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Luke 15:1–2
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’”
Recognizing and confessing our sin are among the most important duties of the Christian life. Scripture tells us that all (except Jesus) have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, with the wages of sin being eternal death (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). Thankfully, the Word of God also tells us that our holy Creator will show mercy to those who turn from their sins and trust in Christ alone for salvation (3:21–5:11). Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” First John 1:8–9 explains that if we confess our sins, trusting in Jesus Christ, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our Creator shows mercy and forgiveness to us decisively when we are converted to Christ, and we experience that grace in an ongoing way throughout the life of faith as we confess our sins.
Yet receiving pardon for our transgressions requires our acknowledging where we have broken the law of God. Failing to recognize who we are as sinners who have violated God’s righteous commands means that we will fail to seek forgiveness. Moreover, as we see our own sin and how we do not deserve the pardoning grace of our Maker, we will extend forgiveness to others and come to rejoice when we see other people reconciled to God. If we are not recognizing our sin and rejoicing in God’s forgiveness of others, then we cannot assume that God in fact has forgiven us (see Matt. 6:14–15; 18:21–35).
The greatest opponents of Jesus during His earthly ministry were those who did not rejoice when they saw God forgiving others. Such individuals included many of the scribes and Pharisees. Often, these individuals complained when they saw Jesus fellowshiping with tax collectors and others whom they regarded as notorious sinners, as we see in today’s passage (Luke 15:1–2). Christ’s table fellowship with such people was a sign that our Lord accepted them and, by extension, that they had been welcomed into God’s kingdom. Of course, this forgiveness was not an extension of cheap grace, for we know that Jesus preached repentance (Mark 1:14–15). It was not as though His acceptance of them meant that He told them that they could go on wantonly disobeying God’s law (see John 7:53–8:11). That did not matter to those who objected to Jesus, for they saw some people as beyond the reach of God’s mercy. That indicated their failure to see the seriousness of their own sin.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Matthew 3:7–10 and other passages indicate the failure of many first-century Pharisees and other Jewish leaders to recognize their own sin. Lest we condemn them too quickly, let us recognize that we ourselves can be slow to see our own transgressions. This day and every day, let us examine our hearts to see where we have fallen short and need to confess our sins.
for further study
- 2 Samuel 11:1–12:14
- Psalm 19:12–13
- Matthew 23:23–24
- John 9:39–41
the bible in a year
- Psalms 65–67
- Romans 2