I just watched one of those Christian dramas that seem to be quite popular. The general theme is that someone (usually acted out by a female) is lost/taken up/controlled by various sins, they spend most of the short clip getting more entrenched in them and desperate, and then at the tearful ending Christ has victory over everything and saves her.

I love the artistic efforts and there’s something neat about the visual expressions of salvation.

There are, however, a couple problems with the theology.

First of all, most depict Christ as a pleading, powerless bystander. He struggles with the representations of sin, as if Christ and Satan hold equal power. This is completely unbiblical. God is all-powerful and sovereign over ALL, including Satan and his demons. Christ already has victory over darkness and sin, and His sacrifice on the cross means that those who trust in Him already have victory too.

The other aspect that irritates me is what is chosen in the dramas to represent sin and personal struggles.  It is often things like sex and alcohol.  Um, those aren’t sin.

It is just this misrepresentation that perpetuates the idea that sin is all “out there” around us and salvation is mostly a form of behavior modification where we try and try to avoid that “stuff” and choose God instead.

Wrong.  Dead wrong.

There is a Biblical teaching of sin, which is that we are sinful at our very core.  Because of this sin nature, we misuse and abuse things like sex and alcohol and through doing things our own way, end up committing sinful acts like fornication, adultery and drunkenness.

And what about the more “acceptable” sins?  What I mean by “acceptable” are the sins that believers tend to overlook and gloss over, especially in themselves.  Idolatry, pride, gossip, anger, unthankfulness, jealousy, selfishness, legalism, and on and on.

As a side note: If we were to follow the line of thought of most false ideas regarding sin and given the number of overweight people in America, I wonder why they don’t choose to use the word “food”…  Of course, the root problem would be gluttony which may stem from other sins like idolatry and self-worship.

Sugarcoating our own sins, preaching a false gospel of self effort, and then condemning unbelievers for their sin even while they are still lost in it… Insanity.  Pure, destructive, deathly insanity.

As believers, we would do well to recognize and live our lives within the reality that we need a Savior to save us not only from the grip of Satan, but from ourselves.

AND…

Jesus isn’t a weak observer on the sidelines, desiring desperately to be allowed into our lives, begging for us to choose him.  Oh, no.

We are ridiculous, pathetic, useless specks, stubbornly bent on remaining in our evil rebelliousness, and Jesus Christ… HE is our gentle and loving yet mighty and formidable Savior who, for reasons unfathomable, chooses to rescue and redeem His people for His glory.

Get that picture of a simpering weakling out of your head.  Cuz you better believe, He is returning someday with eyes of fire, a voice thundering like waves of the sea and a sword coming from his mouth, riding on a white horse as well as followed by an army on white horses, wearing clothing dipped in blood and KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS tattooed on his thigh.

Tags: Christianity, spirituality