Substance Over Reason

Have you ever found yourself focused on the wrong thing? So focused, in fact, that when someone mentioned you "were focused on the wrong thing" you thought they were nuts? It's so easy to do in life. We can focus on money, careers and status...yet in the end we know those have little lasting value. Relationships, family, friends...now that's stuff that lasts...even when your unemployed...broke...and "a nobody special". It'll all fade away...but relationships last. In fact, this is so true that God tries to continually draw our attend back to that truth. He continually is reminding us that our relationship with Him & with other people is the stuff of eternal value. Yet we often get distracted and preoccupied with other stuff...all too often at the expense of the very relationships God reminds us to value. I see the same missed focus in spiritual matters also. People often ask, "What's so special about Jesus?" We describe how He died for our sins... how our sins separate us from God... and now the price has been paid for our sinfulness...so we have the free gift of God...eternal life...available to us all...all because of Jesus. But in that seemingly theologically correct response have we missed the reason underneath all the substance. It is true, Jesus died for our sins. He is the only perfect sacrifice for all sin for all time. That is what separates Jesus from everyone else, He's the only one to pay that price. But why did He die? Why did God allow this horrific price to be paid at all? The bible says "the wages (or price to be paid) for sin is death". Now that penalty seems quite harsh to us humans, but apparently God takes this sin stuff pretty seriously. Now before we shake our fist at God over this harsh response to our sin, realize this, whether we agree the price is fair or not is not the question, because in the end, God paid His own price! He never expected you and I to die for our sin...He provided the perfect sacrifice...Himself. Wow, now that's radical, regardless of view on the severity of that penalty. The bible says "there is no greater love than this, that one lay his life down for another..." So whats up with the harsh penalty on this sin stuff? Many will point to the scripture that says "God hates sin". Wow, "hate"...that's harsh too! So why does God hate sin? Well, some will say, because "He is a holy & righteous God". This is true, but what is "holy"? Many struggle to describe the term "holy"...it refers to a density, a thickness, a permeating heaviness, emanating from God. In a sense it is the very essence of God oozing out from Him. His righteousness, or His being absolute "truth", thus He "is" the very essence of "righteousness". With those thoughts...many will conclude that God hates sin because of who He is by nature, and who we are as humans by our sinful nature. Thus the two cannot mingle, they are incompatible. Yet in that thinking have we missed a deeper reason. The bible tells us "God is love". His very nature, His very substance, His very essence is love! Relationship and unity are at the core of who God is. Even the mystery of the Trinity expresses a beautiful relationship within God. He is united, mutually serving Himself, submitted one to another, a team, love expressed in its purest, most authentic spiritual sense. Perhaps the answer to "why does God hate sin" goes deeper. Perhaps it goes deeper than His holiness and righteousness...perhaps it goes to the core of who God is...love. If God is love...then anything that hinders love and relationship is what he hates. And whether we like to hear it or not, sin is usually rooted in selfishness, not love. When we steal it's for selfish gain or pleasure. When we cuss someone up one side and down the other, its because we selfishly wanted to vent & drop a few f-bombs on someones head. When we cheat on our spouse, we selfishly compromise our vows of love, so we can get our jollies, because, darn it, my desires are whats important here! When we lie, its because we selfishly have to cover our butt, or manipulate another into doing what we want. The examples go on and on...but in the end...sin is rooted in "self". Me doing what I want, when I choose. When the world revolves around me, it becomes clear that no one else lives on the planet! Ya, sin is fun for a season, as are most selfish things...but never are they productive in the long run. Heck I hate that sin stuff too...at least when its hitting me in the face and screwing up my relationships. And let's be honest, that sin crap gets in the way, doesn't it? Maybe that's why God hates it too. It does mess up relationships, with people & God. Selfishness goes right against the core of love. Selfishness pulls us away from authentic, genuine relationship with each other and with God. God hates sin, because it flies in the face of love, relationship and unity. He doesn't hate us, but He hates the stuff that ruins our relationship with Him & others. He doesn't want anything in the way of pure relationship. All these things are part of the very essence of who God is...that is why He values them so much. And dog-gone-it relationships are hard for us, aren't they? In fact, God relaizing this, says, "kids I'm coming down and paying the price for it all". Why? Because God is holy and righteousness? Only partly...I believe it has a whole lot more to do with "because God is love and He values relationship more than anything". God paid the price, so now our relationship with Him is an open door, no more walls. Now the issue for each of us is, "do you trust Him enough to enter into a relationship with Him?" Now that's an opportunity, an opportunity that ECHO wants everyone to clearly understand...in the hope some beautiful new relationships begin, with the God who is relationship, Who is love. As we learn to trust Him in relationship then its easier to trust His ways as we learn to live in relationship with each other. After all, its what God's all about, and we are His kids...that's why He wants us to be like Him...and thank God He has made a way for us to do just that! Maybe the real answer isn't "God hates sin", but more importantly that "God loves relationship." I'm suggesting the reason God hates sin is because sin ruins relationship...and a God who "is love" cannot tolerate that in any way, shape or form...so He took care of it...once and for all...thank you Jesus! Now the opportunity for relationship with God is available to everyone who trusts enough to step into it...

be God's!
Brian O
Lead Pastor dude, ECHO