Ben and I were watching the CFP Semifinal with Ohio State and Texas last week when something happened that surprised me. An OSU player, TreVeyon Henderson, was flagged for a 15-yard penalty for a shove to a Texas defender. The last I heard throwing a punch isn’t such a nice gesture. When he went to the sideline, I noticed a bible verse written on his eye black. What in the world was he thinking?
The verse read “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile.” (Romans 3:22). Of course, maybe you’re wondering like I was: Why would a Christian punch a player in the face mask?
Isn’t our natural inclination to judge those who sin? I remember saying to Ben “Look at Henderson! He punches someone and then there he is on the sideline showing his Romans 3:23 verse for all to see!" And just like that, I show my hypocrisy.
Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” How do we interpret this verse? It means that ALL people are sinners and have not lived up to the standard of God. We may try our best to be a good person, but we still miss the mark. Note that the Greek word for ‘sin’ (hamartano') in this verse is “missing the mark.” I’m a sinner. You’re a sinner. TreVeyon Henderson is a sinner. We ALL miss the mark with God.
I’m so grateful that even though others will continue to judge, God forgives. Listen to what TreVeyon Henderson said later after the game:
“I spent some time on the sideline with the Lord asking for forgiveness and helping me to repent, turn away because that’s not who I want to be…. God picked me up in that moment….. I’m thankful for my brothers in Christ to pick me up and help me to focus on the Lord.” (TreVeyon Henderson talking about his unsportsmanlike penalty in the CFB Playoff Semifinal)
Beautiful things can happen when we humble ourselves before the Lord and admit we were wrong. I loved seeing him speaking of repentance about his poor decision. I appreciate his boldness and honesty in sharing this on national television. Usually, we prefer to hide behind our sins and hope no one sees. We can live for years like this.
Fortunately, our sin is not the end of the story. Our perfect God knows our weaknesses and knows when we genuinely want to repent. He wants us to succeed in our struggle with sin. I’m so thankful that’s why God sent his Son Jesus, to atone for our sins- for your sins and my sins.
I’m so grateful that God loves each one of us personally. He knows you and sees you, your mistakes, sins, and weaknesses, and STILL loves you.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17
Isn’t our natural inclination to judge those who sin? I remember saying to Ben “Look at Henderson! He punches someone and then there he is on the sideline showing his Romans 3:23 verse for all to see!" And just like that, I show my hypocrisy.
Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” How do we interpret this verse? It means that ALL people are sinners and have not lived up to the standard of God. We may try our best to be a good person, but we still miss the mark. Note that the Greek word for ‘sin’ (hamartano') in this verse is “missing the mark.” I’m a sinner. You’re a sinner. TreVeyon Henderson is a sinner. We ALL miss the mark with God.
I’m so grateful that even though others will continue to judge, God forgives. Listen to what TreVeyon Henderson said later after the game:
“I spent some time on the sideline with the Lord asking for forgiveness and helping me to repent, turn away because that’s not who I want to be…. God picked me up in that moment….. I’m thankful for my brothers in Christ to pick me up and help me to focus on the Lord.” (TreVeyon Henderson talking about his unsportsmanlike penalty in the CFB Playoff Semifinal)
Beautiful things can happen when we humble ourselves before the Lord and admit we were wrong. I loved seeing him speaking of repentance about his poor decision. I appreciate his boldness and honesty in sharing this on national television. Usually, we prefer to hide behind our sins and hope no one sees. We can live for years like this.
Fortunately, our sin is not the end of the story. Our perfect God knows our weaknesses and knows when we genuinely want to repent. He wants us to succeed in our struggle with sin. I’m so thankful that’s why God sent his Son Jesus, to atone for our sins- for your sins and my sins.
I’m so grateful that God loves each one of us personally. He knows you and sees you, your mistakes, sins, and weaknesses, and STILL loves you.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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