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ON BEING A WORTHLESS SINNER
Dick Smith

St. Paul wrote some of the most offensive things ever. I have encountered many so called Bible believing Christians who flat out reject his words! (Don't ask me how they can do that without being utterly dishonest.) For most the meanest thing he ever wrote was the entire chapter 7 of Romans. This is because it is there that our human condition is so dreadfully exposed. He blatantly rejects the Devil's lie about Free Will. The Devil says we have it. Paul says we don't. That is, the Devil says we can choose to do good or evil. We have a choice. Paul says that is utter nonsense! We don't have a choice. We can only do the wrong. Martin Luther, the great 16th Century reformer, put it this way, "Free Will since the Fall (when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree) exists in name only. And as long as it is able to do what it does it COMMITS A MORTAL SIN"(my emphasis).

As if that were not bad enough the prophet Isaiah declares us all to be worthless sinners. He writes, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6). And to only make matters worse, if such were possible, St. Paul writes about all of us, "'...no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have done wrong; no one does good, not even one.' 'Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive.' 'The venom of asps is under their lips.' Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.' 'Their feet are swift to shed blood, in their paths are ruin misery, and the way of peace they do not know.' There is no fear of God before their eyes'" (Romans 3:11-18 RSV).

Now, how is that supposed to make me feel! I am being told again and again that self esteem is important. That we need to feel good about ourselves. Our culture believes that the root of our problems is that we don't have sufficient self esteem.

All this based on a lie. And that lie is that we have free will when we don't! We will never come to peace and joy and love if we believe the lie of free will. We must experience total despair of self, that is, we must be driven down to utter despair as a worthless sinner before we can ever experience the joy and peace and love which is found in the Cross of Christ who gave his life for our sinfulness and redeemed to be his own. There is simply no way to the life in Christ which gives us the victory apart from the experiencing the fear of God and true humiliation.

Most will reject being a worthless sinner. But a few will rejoice in being a worthless sinner. As Jesus said, Many are "Called but few are chosen." Or as St. Paul writes, "For those whom he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called. And those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Romans 8:29-30RSV)

To be a worthless sinner, what a wonder! What a joy to know that Christ came not for the dishonest ones who pretend they can do the good but rather for those who know they are trapped in sin and can only do the wrong. Take heart my friend, your sins are forgiven for Jesus sake and for His sake alone!

Rev. Dick Smith, serves Heart River Lutheran Church, bringing Christ to youth at the Youth Correctional Center in Mandan, North Dakota. You may write directly to Rev. Smith at dicksmith9@bis.midco.net

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