A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem God's holiness exposes our sinfulness and our daily need for

grace and forgiveness.

My 5-Minute Walk of Sin Theme of the week: A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem Sunday, March 6, 2011 1 of 1 Who Said It Simon Ponsonby Simon Ponsonby is pastor of theology at St. Aldates Church in Oxford, England. With two degrees in theology from Trinity College Bristol, Simon is the author of More, God Inside Out, And the Lamb Wins, and The Pursuit of the Holythe book from which this week's readings are adapted. He enjoys a meal spiced with hot curry, snapping photographs, and sitting down to a good book about military history. He and his wife, Tiffany, have two children. What He Said My 5-Minute Walk of Sin On arriving at the coffee shop where I intended to write [on the topic of] sin, I pondered for a moment how many times I might have sinned during the 500-yard walk from my church. The Spirit brought to mind my interest in an attractive woman, anger at the car that pulled out in front of a cyclist, subtle pride, indifference to a beggar, unbelief that God would help me today, annoyance that my usual seat in the coffee shop was taken, disdain for a man I saw who once verbally patronized me, and pride [over] being greeted and engaged in conversation by a world-famous theologian. And those were just the sins I was immediately aware of in 5 minutes and 500 yards! It's not easy to walk in the Spiritperhaps I should have stayed in bed. Oh, how right John was when he said, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8, ESV).

Prayer for the Week Holy God, make me more aware of my sinfulness so that I might live each day by your grace and mercy; thank you for the forgiveness of sins; thank you for Christ who died so that I might truly live. Blemishes Exposed Theme of the week: A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem Monday, March 7, 2011 1 of 1

Key Bible Verse: And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. (Romans 7:18) Dig Deeper: Romans 7:14-25 The closer we come to God, the clearer we see ourselves. His holiness exposes our sinfulness. Approaching God can be a crushing experience. Moses was welcomed into God's presence and told to take off his shoes, for he stood on holy ground. He was warned not to come too close in case God's blazing holiness broke out and destroyed him (Ex. 3). Isaiah had a vision of the Holy One and bewailed himself as undone, destroyed, a man of unclean lips (Isa. 6). [And consider] Zechariah's revelation of the high priest, the godliest man in the land, who stood before God yet was clothed in filthy rags and gave grounds for Satan to accuse him (Zech. 3). Peter similarly [in Luke 5:8], when he encountered Jesus Christ displaying his power in a miraculous catch of fish, declared, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" To see God, to encounter Christ, isamong other thingsto be immediately conscious of failing, falling far from God's perfection. His light exposes all blemishes. C. S. Lewis once wrote, "One essential symptom of the regenerate life is a permanent, and permanently horrified perception of one's natural and (it seems) unalterable corruption. The true Christian's nostril is to be continually attentive to the inner cesspool." Simon Ponsonby in The Pursuit of the Holy My Response: What is my gut reaction to today's reading? Why do I respond this way? Two Reactions Theme of the week: A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem Tuesday, March 8, 2011 1 of 1 Key Bible Verse: We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) Dig Deeper: Isaiah 64:1-7 If we are to understand the beauty of holiness, we are forced to face the ugliness of sinfulness. To see God in his perfection is to confront ourselves in our imperfection. The subject of sin, of course, makes us wince. Karl Rahner, the famous German Catholic theologian, notes that the word sin is generally avoided these days and suggests that this is both a reaction to the moralistic and legalistic notion of sin (people don't like being told they are sinners) and the result of a loss of purity in our idea of God (people don't really believe in a wholly holy God). This loss of the themes of human sin and divine holiness in modern society rather reflects the age-old avoidance of Adam, who, in his guilt, shame, and fear, attempted to cover up, hiding his naked sin with leaves and hiding himself from God behind trees! The revelation of God's holiness, which exposes our sinfulness, causes us either to run to God for mercy, confessing our sins, or, more often, deny our sins and even deny the existence of a God as a basis for morality. As Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche noted in their different ways, when there is no God, everything is permissible.

Simon Ponsonby in The Pursuit of the Holy My Response: In what ways do I attempt to hide my own sin from God? When have I recently experienced God's grace and mercy because I chose to run into his loving and forgiving arms? Thought to Apply: I am persuaded the more light we have, the more we see our own sinfulness; the nearer we get to heaven, the more we are clothed with humility.J. C. Ryle (Anglican bishop) Absence of Holiness Theme of the week: A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem Wednesday, March 9, 2011 1 of 1 Key Bible Verse: For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. (Romans 3:23) Dig Deeper: Romans 3:9-26 In the Old Testament, talk of sin always has the individual act of transgression of the law in view, although the source of this transgression is recognized as originating from a corrupted heart that desperately needs renewing (Ps. 51:10; Ezek. 11:19). The New Testament expands the scope to a state of being, not simply actions we do or fail to do as we veer off course from God's covenant and law. Sin is seen as defilement of the whole of human nature. The Greek New Testament terms center around the word hamartia. The term was used in archery of an arrow falling short or failing to hit the target. It developed into a term conveying an offense against morals and laws both divine and human. It occurs nearly 300 times in the New Testament. Sin, then, is the absence of holiness, the antithesis of God's holiness. Sin is any human act or thought that contradicts or contravenes God's being and God's will, expressed in God's Word his decree or law. To sin is to fall short of God's standard, of God's desire, of God's best of God. It is such a disastrous thing because sin stains us in a way that we ourselves cannot remove; it pains us and God and separates us from the God who is wholly holy. Simon Ponsonby in The Pursuit of the Holy My Response: How does today's reading define sin? How is this definition similar to or different from the way I define sin? Thought to Apply: Sin is a falling away from relationship of faithfulness with God and disobedience to his commands.W. Gnther (Old Testament scholar) The Cure for Chaos Theme of the week: A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem Thursday, March 10, 2011 1 of 1

Key Bible Verse: God told the serpent: "Because you've done this, you're cursed. I'm declaring war between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers. He'll wound your head, you'll wound his heel." (Genesis 3:15, The message) Dig Deeper: Genesis 3 Where are you? [This question from Genesis 3:9] is a cry of God's hearta cry of loss. There is proximity as he draws near [Adam and Eve] in the Garden, but there is no intimacy. His beloved friends have brought chaos on the universe and placed a chasm between them. God knows exactly where they are. But as the good shepherd comes looking for his lost sheep, we see God display tenderness; as [Old Testament scholar] Derek Kidner says, "He must draw rather than drive them out of hiding." The rest of Scripture is God's response to that chaos and that chasm. And it's the continuation of the chain of passing the buck that began in Eden. As God confronts Adam and Eve, they pass the blame, and so it goes on. Sin always tries to dodge responsibility. Sin's curse goes on too. Just as they knew nakedness, shame, guilt, and fear, so those things are now our acquaintances too. But there is hope. There is a promise of salvation to come [in today's Key Bible Verse]. The serpent will be crushed by the offspring of the woman. Here is an anticipation of Christ, whose heel the serpent will certainly strike, but who will utterly crush the evil one at Calvary. Simon Ponsonby in The Pursuit of the Holy My Response: I will reflect on the first time I realized that God had forgiven my sins and accepted me into his loving and holy presence. Thought to Apply: Sin has the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages.Thomas Watson (Puritan preacher, writer) Holy Love Theme of the week: A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem Friday, March 11, 2011 1 of 1 Key Bible Verses: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (Ephesians 2:4-5) Dig Deeper: Ephesians 2:1-10 Holiness and sinfulness are polar opposites and mutually exclusive by definition. They repel each othersin runs from the holy, while holiness must distance itself from sin, either by somehow covering it or by breaking out in righteous judgment against it. Sin is a powerful word, dark and demonic, filled with chaos and corruption and death; but it is not the final word. Holy love seeks a way, and it makes a way, for sin to be covered and cleansed. This holy love is most clearly demonstrated on Calvary, when, in the holiness, God breaks out against sin and sinners by judging his willing Son for our sin. Holiness cannot be

negatedsin must be punishedbut God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to be the sacrifice and substitute for our sin, so that we might be forgiven and walk freely into his eternal embrace. The cross is the place and the means where holy God meets sinful man. God is uniquely holy; humankind is universally and utterly sinful. Sin wages war against God; God is always seeking terms for peace. Sin is about the way things really are, and accepting that reality will open for us a window into God's amazing and unexpected grace. Simon Ponsonby in The Pursuit of the Holy My Response: How might God be calling me to respond to this week's devotionals? Thought to Apply: Christ took our sins and the sins of the whole world as well as the Father's wrath on his shoulders so that we are thereby reconciled to God and become completely righteous.Martin Luther (leader of the Protestant Reformation) Weekend Bible Study Theme of the week: A Holy Solution to Our Unholy Problem Saturday, March 12, 2011 1 of 1 In today's Key Study Passage, John is confronting Gnosticism. Followers of this heretical belief system claimed that, among other things, a "higher knowledge could lift them from sin." (See the note for v. 8 in the NLT Study Bible.) John makes it clear that no special, esoteric knowledge leads to a sin-free life. In pointing out the error of the Gnostics, John helps all of us better understand the doctrine of sin and then gives insights into dealing with those times when we do sin. Key Study Passage: 1 John 1:5-10
1. What does verse 5 tell us about the character and nature of God? (See also John 1:4-5,

9.)
2. According to verses 6 and 7, what proves whether or not a person is actually "living in

the light"? (See also John 3:19-21; 1 John 1:3; Acts 2:42.)
3. What does verse 8 say about those who claim they aren't sinners? (See also v. 10;

Romans 7:14-25.)
4. According to verse 9, what should believers do when they sin? What happens when

they do this? (See also Ps. 32:5, 51:7.) 5. When you confess a specific sin to God, what practical steps can you take to avoid that sin and live in the light (v. 7)?

Spend Time in Prayer: Read Psalm 51:1-12 as a prayer; confess any sins you are currently struggling with; ask God to restore the joy that comes from his saving grace (v. 12); thank him for the blood of Christ that washes away your sin. 1 John 1:5-10 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10 << 2 Peter 3 | 1 John 1 | 1 John 2 >> Living in the Light 5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6So we are lying if we say we have bfellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9But if we confess our csins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our csins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. Study Notes 1 John 1:5-2:6 Here John focuses on the first aspect of living in fellowship with God. Living in the light means that the believers will see that they are sinners, but they will also realize that Jesus is their Advocate to make them right with God (see Eph 5:6-13). < HIDE STUDY NOTE 1 John 1:5 from Jesus: Literally from him. God is light: This light shone through Jesus Christ to all he came in contact with, to expose their sin and to illumine the moral nature and character of God (see John 1:4-5, 9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46). In John, light represents Gods holiness and revelation. It is the opposite of false teaching and undisciplined living, which is darkness (1:6). < HIDE STUDY NOTE 1 John 1:6 This is the first of several instances in which John challenges the claims of the Gnostics, who had broken away from the apostolic fellowship and were thus living in spiritual darkness. They claimed to have fellowship with God but did not express his character, which is light. Jesus had warned the Jewish leaders of his day not to let the light they thought they had be darkness (Matt 6:23)their religious beliefs had blinded them to the spiritual illumination they could have received from Christ. In like manner, these Gnostic teachers thought they

were enlightened but were actually darkened by their so-called illuminations. They claimed to have spiritual experiences from God, yet they rejected fellowship with the ones who had actually seen God in the flesh, namely, John and the other apostles. < HIDE STUDY NOTE 1 John 1:7 Believers have fellowship with each other and with God as they live in the light. People cannot say they commune with God and then refuse to have fellowship with Gods people. This was the case with the Gnostics. The apostles of Christ had known Jesus Christ as Godin-the-flesh and were continuing to have spiritual fellowship with him (1:3). < HIDE STUDY NOTE 1 John 1:8 If we claim we have no sin: This is the second false claim of the Gnostics (see 1:6). They claimed that they were or could be sinless since Christ had abolished their sins once and for alltheir higher knowledge would lift them above the realm of sin. But Christians do still sin when they live in their old nature (see Rom 7:14-25). The true Christian both acknowledges this sin (1:9) and trusts in Christ to take it away. < HIDE STUDY NOTE 1 John 1:9 To maintain continual fellowship with God, we need to confess our sins to him. Forgiveness and cleansing are guaranteed because God is faithful to his promises and because he acts on the basis of his justice. Christs death for our sins fulfills Gods justice and acquits us of our guilt. < HIDE STUDY NOTE 1 John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar: Gods word emphasizes the permeating and penetrating nature of sin (see note on 1:8). < HIDE STUDY NOTE