My tendency is to think that the struggles I face with sin in my life are something “just between me and Jesus.” Clearly there must be some sense in which this is true. I am the one responsible for my sinning; Jesus is the one to whom I must turn in order to experience the forgiveness that he has procured for me through his life, death, and resurrection (1 John 1:9). But am I right in thinking that my sin is solely something with which I should wrestle on my own, in isolation, as something of a “lone ranger” saint? Could it be that addressing sin, even in my own life, should be something more than “personal”?
In the past few posts, I have been thinking out loud about the ongoing nature of the struggle that followers of Jesus face in dealing with their sin. I have been trying to think well–think biblically–about the reasons that might account for the persistence of sinning without reducing it all to “if it’s meant to be [that is, if I am going to be personally holy], than it’s up to me!” That thinking tends toward making sanctification [the big theological term for practical experiential holiness in life] the results of “works” rather than a “grace through faith” proposition–and that is something that seems to be to be quite at odds with the Gospel.
I have suggested, in one of those earlier posts, that perhaps one of the reasons that sin persists in the life of a followers of Jesus is that he or she is approaching the sin problem as it if were to be addressed individually, without any “connectedness” to the body of Christ, the community of faith. Embarrassed as we are by sin (or, perhaps, embarrassed as we ought to be would be better), we are reluctant to be candid and open with others about our struggles. But, as we thought about this in that earlier post, the possibility was raised that without the Spirit-gifted input of others in the body, we might not find the deliverance we desperately long for.
This idea was anchored, to some degree, in Paul’s words to the followers of Jesus in Galatia:
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)
Followers of Jesus can be “caught” in sin and the restoration needed comes through the gentle ministry of other followers of Jesus. This is one way we bear one another’s burdens.
Continuing to think along these lines, I realized that there are a number of places in Scripture where I am invited to think about the need to address issues of sin in something other than a “me and Jesus” approach. For example, in the letter to the Hebrews we read:
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)
That is a startling call . . . if I am reading it correctly. The implication is that we can resist the hardening effects that often come through deceptive sin through our speaking into one another’s lives. In other words, I can find freedom from sin’s deception through the encouragement of others. And the flip-side of that leads me to think that I might, in fact, be stuck in the deceptiveness of sin if I do not invite or welcome the encouragement that might come to me through others.
To the degree that this is true, I need to begin thinking a bit differently about how I deal with sin in my own life. Perhaps victory over particular sins will not come simply through my personal pursuit of holiness, as I look to Jesus. Seeing as Jesus has placed me in a community of faith, seeing as the Spirit gifts others in this community of faith for the purpose of ministering in his wisdom and power into the lives of others, and seeing as I have blind spots and weaknesses that could well be addressed by the strengths and insights of others, it just might be that the growth out of my sin and into greater experiential holiness will happen only as I give myself to life lived in genuine open relationship with others.
As I begin to see this, I wonder if this is the kind of thinking that is behind the words of James:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (JAmes 5:16-20)
Will my healing–perhaps physical, perhaps healing of soul–come through the effective prayers of others, others to whom I have willingly confessed my sin and my need for a fresh experience of grace? Will my turning in freedom from sin–my rescue from that which has crippled me–come through the prayerful extension of grace through others who long to aid me in that turn, others to whom I have willingly confessed my sin and my need for a fresh experience of grace?
Summathetes 