Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our debts…

I’m sticking with the King James Version because that’s how most of us have memorized this prayer. But “debt” is the part of the prayer that has more than one version… “debts,” “transgressions,” and in the Luke version of the prayer, it is simply, “Forgive us our sins.” I’m going to go with “sin” since that is the easiest to understand. Besides, “sin” needs a comeback.

It’s not a good time for sin. Sin has lost its traction. Misbehavior, bad psychology, bad habits, poor upbringing, miscalculation, “my dad never taught me right…” There’s any number of euphemisms for sin that go down a lot easier. There’s always someone else to blame. But sin… that’s an affront to God. That’s disobedience.

Sin is what keeps us out of heaven, sin is what killed Jesus, sin is what separates us from God and each other, sin is what puts us below the worst of the worst. There are no degrees of sin. You either are or you are not a sinner.

The good thing is once you realize something as sin in your life, you cannot tolerate it and continue to walk with Jesus. You must call it what it is, seek forgiveness, and then, through the power of the Holy Spirit step beyond it, through to the other side of the cross where there is power to change. In this way, sin is a good thing in that it causes us to face what is wrong in our life and with the power of the Holy Spirit, to do something about it.

I have been living with something that for a long time now, I have coexisted with, thinking that it was something I was weak in, or I needed to one day overcome. I’ve had a few “imperfections,” “mistakes,” “errors in judgment.” I have come to recognize that when I think my sin smells a little bit better than my friend’s, neighbor’s or coworker’s, I am hiding and protecting others from seeing me as I really am: a wicked sinner, no better than the worst.

Sin hides itself beneath the surface of good confessions, good works, and good intentions. Everyone really knows that something is wrong, but because of all the good rituals, works and confessions, sin is not seen for its exceeding sinfulness (Romans 7:13). Unlike a recovering alcoholic who is recovering from a disease, there is no such thing as a recovering sinner. It is ludicrous to say, “I was once a sinner but now I am on the wagon.”

The glory of Christ can only truly be seen in contrast to our own despicable sinfulness. If we lose a heartfelt awareness of our own wretchedness as Christians, we begin to lose the full significance of Christ’s work on the cross for all of His people, which is everyone. His glory is seen only against the horribleness of my sin.

In this way, facing my sin puts me in touch with my savior and with all those whom I look up to, because no one’s sin is worse than mine. And in this realization I am able to experience my deliverance.