Sleeve to Sin
I will never forget a meeting I had with a forty-year-old woman with developmental delay whose pregnancy was complicated by a potentially fatal fetal abnormality. The purpose of our meeting was to discuss the hospital course expected for the baby, including potential complications and the risks of death or impairment. This woman’s developmental disability resulted from the physical abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her mother. I tried to help her grasp the seriousness of her baby’s condition by simplifying my explanation as much as possible. Afterward, I asked her if she had any questions or concerns, and then she dropped a bombshell: her only worry was that she might physically harm her baby just like her mother had harmed her!
I was devastated by her honesty. Her disability had stripped away all her social filters, giving her the freedom to express what was in her heart. How poignantly sad, yet refreshingly honest. I have dealt with many parents who came from abusive childhoods but have never heard any of them voice the fear that they could potentially become abusers themselves, even though they are at a statistically higher risk of adopting similar behavior. This woman recognized the source of her problem and didn’t want to inflict the same pain on another innocent life. She wore her original sin on her sleeve, articulating what most of us think but choose to hide socially. This simple woman possessed more wisdom than many of us will acquire in a lifetime; she admitted she was a sinner in need of a Savior.
We have all been captivated by the conversion stories of individuals who were lost in a dark world of sin and rescued by the power of the cross. But have we ever paused to consider which part of their story was the most compelling? While God’s ability to transform lives is miraculous, I would argue that the most impactful aspect of these narratives is the speaker’s courage to confess their sins publicly. Sadly, we frequently portray our salvation as if it were a meticulously designed pharmaceutical advertisement, showcasing the wonderful life we’ve achieved since turning to the Great Physician but then conveniently leaving our sins until the very end, only to be mentioned as quietly and rapidly as possible.
Maybe more people might enter our sanctuaries if they saw us holding open-casket funerals for our sins instead of polishing our tombs with whitewashed worship. If we want the world to take us seriously, we must show them that the church is not a spa for sinners but a refuge for the repentant. Jesus did away with our sins on the cross; therefore, the least we can do is bring them out to be publicly shot.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (Colossians 3:5-8)
We must wear our original sin on our sleeves so that our fellow sin-stained friends will feel comfortable bringing their dirty laundry to the Lord’s Laundromat to be washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. We should never hear a seeker say that they weren’t good enough to enter our church because confession of sin is what earns them a front-row seat.
“The only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption is the sin from which I need to be redeemed.” (William Temple)
God's Screenplay 