"Desperately Sick"

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV)

Ask someone if they believe in God. If the answer is yes, ask them if they are going to heaven. If the answer is yes, ask them why. You might be shocked at the answers.

Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. This is one of the best illustrations of the urgent need to recognize one's sinful nature.

 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 18:10-14).

The Pharisee was self-righteous, believing he was working his way to God and increasing his holiness through his works. He believed he was “better” than others. The publican (a Jewish Tax Collector) understood he was a sinner and prayed for God’s mercy. We are all sinners, and we cannot approach God's glory. Paul wrote this in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

This is why the sacrifice of Christ for our sins is so amazingly incredible. The penal substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, while we were still sinners, set us free from sin. Substitutionary atonement was made very clear by Peter, who wrote: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18). Righteous for the unrighteous, this is substitutionary language. A price needed to be paid; sin needed to be atoned for to satisfy God’s justice and wrath against sin.

All throughout the Bible, in Leviticus 1-7, God is clear on how sacrifices are to be made to Him so that sins can be atoned for. God will not sweep sin under the rug. Could He? God could, and those who find substitutionary atonement offensive would argue this point that he should have.

But God is immutable; He does not change. This unchanging nature of God is how we can have assurances of our salvation. God does not change his mind once something is promised. God has rules and commandments from which one cannot deviate. God is perfect and sets the standard of righteousness and holiness. Of these standards, we can never live up to on our own because of our depraved, sinful nature.

So, instead of sending everyone to hell, God elected those He would save. In doing so, Christ, in the incarnation, paid the price for our sins. We must see and recognize our need for a Savior. Like the Publican, we must pray for mercy and have faith in our only hope of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I imagine standing before God on my day of judgment and God asking me why I belong in heaven. All I can say is I do not belong here. I have broken almost every one of your laws; I have failed you over and over again, and even though I tried, I have lied and cheated, and I could not do good. Father, I am not here because of me. I am here because of Him (pointing at Jesus); I placed my faith in Your son as my Savior; it is because of Him that I am made whole and righteous, not of myself. It is because of Him that I am saved. It is because of Him that I am loved.

When God asks you, what will you say?

Grace and Peace