Down & Up

I'm learning how to preach the gospel to myself, but it is hard. It is hard enough on a normal day. It's even harder when I sin. Unfortunately for me, this is the "in season" and "out of season" of my self-preaching. I need to hear it everyday. I need to hear it now.

Some of my pastors have phrased it as going "Down the slope of repentance and up the slope of faith." Going down the slope of repentance involves first, seeing and owning my sin, then, seeing the sin beneath my sin, and finally, exposing the idols/false lovers of my heart. Proceeding up the slope of faith involves four assertions: Jesus lived for me, Jesus died for me, God sees me in Jesus, Jesus lives in me.

I'm really good at wallowing in guilt but really bad at claiming my sin. This is exactly what Satan wants, because worldly sorrow leads to death. Jesus Christ lived and died for me, and as Luther said, Jesus only saves real sinners, not pretend ones. Unless I'm honest about my sin, I cannot be saved. The thing about my sin, though, is that it's not the truest thing about me. Jesus is the truest thing about me. God sees me in Jesus. I struggle with seeing me in Jesus, but that's where I am.

In his sermon the other week, Pastor Rob Plummer talked about how we need to keep rehearsing biblical things, like calling each other "brother" or "sister," until they sink in and we say them out heartfelt conviction. Going up and down these slopes is in the same vein. I will never get beyond the Gospel. That's a good thing.