How is sin able to take control of our lives? It operates
unfettered in the darkness of self-deception. Breaking its dominion is like
turning on the lights to expose scammers who have sought to defraud us.
However, when the scammer is my own sin defrauding me, we
refuse to see it and close the lights, preferring to stumble in our darkened
dungeon, hating the One who promises to set us free.
Jesus promised freedom:
·
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
those who are oppressed,” (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1-2)
At first, the synagogue at Nazareth embraced His words of
hope, convinced that already they were the children of the light—the truth—and
that Jesus was only referring to the hated Gentiles. However once Jesus applied
these words to them, they tried to kill Him.
This is the power of the darkness! Those dominated by the
darkness cannot tolerate the light—anything that might threaten their
self-righteous self-delusions (positive affirmations). They cannot endure any
criticism:
·
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit. (Proverbs 16:2)
Our Lord turns-on the light-switch. No wonder He is hated,
even to the point of murder— whatever is required to turn off the light!
Satan is the friend of the darkness and our many forms of
self-righteousness, which convince us that we are okay, even superior to others.
He even dominates the lives of the vast majority:
·
We know that everyone who has been born of God
does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil
one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies
in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has
given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him
who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1
John 5:18-20)
But we too sin! Are we any different? Jesus reassured
us that, even in our broken state, we are different. We hate the darkness and
love the light:
·
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied.” (Matthew 5:3-6)
I too am humbled by my sins, but they serve as a vehicle to
bring me to the One who forgives and washes me clean of my sins and loves me despite
them.
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