Chapter 12 - Honest Self-Confrontation: Reaching into Bucket Four

In Genesis chapter 3, we read of Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden after having sinned by disobeying God's word. When God confronted Adam about his sin, he pointed the finger at Eve. When Eve is confronted, she pointed the finger at the serpent. Thus began man's propensity to compound sin upon sin.

Sin is not rational. The wisest course of action after recognizing our sin would be to immediately confess the sin to God and ask forgiveness. But the very nature of sin is such that our inclination is to cover it up or deflect the guilt from ourselves to another, as Adam and Eve did.

But for the grace of God, we would be left in this cycle of piling up sins. We would deservedly perish and bear the wrath of God for our rebellion. However, the good news is that in spite of our rebellion and enmity towards God, Christ was made to be sin so that through our union with him we might be forgiven and even considered righteous.

Reaching into bucket four requires honest self-confrontation. And this is possible because we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). We are enabled by word and Spirit to see our sin for what it is, and to address it in a manner that is God-honoring. Even when we sin and respond to that sin with further transgression, we are able to look back and see the oftentimes devastating effects that our actions had on ourselves and others, and seek forgiveness and reconciliation. We can learn and grow from our past failures, and we can know that there is hope, [f]or we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

(Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV)

Chapter 11 - The Person of Our Joy

Over the past several weeks, we have been learning how to reach into the first 3 'buckets' in order to deal with our past in a biblical and God-honoring fashion. But what's the point? Are we merely learning tips and techniques on how to live our best life now? Or are we engaging in some sort of formalistic therapy that uses Scripture rather than a psychological text when addressing issues in our past?

We've talked about union with Christ at various points in many of our previous groups. Our being united to Christ by faith is what makes us Christians, and enables us to deal with our past in accordance with Scripture. But we are not united to a principle; we are united to a person. Given this, consider that Scripture speaks of Christians as members of one body, with Christ as the head:

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

(Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV)

As we better understand that our only true source of joy is the person of Christ to the exclusion of everything (and everyone) else, we will be motivated and enabled to deal with our past as we "grow up in every way into him who is the head."

Chapter 10 - Joyful Remembrance: Reaching into Bucket Three

This week, we begin looking at our guilty past when we responded well. As Rev. Viars states in the chapter, it may initially seem that we do not need to reach back into this 'bucket', given that we have already responded in a manner according to God's word.

However, we may not always feel forgiven, and we may continually revisit our past sins and failures. In doing so, we fail to truly understand what God has done in Christ on our behalf.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

(2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

(Ephesians 1:7 ESV)

In the chapter, we are also presented with four reasons we may be (or become) stuck in our past:

-Lack of genuine repentance

-Fear of man

-Unwillingness to forsake our sin

-Losing our awe of God's forgiving grace

In considering our guilty past, let us prayerfully seek to understand where we may be letting our feelings to take precedence over the promises in God's word; specifically, that he has granted us forgiveness in Christ. And where we may be continually revisiting our past and replaying our failures, let us hold fast to what Scripture says about the all-sufficient work of Christ and our standing in him as children of the Living God:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

(Romans 8:1-4 ESV)

Chapter 9 - The Joy of Forgiveness

"Please forgive me."

Not only is this the humble request of a person seeking reconciliation, it is a biblical imperative that, as Christians, we must regularly practice. As Paul states in Colossians,

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

(Colossians 3:12-13 ESV)

Give thought to some of the reasons we avoid admitting that we may have responded sinfully when sinned against in the past:

Pride

Stubbornness

Fear

Foolishness

Misplaced Desires

Seeking forgiveness is not easy. It is not a pleasant thing to acknowledge your faults and failures. It is harder still to go to someone and humbly ask that they forgive you for your sin. But consider what our Heavenly Father has done. He has put forth his only Son to bear the punishment for our sin, so that we might be forgiven and walk in newness of life. There is true freedom in Christ, and no other. There is freedom from the guilt and shame of sin because Jesus Christ was made to be sin on our behalf.

As Rev. Viars states, "often this simple act of humble obedience [seeking forgiveness] leads to the beginning of a restored relationship." It's not easy, but the results can be magnificent.