A friend of
a friend recently posted a question on Facebook for the Facebook world to
respond to. She the following: “So Casey Anthony
will probably be released soon and will possibly relocate and perhaps feel like
she needs to find a church. What if it's yours? What if she's in your small
group? In your living room? Please just ponder.”
The
response was unbelievable. What I mean by “unbelievable” is simply
this: People were enraged and appalled by
Casey Anthony. One woman, in particular,
justified her position by saying “my church has a focus on missions...bringing
the word of our Lord to those who have never heard it...my church is not
focused on Casey...and I do not mean for this to sound awful but she does not
deserve all of this attention!”
So what if
Casey Anthony walked into your church?
Now, none of us actually saw
Casey Anthony kill her daughter. But for
the sake of argument, let’s just assume (as many already have) that she is guilty, and got off without having to
face the worldly consequences of murder.
Let’s also assume that, if Casey Anthony came into our church, that the
leadership of the church would be mindful of their responsibility to protect
the children within the church from a woman who killed her own daughter several
years ago.
Now that we
have made those assumptions, realize that this woman has been taken out of her
home and made a public spectacle. Most
people with any sense of a moral conscience would be dissatisfied with what
this woman has done; and rightfully so.
Our natural response to someone who has failed to meet our expectations
is to distance ourselves in one way or another.
Some would draw attention to her sin.
Some people would avoid her all together or just wouldn’t look at her. Regardless, we are inclined to put up a
wall. After all, that’s what sin
does. It destroys relationships
(primarily, our relationship with God) and distances the parties within those
relationships. Sin builds walls. We see this in Genesis 3, where the shame
associated with sin created distance in man’s relationship with God. Just the same, the shame associated with
Casey Anthony’s sin has created distance (both real and perceived) between her, God, and men.
Now imagine
that you are the guilty party. The world
suspects you of being guilty, and it is difficult (if not impossible) to be
able to have a healthy friendship with anyone.
You are at enmity with God. You
are alone in the world. Nobody is
looking out for you. So it is your
responsibility, alone, to fend for yourself.
You are forced to fight for your own social or emotional survival. You may continue to proclaim your innocence
loudly in an effort to “make right” your relationship with the world. Maybe you’ll point your finger at those around
you in an effort to deflect accusations and draw attention to the sins of
others. You may accept an immoral
lifestyle in an effort to redefine your own morality and justify your true
immorality. Whatever it is, you are enslaved to a lie. You are enslaved to the lie that you can
somehow provide for your own worth. But
that’s what you resort to because you are unaware of any other provision out
there.
Are we any
different than Casey Anthony? I get
it. We may not be murderers. But Jesus said that if you are angry with
your brother, you are guilty enough to go into the fiery hell (Matt 5:22). He also said that if you look at a woman
lustfully, you are guilty of adultery (Matt 5:28). Do you think that He was just saying those
things for effect? Within our hearts and
our Christian “bubble”, some of us stand tall and proud proclaiming that we
would never give into such horrific sin.
The reality is that we are all, equally
as desperate for a Savior. When the
woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus at the temple, He responded to
the Scribes and Pharisees saying, “He who is without sin among you, let him be
the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).
Slowly, one by one, the Pharisees laid down their stones and walked
away. When all was said and done, those
who had no place to condemn her to begin with, were gone. The woman caught in adultery remained in the
dust, a mess of a woman drenched in shame and guilt. Then the One who is worthy to judge knelt
down and said to her, “I do not condemn you, either. Go.
From now on, sin no more” (John 8:11).
As
Christians, we are quick to recite the scripture that tells us that all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). We are also quick to understand that Jesus
died to pay for our sins (Rom 3:24-25).
But often fail to realize the implications of those truths as God
empowers us to shed the guilt and shame and live abundantly for His
purposes. We fail to realize the
fundamental significance of our adoption and acceptance (Rom 8:23; Eph 1:4-6;
Gal 4:5). You are no longer a slave! You are a son (Gal 4:7)! This world may shun you. This world may reject you. This world may even kill you! But we know that nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:38). I heard an interesting story once, that
illustrates this perfectly:
When
John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407) was brought before the empress Eudoxia, she
threatened him with banishment if he insisted on his Christian independence as
a preacher… he said, “You cannot banish me, for this world is my Father’s
house.” “But I will kill you,” said the empress. “No, you cannot, for my life
is hid with Christ in God,” said John. “I will take away your treasures.” “No,
you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.” “But I will
drive you away from your friends and you will have no one left.” “No, you
cannot, for I have a Friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me. I defy
you, for there is nothing you can do to harm me.”
Now imagine
if Casey Anthony walked into your church and received the Gospel. Imagine that she is met by Christians who are
aware of her sin, who are honest with her about her sin, and who wrap their
arms around her in spite of her sin.
Imagine the church being an extension of the love and character of
Christ. The truth of her sin and the horrific
nature of it is essential to bring her to her knees in understanding that she
can never justify herself before a
holy God. Eventually, she may be
overcome by the grief of her sin. She
may avoid that moment by busy-ness, self-justification, deflection or
deceit. But let’s just say that she
comes clean. Exposed, this mess of a
woman lays face down in the dust, drenched in her shame and guilt. Those who are followers of Christ will say to
her, “I do not condemn you. Go. And sin no more.”
This does
not make her sin, or anyone else’s sin, “okay.”
Instead, as Casey Anthony grows in her understanding of all that Christ
as accomplished for her, she has the freedom to deal openly and honestly with
her sin. While our justice system will
not try her a second time for the crime of murder, she can still face the other
consequences of her crime. That may take
her to prison. But what great assurance
there would be knowing that nothing can remove her from the graces of a Friend
in heaven who has given everything
for her; and what an amazing opportunity for the good news of Jesus Christ to
be made known to those who have been condemned and locked away.
Now, what
about your life? Do you conceal your sin
to avoid the shame associated with it?
Do you look at the lives of those around you, nitpicking at their sin or
shortcomings in an effort to avoid dealing with your own? Do you lower the standard of righteousness by
saying, “no one can be perfect”, effectively relieving you of the need for a
Savior? Do you lie to yourself and your
loved ones, for fear of being found out in your sin? Do you fill your day with good deeds and hard
work in order to cope with grief or shame?
If we are afraid of being found out our sin, we just might avoid dealing
with it all together.
But let me encourage you; be who
you are and deal with your sin. The more
we realize the depths of our sin, the more we realize the greater depths of
God’s love and what He has accomplished.
The result is that we are thrown to our knees in worship of the One who
is righteous and has satisfied the rightful requirements for our justification
and imputed His righteousness upon us.
We realize how much we have been forgiven, and this leads us to love the
Giver of the gifts all the more.
The Gospel frees us to live for Him in spite of who
we are and what we have done. Let me
encourage you all to be free. If you’re
living the lie, stop it! Cling to the cross and know that you are
worthy, solely based upon what He has
accomplished. You are accepted. You have been adopted. Your identity and value and worth and
righteousness are found in Him. Nothing will ever separate you from
that. Thanks be to God!
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