Our Most Fundamental Problem
Dear Champions,
The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Luke 5:18-19 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
Jesus is in the center of the house, and there's a paralytic. His friends want to see him healed so they bring him to the house, but it's so crowded that they can't get in the door. They go up to the roof and lower him down, and Jesus looks at him and says, "Your sins are forgiven."
He says, "Your sins are forgiven?!!" What are his friends going to say in response to that? "Ah, Jesus, that's not what we came for -- that's not what we ripped this person's house up for! Ah, you know, thank you very much! Let's have some real power! Say, WALK! Jesus, say WALK -- not YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN! Say WALK! That's what we're here for!"
Here's what we learn from this incident. Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven." Maybe you think the paralysis and the immobilized limbs are the real problem, but that's not the case. Our most fundamental problem is that we're alienated from God, and we need our sins forgiven. We need them removed because there's a barrier between us and God that needs to be removed.
I don't get Jesus' salvation by being strong and accomplished but by admitting that I'm not. I don't get His salvation by negotiating with God but by surrendering. No matter how defiled you are, no matter how stained you are, no matter how tainted, no matter who you are or what you've done and no matter what your record is, the minute Jesus touches you, you're fit for the presence of God. Jesus' cleanness becomes your cleanness.
Champions, have a great week!-David Vining
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