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Revelation 2: 19, 20 (NIV)
I know your deeds, your love
and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than
you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: . . .
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| On the sin scale, we’re all tied for worst.* |
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You may have noticed Paul’s fondness for buttering people up
before delivering the bad news. We see God employing the same strategy here in
the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the church in Thyatira. The Lord commends
them for their good works and perseverance, as well as for their love and
faith. He is especially proud of their improvement. But after all that glowing
praise, he delivers a harsh reprimand for the “cancer [that] was gnawing away
at the vitals of the congregation.”*
When I read these verses, I ask myself: Is it possible to
please God when you are only partially getting it right? And then I have to
ask: How could I ask that? Do we ever
get it right? And even if we did finally
learn to live a life that is totally pleasing to God, it’s too late; we’ve
already got all those past sins on our record.
Or do we? According to Romans 3: 22, our righteousness comes
through our faith in Jesus Christ, not through how close we come to “getting it
right.”
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| We are under grace, even when we sin.* |
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