hating sin

Confession time: sometimes, when I pray, I don’t know what to ask forgiveness for. I know I’m a sinful person, but I can’t think of any particular sin at that point, so I just confess my character flaws in general.

I once heard a man opine that even though we’ll never be perfect, we can have perfect days. I don’t think that’s true for me. I think there’s a lot more truth in what the Psalmist says in Psalm 36:1-2: “I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes.In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.”

It’s easy to give myself a break where I tend to judge others. It’s easy to see the reason I spoke harshly, or didn’t give, or wasn’t grateful. Sometimes I don’t treat Dawn very well; sometimes I’m short-tempered with my siblings. But there are good reasons. I know my busy life and all the factors, and I like to think I’m a pretty good person, so I can downplay the significance of some of my sins. Like the Psalmist says, I flatter myself too much to detect or hate my sin. In fact, some sins I don’t hate at all; they’re old friends.

The basic mistake I make is that I begin to think I have some righteousness of my own. I forget that without Jesus all of my actions and motives are tainted, primarily by my own self-interest. 

But when I focus on Jesus perfect holiness, and remember what he did for me, then my petty little so-called goodness is put in proper perspective. Then I remember that my basic sin is thinking I can get by without God. I always need to repent of that. And the more I ponder on what Jesus wants from me, the more able I am to see how I fall short

This same Psalm ends with these words, in verse 28: “My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.” That’s where my focus belongs. Too much attention to my own self clouds my perceptions.