August 30, 2017 – Devotions – Your G-d Is Too Small — What is the “Conviction” of Sin?

What does it mean to understand ourselves as people who are “by nature sinful and unclean”? Must we be “convicted” of sin before we can understand how sin impacts and infects our lives? And what does “convicted of sin” even mean? We know that to be convicted of a crime, we have to have been accused of breaking a law, tried in a timely fashion and found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. To be convicted of sin, we have to be accused of breaking one of G-d’s laws, tried in a time G-d sees as appropriate, and found to bear the guilt of that sin in the court of G-d’s kingdom.

Now this all sounds a bit intimidating, and it should. After all, to be found guilty in a county, state or federal crime, we face punishment for a determined amount of time, and often have the hope of being pardoned or released early for good behavior. But, to found guilty of one of G-d’s laws, we could face a punishment that could go on, possibly, for eternity. There are biblical examples of people who felt their sinfulness in situations: Isaiah experienced G-d in the temple for he said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5) Peter witnessed the miracle of fish jumping into his nets and said “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord”. (Luke 5:8) And after the jailer realized that Paul and Silas were still in their jail cells after the earthquake “the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'” (Acts 16:29-30) Each seems to indicate some “conviction” of a person’s need for G-d – and a clearer understanding of their position with G-d – that of being a sinful person in need of G-d and G-d’s help. Perhaps that is the best definition of this idea of being “convicted of sin” – a person’s understanding of our relationship with G-d. That first, we need G-d and the teachings of G-d; and second that without G-d’s help, we will never be worthy of G-d’s love, mercy and Grace. Nothing we can “do” will be able to put us into the position of being found “not guilty”. Without an advocate, we are “lost and unclean people”.

My friends, our advocate is the Holy Spirit who helps us understand our need for G-d through the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Spirit is not only our Advocate before G-d, but the Spirit calls us through the Gospel (the scriptures), gathers us among other “convicted, seekers of Grace”, and enlightens us to our need for Grace, and helps us when we do not know what to say before G-d. It is the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to the ways in which we have lived selfish and myopic lives. We believe that the Holy Spirit first begins to work in our lives through our Baptisms. From then on it is up to the Holy Spirit to work when and where the Holy Spirit decides to work. But we are exposed to the Holy Spirit through the Word, through preaching, through the sacraments, and when we are living in a community of faith who continually console and converse with other followers of Jesus. (Themes come from the book “Your God Is Too Small” by J. B. Phillips)

Pastor Dave