The Mutiny Within

All humanity is corrupted by sin and falls short of God’s glory.

Sin entered the world through Adam and has cursed humanity.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:Romans 5:12

The natural state of man is rebellion against God.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.Isaiah 53:6

We greatly underestimate the state of our own hearts.

We see our sins as mistakes, bad habits or shortcomings.

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.Isaiah 59:1-2

“We will twist logic, bend reason, conveniently forget facts, invent new stories, even destroy relationships, all in the name of preserving our precious illusion. We’ll sacrifice anything. It really is that important to us. This is how addictions work, and when it comes to our own need to be ‘right,’ well, we’re all addicts who need to be set free.”, Brant Hansen

We magnify our own goodness and make excuses for our flaws, while scrutinizing the failures of others.

Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?Proverbs 20:6

Researchers at the University of London concluded that “a substantial majority of individuals believe themselves to be morally superior to the average person” and that this illusion of ours is “uniquely strong and prevalent.” They write, “Most people strongly believe they are just, virtuous, and moral; yet regard the average person as distinctly less so.” And among their study participants, “virtually all individuals irrationally inflated their moral qualities, and the absolute and relative magnitude of this irrationality was greater than that in the other domains of positive self-evaluation.”

Our foolishness and pride will lead us to a path of self-righteousness.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.Matthew 7:3-5

Humility is needed to walk in holiness.

Humility allows me to see my heart for what it truly is.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.Psalm 139:23-24

To walk in repentance, I must first be honest with where I stand.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:9

We cannot fix this on our own. We need Jesus.

This goes against our carnal nature.

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.Psalm 14:2-3

Jesus is the only source of righteousness.

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:Philippians 3:9

I must allow the Word of God and the Spirit of God to be the ruling Authority in my life.

To excuse our sinful behavior, we must dismiss the wisdom and Word of God.

No sin is small. It is an act of treason, even if only in our heart, against our King and his Kingdom.

Sin is a curse on mankind, not a way to get what I think I need. God knows exactly what my heart craves and it is Him.