Holy Shint Batman!!

I wish someone would have just given it to me straight. Maybe someone has, but it just hasn't sunk in until now. I've felt like such a disappointment lately, mostly because I keep screwing up. I hear all the time:"Nobody's Perfect," "Broken World," "Spiritual Battle." Then on top of that I hear "Christ frees you from sin," "No longer a slave to sin," "Jesus gives you victory in sin." But it seems to me that if any of this stuff is brought up in a sermon, it should be followed by: "But shit happens." Or maybe more appropriately "Sin happens." Actually both happen... "shint" happens, a lot of times they're the same thing.

I've read in the word, and people tell me that Jesus promised trials, but that's not as encouraging as they mean it to be. It's only half the story. I think what would be better to hear (at least for me) is "Drew, Jesus promised trials and I'm telling you that a lot of the time, you will FAIL. You will fall flat on your face!" That's the kind of straight shooting I would rather hear.

For the last several months I've had this idea in my head that sin in a christian's life is moot. I know now that that idea is a virus, it makes me sick. I know now where this came from, and it's something equally as viral. When the body of christ masks its pains and struggles from each other, then sin becomes to each member a personal defect rather than a product of our world.

I used to think that because I belonged to christ and was "no longer a slave to sin," it meant that I wouldn't sin anymore. That was pretty stupid of me to think so while every day of my life was still filled with it. For whatever reason, it's taken this long for the real meaning to hit me, and it hit like a friggin freight train to the face.

In essence, I think Martin Luther reworded that with a bit more kick: "Sin boldly, but believe in Christ more boldly still." Shint is gonna happen and when it does, ya gotta own it. Not being a slave to sin is not so much about not doing it, but rather when it comes, own it, give it to God and say "I may be a screw up, but I'm a screw up in the death grip of God's unconditional love and neverending grace." Apologeticist Peter Kreeft says that there is no opposite of sinners in our world, just saved sinners and not saved sinners. Being free of sin is not letting your enemy's immediate victory blind you from our God's ultimate win.

The times I've felt free from sin were the times when I could sit with my fellow believers and without fear of judgement pour out my pain and struggles and to have them reply "me too, thank God for grace." I want more of that in church.