I wear glasses with blue light filtering lenses because I use a computer and I stare at a screen regularly. It took some time to get used to because the screen is less vivid when I wear the glasses. Without them, however, I get headaches and my vision blurs. As I was working, I realized this is similar to the insidious nature of sin that wants us to remove our spiritual blue light glasses.
When things are “good”, by that I mean there is no apparent struggle or difficulty we face, we see life as vivid. The sky seems clearer, laughter is deeper, joy is more accessible, and God’s love appears more evident. When the filtered lens is overlaid on our life and the evidence of sin, the vividness of the lulling blue light fades. Without it, the minor sins we knew were present, don’t seem so bad. After all, God loves us and it’s okay. It is just a small sin. It’s just a little bit of jealousy over a pregnancy or a small hint of lust that has snuck in. The Word and God’s truth as revealed through prayer filters out deception and removes the false sense of “okayness”. The little nagging headache that tells me something is wrong clears up as I see the truth that has always been before me; I am a sinner, forever in need of God’s grace and mercy. In stormy skies when my sin is laid bare, it is easy to see. How easy is it when things are flowing nicely or there are no disagreements? How much do we struggle to see our shortcomings when we have hit our goals or that little white lie earns us a promotion? Do we still sense the depth of our sin in those moments? Seeing with eyes unfazed by the vibrancy of deception should cause us to fall before the cross desperate for His new mercies. It should lead us to see the depths and unfathomed riches of His love.
The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ~Romans 5:20-21
We, as humanity, had to be given the law to make us aware of the sin that permeates every aspect of who we are. The illusion of goodness had to be removed. Romans 5:20 says, “Where sin was multiplied, grace multiplied even more”. Our sinfulness didn’t increase, but our awareness of it in the light of the law did.
I am reminded of King David and his horrible crimes that started with disobedience leading to rape and murder but finding it’s way to remittance. Yes, his traumatizing and brutal actions were pardoned by God. There was recognition in David that he had done evil, but in truth, evilness had resided in his heart before he was born. Before he did anything he was against God. Simply, his default nature offended God and was worthy of judgment.
For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. ~Psalm 51:3-5
David chose to put on those blue light-filtering glasses. He looked at his life undistracted by his feelings and perspective. It was exposed radically when the prophet, Nathan, revealed his sin. The hard question is, how did David continue to see his sin in light of God’s forgiveness? He tells us his sin is “always” in front of him. He grabs hold of a truth many of us shy away from. David isn’t a good person who did evil things; he, at his core, was sinful when he was conceived. That may seem like a strong indictment. Many may even say self-deprecating. I can’t help but wonder if it is why David was called a man after God’s own heart in 1 Samuel 13. We never hear of God stripping that title away.
Over and over in the Scripture, I see where those who recognize who they are as weak and sinful people have the capacity to accept God’s love to a depth that the self-assured could not. It seems those whose sin is always before them find no hope of rescue outside the saving power of Christ. Paul, who calls himself the worst sinner in 1 Timothy 1:15, says in the preceding verse that God came to save sinners.
This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. ~ 1 Timothy 1:15-17
The only things to do with these truths is to filter out the blue light. Take away what we think makes our vision clearer and see ourselves in light of the cross. We are broken, weak, and sinful. Yet God. Those two words alone should make us praise. It should cause our hearts to soar with thanksgivings because in light of all that we are there is a sovereign God reigning on the throne of all who saved us. Looking, with perfect justice, at our hearts did not cause Him to turn from us. Rather, He sacrificed Christ on our behalf. He sent the Savior knowing there was no other way that sin could be cleansed from the very essence of our beings. What greater love is this?