One of the guys in my same-sex attraction group sent the following email out to the guys right before Christmas.  I finally had a chance to read it and respond, so I thought I’d share that with you, the folks who read my blog.

First, let me say to the casual observers that I believe the guy who sent this meant well and perhaps the illustration has some merit in a secular understanding of messing up.  My primary problem is that the illustration as it stands does not not require a crucified Christ for me getting out of the pit of my mistakes (Scripture would call that “sin”).  So here’s the original piece, followed by my counterpoint.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
~ Portia Nelson ~

Chapter 1

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter 4

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter 5

I walk down another street.

Some thoughts…take ‘em or leave ‘em…

What if the Bible taught you WERE at fault for walking down the sidewalk in the first place?  Nothing in the Bible says that we have to know what we’re doing to transgress God’s law and makes it clear we’re sinful from the time we’re born…never once are we innocent.  The good news is that Christ died for us falling into that pit or even running headlong into the pit.  Christ dying to bring us out of that hole is what rescues us from it, not our taking responsibility for our sin, because for THAT to happen, we’d have to die for our own sin.

Instead, God has come as a baby to live in perfect obedience to God and then to die for our sins, at which time his perfect obedience is given to us as a gift by the Father…and that is what frees us to obey God’s law which tells us not to go down that street in the first place AND giving us grace when we DO walk down that road, since Christ died for ALL of the sin of those who put their trust in Him: past, present, future.

That, brothers, is the good news of the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

Merry Christmas, everyone.  Remember, we have 12 days of this on the church calendar!