Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

So Basically: The Church

On Sunday we looked at the church and how it relates to Christ and one another. So often we hear the Church referred to as the Bride of Christ, with numerous biblical references and representations. The book of Hosea paints the Bride of Christ as a wayward prostitute seeking her own desires and lusts, and shows us the steadfastness of Christ's love for His bride. Psalm 23 illustrates the way God seeks us, calling us to Him as we veer dangerously away from His path. His love is relentless. Unrelenting. We've been learning about justification and sanctification, and the Bible talks about how Christ clothes us in righteousness, blotting out our sins. As humans, we are not perfect, therefore the Church is not perfect. But as God continues the work of sanctification in each one of us, we take on the responsibility and calling as believers to reach out to the community and to reach our arms around one another.
Every member of the Church is equally important. Together we form a strengthening bond to bear one another's burdens, and to love others inside AND outside of the Church. We can support each other through prayer, acts of kindness, admonishment, edification, and forgiveness. We can love others outside of the Church through much the same way, sharing the message of the Gospel relentlessly. As imperfect as we all are, God still entrusts us with His gospel and we should honor this gift above all else.

So Basically: Sanctification

You can't really talk about Justification without immediately following it up with Sanctification. Sanctification is what God does to us AFTER he justifies us. It is the process of maturation in our spiritual lives that makes us righteous. As Charlie pointed out, sanctification is not a process that begets instantaneous growth, and it is not a painless process either. When we are sanctified, we undergo a metamorphosis that alters the way we think and behave. This is not the pop-culture understanding of metamorphosis - those superheros who mutate into something else (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Michael Chicklis transforming from The Commish into The Thing from Fantastic Four). Sanctification does not mutate the the components God used to create us- our physical make-up and appearance, our personality, our voices.
And when we are justified, there is a certain knowledge that all is not right in ourselves, and we want to be changed, to become more holy.
Charlie mentioned Weight Watchers this morning so I'll roll with it. Much like those who realize at a certain point that they are overweight, they acknowledge that there need to be changes in their intake and lifestyle. There are the overwhelming cravings, the painful work needed for a metamorphosis, the humiliating weigh-ins, the cravings again. I often pity the visitors of the local Weight Watchers' headquarters in Capitola, which opens out into a giant food court. I arrive at Zizzo's every day during my morning break and I can see how the Weight Watchers are just set up for failure. They weigh-in, divulge what they've really been eating over the past 2 weeks, and then reconvene in line for a triple white mocha. How is that fair? They should really consider moving their headquarters to Davenport.
What were we talking about again?
Oh yes, anyway, the difference between WW and our Sanctification is that we are not set up for failure. God has a specific idea in mind, dare I say purpose, that we will ultimately embody as His children. He wants to see us grow, and he knows it won't be easy. But we will one day be unrecognizable as our old selves. We won't be defined by our habits or shortcomings. He changes our hearts' intent to work towards exercising our gifts and the fruit of the Spirit. For God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of Christ.
And it is true that if we are not growing, we are dying. Both are painful, but which would you prefer?
When my sister and I were in junior high, she started complaining of excruciating pain in her legs. I remember one cloudless day, much like today, when she collapsed on the ground, her over-stuffed bookbag spilling its contents across the pavement. Our homeroom teacher/self-appointed physician was not of the nurturing species, so when my sister squinted upwards in the sunlight, tears flooding the collar of her dingy polo shirt, she met the gaze of a very tall woman wearing a tailored pants suit.
"Get up! What are you doing on the ground! If you'll stop crying you won't have trouble breathing like that! Relax!!! Do you hear me? Relax!!! They're only growing pains!"
One of the books that slipped from my sister's bag was the Diary of Anne Frank. In my overactive imagination I pictured the teacher as a strict S.S. officer screaming and kicking my sister on the ground. Prepubescent myself, I lacked the skills and courage to comfort my sister as she lay writhing on the asphalt, her knobby knees exposed below her skirt, her skinny legs twisting in the air like undignified tree limbs stored for kindling. I displayed exemplary cowardice, and instead of rushing to her aid to shield her from the verbal blows from the teacher, I stood to the side with many others and watched.
It turned out the "growing pains" were nothing of the sort. My sister was suffering malnutrition so advanced that her bones were turning black.
Perhaps fearing a law suit, the teacher later approached my sister with mock surprise and asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were in so much pain?"
So, for us to avoid growing up, to avoid growing spiritually because we fear the pain the metamorphosis causes, is as foolish as opting for a painful death instead.

So Basically: Justification

Justification by faith. Theology. the act of God whereby humankind is made or accounted just, or free from guilt or penalty of sin.



Most of us want to believe that mankind is basically good. It's hard to admit there is a fundamental "sin nature" within all of us (yes, all) that acts as a driving force behind the selfish, impure thoughts and actions that we repeat day after day. To admit depravity is to admit defeat.
But we are, in a sense, defeated by our very own sin. There isn't anything we can do to erase it, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We can't do enough to cleanse ourselves of unrighteousness.
This acknowledgement can be very discouraging when we try to justify our selves. I think that's why a lot of people deny their sin, or wallow in despair, or flex spiritual muscles in a vain attempt to obtain righteousness.
Last week a young man plucking a guitar asked me if I could name the tune he was playing. It was a proud moment when I immediately recognized the Nintendo Super Mario Bros. theme song emitting from his fingertips. I asked if he could make the dinging sound you hear when the Bros. collect those little coins (he could!).
But that's what I think a lot of us do when it comes to accepting responsibility for our sin. We nod begrudgingly, and then face forward heroically to obtain righteousness like coins. The more coins you gather, the closer you are to everlasting life! ('I just gave that other driver the last parking spot." Ka-ling-a-ling! "I just completed a 35-day fast. And I don't even feel hungry!" Ka-ling-a-ling!) You can fall down a pit a whole bunch of times, but as long as you have a stash of good deeds or works, you'll just keep coming back over and over again, without any visible harm!


I love that game.

Anyway, that's not how it works actually.

Unfortunately, we are dead in our trespasses and sin. We can't dodge and weave our way out of it. We are Hell-bound, and God would be perfectly just, perfectly fair, to condemn us.

However,

we can be justified. We can be justified. We are justified by God "who justifies those who have faith in Jesus"(see Romans 3:21-26). The verb implies that justification is done to us. So when it looks hopeless, take heart because there is hope. "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."

This doesn't mean that we should do whatever we want, whenever we want so long as we have faith in Jesus. When we are justified, we encounter the process of sanctification. God works in us to overcome temptation, and our good deeds are no longer futile acts of working towards holiness to save ourselves, but are acts of gratitude meant solely to serve God. We are already justified through faith, so we can't feasibly make ourselves more justified by trying to please God with good works.