Category Archives: Faith and Practice

The Weight of our Sin

Posted on by
Reply

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking
but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 14:17 (ESV)

So Lent has begun (you know that because McDonald’s Fish Sandwich is back), and apparently that means it’s time to ramp up the guilt.  I know that this is a time when we reflect on the passion of Christ, his suffering for our salvation, a time of leaving behind the things of this world in order to “seek first the kingdom of God.”  But seriously, how is giving up chocolate, or caffeine, or anything else for that matter going to help?  What it will most likely do is make you irritable, until you cave in and break your fast, then all your left with is even more self-imposed guilt.  Where’s the sanctification in that?

Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that the life of the Christian is a life of constant warfare against sin.  It was the puritan pastor John Owen who put it so vividly, “Always be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.”  Any opportunity, no matter how painful or upsetting, to identify sin in my life and, in the power of God’s Spirit, conquer that sin is welcome.  But should that holy war against sin be limited to the 7 weeks of Lent?  I don’t think so.

Keep in mind, I write this to you with ashes on my forehead.  Yes, I began this Ash Wednesday in confession of my sins, seeking the mercy and grace of God for my forgiveness, confessing my trust and faith in Christ my savior.  But I do that every day.  Why should these next few weeks carry with them an extra burden?  Do we, for the sake of some liturgical drama, lay aside the receipt of the bloody cross, the blessings of the empty tomb, the assurance of our salvation, just so we can make ourselves “feel” more holy because we “feel” more guilty?

As you grieve your sins, remember the gospel!  Take your sins seriously, but remember we have a savior!  I heard Pastor Doug Wilson a few weeks ago say “We are privileged to carry our sins like David carried Goliath’s decapitated head.  The weight of the sin is cut off, the only weight you should feel is victory.”  Yes, I wear my ashes, but they are not heavy.

This Lenten season, turn the fast into a feast.  Rather than giving up stuff, revel in the one thing that will bring you great joy – revel in the gospel, the good news of your salvation.  I think the following is perhaps one of the best Lenten hymns I’ve ever heard.

 Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heav’n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart

 When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there the Risen Lamb
My perfect spotless Righteousness
The great unchangeable I Am
The King of Glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God

Before the Throne
© 1997 Sovereign Grace Worship
Charitie Lees Bancroft | Vikki Cook
CCLI License No. 783539

 SDG

Joining the Song

Posted on by
Reply

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth… Come into his presence with singing!”
Psalm 110:1-2 (ESV)

I love to sing.  If you know me, you know that much is true.

At different times in my life, singing has meant different things for me.  In Junior High, it was a way to get close to girls – and I suppose that would be true of me in High School as well.  Think about it, in most school choirs, the girl to boy ratio is like 3 to 1, so your odds of meeting, and perhaps getting a date, with a girl dramatically increase (but now that I think about it, I’m not sure if it actually helped).  I can admit it, now that it is ancient history, the whole reason why I joined the Baptist Church youth choir was so that I could be near a girl (and now I sound like a singing stalker).

Singing in High School and College meant a way to help pay for school.  I got a scholarship to sing in the touring choir in College, as well as a scholarship for Theatre.  So singing was a source of financial resource for me as well.

When the kids started coming into the picture, singing was my way of calming the kids.  Many a night in the seminary apartment I would pace up and down the hallway, crying baby in one arm, hymnal in the other, singing hymns and spiritual songs to help comfort and sooth.

These days, I’m teaching myself to play guitar (and by “teaching myself” I mean trying to memorize chord fingerings; and by “play guitar” I mean butchering songs so badly that we no longer need an exterminator to come to the house, but it’s okay because I never really intend to play for anyone else).  The blessing of having the guitar is that now it’s not so weird for me to incorporate song into my daily devotion.  I love starting my day, or ending it (however it works out) with time in scripture, prayer, and singing to the Lord.

I think the reason why I love singing in worship is because it involves the entire body in that moment before the Lord.  Singing requires the use of the voice (of course), the lungs, the ears, the mind, and the heart – all working together in harmony to make beautiful music before the Lord.

Singing is also a deeply catechetical matter: we learn when we sing.  Think about it, we teach our children the alphabet it song;, a two year old can sing a Justin Bieber song; you don’t even have to try to learn the words to your favorite songs, you just listen to them enough that they come naturally.  In the church, we learn and store great doctrinal truth through song.  The old hymns, like “Amazing Grace,” “It is Well with my Soul,” Be Thou My Vision,” “A Mighty Fortress is Our God;” you could probably sing them without ever looking at the hymnal.  Even some of the new songs, like “In Christ Alone,” and “All I Have is Christ,” they are steeped in scripture, resound with solid theology, and teach the faith through song.  Because of its ability to both glorify God and edify the people at the same time, singing is essential in the worship and life of the church.

Friends, we sing because we must, we must because God commands.  1 Chronicles 16:23 says, “Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.”  Psalm 105:1–3 “Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!”  These passages and others like them in Scripture are full of imperatives, commands to sing.  This command is not a burdensome one, this obedience is a joy.

Singing is joy, not because of its ease, but because of the reason why we sing.  Psalm 98 implores us, “Oh sing to the LORD a new song… for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.  He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness… all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

Creation was born in the resonance of the song sung by the lover of our souls.  Our response to that love is to take up the song in joyous chorus.  There is a chorus that is already raging; when we take up singing we are joining the throng.

Won’t you join me in the song?

SDG