Oct
22
Act Casual
Filed Under Devotional
I’m a fan of espionage and special forces novels. I love hearing about highly trained warriors and agents who are experts at surgical strikes and extractions. I enjoy riding along with the hero as he fools the rest of the world and wins the day.
One lesson I’ve learned over and over from these books is that if you act like you know what you’re doing and act like you belong, most people will leave you alone. In some cases, you can bluff your way past security just by acting like everyone else.
This happens because people are flawed. They apply cultural norms to their interaction even when they should be completely impartial. Unless they are trained, it can be hard to overcome your tendency to believe what you see.
So, in a sense, if you just keep quacking, folks will believe you’re a duck despite the contrary evidence.
It strikes me that many people believe they can take this approach to God and Heaven. They go along with the idea that if I sincerely believe that my lifestyle is okay and that I’m not sinning, then I’m good. This sounds so reasonable to the modern American, but if you step back and listen to it objectively, it’s clearly ridiculous. No matter how much I may believe I’m an NBA player, they aren’t going to let me on the floor to play. You can’t just will your way into Heaven. In fact, denying what’s really going on just makes it worse:
“you say, ‘I am innocent;
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’” Jeremiah 2:35
God was speaking directly to Israel here, but the principle applies to us all. It’s indefensible to claim that firmly believing that you’re in the clear makes it true.
You can’t reason away your sin. It’s sin. You need to repent. Simple as that.