double trouble
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags (v.6).
READ: Isaiah 64:1-8
I saw a funny commercial on TV. A young boy stood near home plate and shouted, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” He tossed a baseball into the air, swung mightily, and missed. “Strike one,” he said to himself. He shouted louder, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” flipped a ball into the air, swung, and missed. “Strike two.” More determined than ever, he spat into his hands, turned his cap around, and shouted defiantly, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” threw the ball into the air, and struck himself out. I was feeling sorry for the little guy, when, in a flash of recognition for what he had accomplished, he exclaimed, “I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”
The ad was about the power of optimism, and it’s funny because the kid seemed more delusional than anything. We wonder what it would take to convince the boy that he wasn’t the greatest at something. And just as he overestimated his ability, so we tend to inflate our efforts. We need to hear Isaiah’s reminder that our best deeds before God are “nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
Martin Luther and John Calvin caught Isaiah’s point and taught that we have never done a completely good deed, for even our best efforts are marred by impure motives. They said that we need a double justification. Our person must be justified by the blood of Jesus, and our works are only accepted when God forgives our sins by His grace.
This strong sense of depravity is no cause for despair, for even though we never become perfect in this life, we can still make progress. And all the credit goes to God. As John Newton wrote in his memoir, “I remember two things very clearly: I’m a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.” —Mike Wittmer
Do you think that you have ever done an entirely good act? How does your answer reveal your view of God’s grace?
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Loading ...my two cents
June 16, 2009
READ: Acts 2:40-47
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. —Proverbs 3:27
Recently, our family had to change Internet cable services. Our former provider promised to send us a postage-paid box to mail their equipment back to them. We waited. No box came. I phoned. The promised box still did not arrive, but we did get a bill for the equipment!
Wanting to get this resolved, I decided to return it at my own expense. I sent several faxes asking if they received it—but no reply. Then I got a refund check of $.02 for the returned equipment! An experience like that can be frustrating. A simple transaction was complicated by poor communication.
Sadly, some people in our churches may encounter an impersonal response to their needs. Whether seeking marital counseling, childcare, guidance for a troubled teen, or a loving community, they come away feeling uncared for.
The first-century church was not perfect, but it faithfully helped others. The church at Jerusalem “divided [their goods] among all, as anyone had need” (Acts 2:45).
Good communication is the starting point for learning others’ needs. This enables us to provide personal and practical help to people when they need it. Resources, both material and spiritual, can then be directed to each person as the object of God’s personal love. — Dennis Fisher
God cares for you—care for others.
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