A religious and a secular basis for society. (Part 3)

A religious and a secular basis for society

Part 3: Perfectly clear vision, perfect assurance

Let’s return to why being a “wretched sinner” has been turned into a positive rather than a negative. It’s because it intrinsically goes together with, “who is loved by God”. Here is my foundation in life. I can ask for no more because there is no more. God, who is the ultimate in all goodness, loves me. It is the supreme love. If God is for us, who can be against us? I don’t need the approval of anyone else; I don’t need to prove my right to exist; I don’t need to justify myself; I don’t need to cling to some tribal identity group for support. The God of love, loves me. Full stop! I am on top of the world. I rejoice in the life that God has given me. The tension that could be destructive is tuned to always be positive. So, I might compare myself to God so unfavourably – miserable sinner that I am – that I hide away and never dare show my face to anyone, let alone God. Instead, God calls me into his glorious light and freedom and joy to live under his gracious blessing. Though I am loved and blessed so much, I am not in danger of becoming arrogant, superior, or self-righteous because I am a terrible sinner. Though I know God will forgive me, in his great love for me, I don’t therefore become blasé about my sins, treating them as though they do not count. I am regularly in distress because of the way I let down the God who loves me. He loves me, and though he is so complete and perfect in himself, he calls me to share his life with him, and he bestows blessing after blessing upon me – and still I betray him, ignore him, dishonour him – wretched sinner that I am. Yet every time that I am cast down in despair because of my failures, the Lord, who is perfect in all goodness, comes alongside and calls me to walk along with him, because he loves me – and so, all is well.

Can you see what an invincibly powerful and positive force this is to imbue our human psychology with unconquerable, utterly resilient, never-ending confidence, security, assurance and hope? “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine”, go the words of the old hymn, and it is this assurance that modern society so fatally lacks.