Ghosts In My Machine

Man hate to be reminded that they are wretched and sinful creatures due to the big hairy thing called P-R-I-D-E. Many of us do not feel good after committing a sin, and will naturally try to restore ourselves - perform charity to earn karma credits, rationalise our sins by blaming the specific circumstances, or deeming them as forgivable mistakes especially when compared to the more "worse" behaviour of other people. And of course, there are some people who cannot be bothered with the emotional blackmail, and continue living with their secular lives.

The fact is we are separated from God by sin when Adam & Eve tasted the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (yeah, we can pretty much blame these disobedient folks). Time has also brought a change in the way Man seek to restore their relationship with God. Under the Old Covenant before Jesus, Jews routinely slaughter livestock in a sacrificial ritual at the Tabernacle to be cleansed of their sins. However after Jesus died on the cross, he became the ultimate sacrifice and His blood was shed to take away all Man's sins once and for all. This also establish the New Covenant - one where we do not require repeated sacrifices, and that Man becomes God's sanctuary.

Without the visual sacrificial rituals, Christians can easily take God's grace for granted, and forget the elements of our faith. We end up living a life that is not much different from a non-believer (at least, in general view). It is important that our salvation is "by grace.. and not by works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). But we also know "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). Definitely not conflicting messages, if we draw a parallel to a child. There is no dispute that he is the descendant of his parents (we cannot simply disown them as the relationship is still a fact), but if he does not perform the duties of a child (e.g. provide for them emotionally or financially), the relationship is pretty much a farce.

Hence, it is extremely important to put His Word in our hearts. The consequence of our sin and our daily actions has never changed. (Romans 6:23). As much it sucks to be reminded of the ghosts in my (and your) machine, sin revolves us 24/7. It is easy to know what they are. I like the phrase "What will Jesus Do?" as it pretty much sums up the mountain of Laws or teachings that indicate how we should live our life. In this case, He probably won't display words, thoughts or acts that is immoral (sex, money etc) or unloving (discrimination, lies etc).

In my recent bible study with the folks at church, I think we really had a good evaluation of how we need to acknowledge God's authority rather than use human standards in assessing our words, thoughts and actions. It may feel like walking on broken glass to be repeatedly told how wretched and far we are from God's grace. But visible constant reminders make us more sensitive to sin, and help us to seek to reconcile with God through Quiet Time, prayer, fellowship, sermon or worship.

I hope you have your visible reminders, and it is a sincere prayer that the Holy Spirit will continue to guard your heart.