Post by a moderator at 'Reasons For Jesus'

A few decades ago there was a very renown Christian Pastor who fell into adultery and lost his ministry. Years later a seminary student who was very moved by his work traveled across the country and tracked him down to meet with him take him out for lunch. The prominent question he had for the former pastor was "how can someone so solid, wise, and good fall into something like adultery?". He responded "son, never forget that there is enough evil in you to destroy the world three times over".

I forget this. If I'm honest much if not most of the time I drift off into comparing myself with others around me rather than the standard of "good". I forget that I deserve only judgement, wrath, and hell and that anything I receive contrary to that is by grace.

No one out there is half as good at lying to you as you are, don't be deceived. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
It's only when we understand God's holiness that our eyes are opened to our sinfulness, and it's only when we grasp our sinfulness that we begin to apprehend God's amazing grace.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all...
he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors."