While We Were Still Sinners: Akin Bailey

It should be obvious that this passage is addressing all of us Christians. Just in my tenure as a student at LA Tech, and my involvement with Wesley for almost as long, I’ve witnessed countless examples of this misguided betrayal play out. I’ve seen some of what appeared to be the most devoted Christians, Christians who played an instrumental role in my own formation, revealed to be nothing worse than your average pagan actually, but this meant that they were far less than the Christian friends that I trusted and needed them to be. These were the people that I trusted to do things such as hold me accountable to root out the sin in my life, go with me before the Father to confess those sins, to speak truthfully to me, to guide and advise me as I struggled to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling; bearing with me through difficult times, through disagreements, through pain and hurt, and trusting that, whatever we went through, we could rely on Christ to continue His reconciling work and draw us back to Him and each other through His love. Despite the trust that I gave, they showed themselves to embody, instead, exactly what Jesus warns us of later in this passage, 

“Fornication, theft, murder, adultery, love of money, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly.”

This type of behaviour should not surprise or scandalize us. It should even be recognizable to us in this church, as it is in most others, and it is simply par for the course in the status quo of pagan life. What should be more appalling to us is the fact that this same status quo, this two-facedness is likely to be accepted or, worse, ignored by us Christians who supposedly know better. I speak for myself here, as I am the worst of sinners, but as I tell part of my story, I challenge you to look within yourselves and ask honestly where you too are confronted with your paganism. For we can never be too vigilant for the sin that takes root in our lives, as it is written, the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Take care that you do not unknowingly serve yourself up on a platter.

Early on in the development of my faith, through my own disciplined practice of receiving the word of God and putting it into effective practice, I developed a healthy contempt for anyone who failed to live up to the same standard of hand washing. I judged my brothers and sisters harshly, showing no grace, no mercy. Unbeknownst to me, I was basking in my own pride while taking them to task. Surely, I thought, if I can find time to pray, read scripture, and abstain from myriad types of sin daily, then any and everyone else could do the same. I had grown so sure of my holiness, so complacent about my own righteous behaviour, that I didn’t think it was possible that I could be living any less than a pleasing life to God. As I said, I read scripture and prayed daily, I attended at least two worship services a week, and at this point I was helping to lead a small group and contributing toward the formation of other Christians. For all intents and purposes, it seemed as though I was protected before, behind, and on all sides. It seemed like the Lord was with me and for me. Yet it was during this time that I caused the most pain, that I did the most damage to myself and to my friendships. Blinded by my own hubris, I became a stumbling block for those around me and deprived myself of the love I so desperately needed.

I don’t think the Lord was for me in my ignorant pride, but I know that He was with me. I know that He was with me because He placed people in my life who would call me out of that sin, and who would encourage me and show me the way that I should walk. I know that He was with me because right now I am living a life redeemed from sin. And that. That hope of redemption is what I hope to communicate to you all today. It’s what I hope to be told every time I gather with Christ and His church to worship. We have hope of redemption from sin. Because Jesus died for us and rose from the dead, because we worship a living God Who has conquered death, we do not need to be afraid of sin and death (in ourselves or others). Sin no longer has any power over us so long as we name it for what it is, call it out in each other, and repent. This is wonderful. This is beautiful. This is good and righteous and holy. So yes, Jesus is addressing us specifically, you and me and the body of Christians everywhere, when He says,

 “This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines,”

and I feel that charge laid against me, and I’m sure maybe one or two of you do as well, the fear that I have fallen prey to the devil’s guidance, that my worship is in vain. Knowing the depths of my own sin, it isn’t hard for me to believe that, actually, my heart is far from Him despite the honor I give Him with my lips.

But rather than be animated by that spirit of fear, let us hear instead the good news: that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, and this proves that He loves us.

Amen.

Akin Bailey is a first year intern here at the Wesley Foundation, but has been a pillar of this community for many years. His joyful spirit, courage, and intelligence are his defining characteristics as he leads the various students here at La Tech to Christ.