It’s just a little one…

Yesterday we celebrated the Lord’s Supper together as a church. It is such a needed reminder for us to look to the cross. We fare much better as believers as we look to Christ and what he has done for us so that we may see our sin rightly, and hopefully then are pushed by grace to mortify that sin more and more by the power of the Spirit at work in us. But sadly, rather than consider the weight of our sin too often we make excuses or we justify our sins: “It was just something little…it’s not a big deal.” Can you hear yourself?

The reasons are myriad as to why we do this, but no matter the reason the outcome of that practice is not beneficial for anyone. The Christian life is one of faith and repentance. We need to recognize our need that our sins have created. We must recognize that repentance is part and parcel to the Christian life. It is imperative to be a Christian (see Luke 24:45-47). I am reading a devotional compilation of some of the writings of John Owen. I found this paragraph helpful in this contemplation of our sin and the work of Christ:

“And the Holy Spirit would have us mind it, where he says, ‘He made him sin for us’ (2 Cor. 5:21). ‘See what comes of sin,’ says he, ‘what demerit, what provocation there is in it.’ To see the Son of God praying, crying, trembling, bleeding, dying; God hiding his face from him; the earth trembling under him; darkness round about him—how can the soul but cry out, ‘O Lord, is this the effect of sin? Is all this in sin?’ Here, then, take a view of sin. Others look on it in its pleasures and the advantages of it, and cry, ‘Is it not a little one?’ as Lot said of Zoar (Gen. 19:20), but look on it in the cross of Christ, and there it appears in another hue. ‘All this is because of my sin’, says the contrite soul.” (John Owen: Daily Readings, ed. Lee Gatiss (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Heritage, 2022).)

So then as we are in this season of Advent and we hear familiar words, let them sink deeply into our hearts and let us remember why a baby was born in Bethlehem.

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be fore all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10,11)

Who was born? A Savior. Who is this savior for? You…For unto you…What glorious good news! Let us not forget that the birth of Jesus was only part of the glorious work of God to save sinners like you and me. And there is no such thing as just a little sin. It all necessitated the work of Christ for us.