives her a new identity as "Dulcinea."
In "The Shawshank Redemption," Andy Dufresne, an innocent man treated as guilty, escapes through death and filth to emerge resurrected, then helps others find freedom.
In "Good Will Hunting," Sean helps Will by removing his guilt and shame, telling him repeatedly, "It's not your fault."
Why can't we escape this story? Because in every great story, there's a hero who suffers, someone who does for others what they cannot do for themselves. Deep down, we know we cannot save ourselves. We need a hero to step into the wreckage of our lives and save us.
Life Application
The late Pastor Tim Keller said it perfectly: "The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared to believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope."
Grace doesn't flow to the proud. It's not the anthem of the self-made person. It flows to the honest. When we honestly agree with God that we have a problem, we find He is always faithful and just to remedy that problem and forgive our sins.
Ask yourself these questions this week:
Am I trying to earn God's approval, or am I honestly acknowledging my need for grace?
Where in my life am I still trying to be "good enough" rather than accepting Christ's forgiveness?
How might my relationships change if I approached others with the same grace God has shown me?
The chief benefit of Christianity isn't a roadmap to being a better person through our own efforts. It's the assurance that even though we're broken, we're deeply loved, and through Christ, we can be made whole.
