This week we’ve been busy with Bible Boot Camp, our annual high school and middle school day camp. Each day the morning consists of two hours of intense Bible teaching, a lunch break and then we spend the afternoon doing some arranged activity of games at the park or something similar. This year’s study is on sin and repentance from 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I was very convicted listening to Bobby teach on confession. He asked the students, “How many of you confess your sins on a daily basis?” Barely any students raised their hands. Then he asked, “How many of you sin ever day?” Every hand went up. “Ah” he said, “We’re all hypocrites here, aren’t we. We know we sin, but we won’t even confess it.”
This sunk in as I thought about it throughout the day. Most Christians including myself do not take sin as seriously as we ought. Sin is so excusable to those who have been saved because we think it doesn’t have a hold on us anymore. But really when we sin and don’t repent we are being deformed from Christ’s image into Satan’s. Bobby talked about some verses in John 8 which describe Satan as the Father of lies. None of us would ever want to be called a child of Satan’s, but we also will not confront our sin and confess it to God and others. We always like to think we can be somewhere in the middle, even though there is no such place. I thought of Paul’s rhetorical question in Romans 6
“What shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
Certainly not!
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in the newness of life.”
Romans 6:1-2,4
It doesn’t even make sense that those who have been saved would continue to live as one who is perishing and yet we do. It is not that we must determine in our wills to be godly, we would fail at this too. But Christ has given us the grace, strength and hope to actually walk in the newness of life in Him. We must be careful to humble ourselves by taking our sin seriously, confessing it to God and others, repenting and turning from it unto righteousness. This is the idea of the Bible Boot Camp theme this year: Repent. Rinse. Repeat.
I was thoughtful about this all day, but found encouragement in the worship time we had tonight. Today was beach day and we spent eight hours at the beach with a campfire, hot dogs and smores. Ty led a song called Facedown by
Matt Redman. I’ve heard this song a number of times but tonight in light of the days lessons, I heard it in a different way seeing how lowly and broken we should be in the presence of the Lord in light of our sin
. Even though these activities are for the students, I think I always come away affected.
Who is there in the heavens like You?
And upon the earth, who’s Your equal?
You are far above.
Your the highest of heights.
I am bowing down to exalt You.
And I’ll fall face down
As Your glory shines around…
Posted blakeyblog |
July 21st, 2005 at 12:10 pm
I guess our need for regular repenting is why Jesus included that line “forgive us our debts” in his model prayer.
Sounds like a great time for the kids.
July 23rd, 2005 at 11:34 am
I think the Sin Cycle is the best thing that Geoff, Bobby and I have ever ‘cooked up.’ It was a much better BBC than last year.
And Tahnks to you and Monica and Missy for all your work! We couldn’t have done it without you guys!