Lesson 38 - Prejudices, Vices, Sin and Time

"We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin." - C.S Lewis

“Have no fear of robbers or murderers. They are external dangers, petty dangers. We should fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers; vices the real murders. The great dangers are within us. Why worry about what threatens our heads or purses? Let us think instead of what threatens our souls.” - Victor Hugo

Prejudices, Vices, Sin and Time

The quotes above really hit home for me. I have so many worries and fears about my surroundings, past, and future that I reluctantly think of the wrong inside of me. I have prejudices, I have vices, I have thought that if a secret stays a secret long enough that it will go away. They have all come back to bite me, hard. 

Prejudices - 

The Bible says "judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). We are not to judge when we have insufficient or superficial information, when it is based on a personal opinion, on the basis of appearance, based on something that we have done, we cannot neglect mercy. Appearances can be deceptive, "some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden" (1 Timothy 5:24,25). I judge, a lot. As Christians, we are told we shouldn't judge; however, that is all we are taught to do. This person isn't right because they don't believe, they're gay, they're a Democrat, they're Republican, they're white, they're black, they're Hispanic,they're Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. All we know to do is to judge. We should judge in a light that is giving the other party the benefit of the doubt! We shouldn't judge when we don't have all the facts. We really shouldn't judge when we ourselves have been in that situation. This is the hardest for me. Because I have lived through something, or I hated myself for that action, I decide that they are wrong for that action. Who am I to judge them for something that I did and didn't like. They will judge themselves, God will judge them. The more I think of my own actions, the more that I realize that I cannot judge someone unless it is in the best possible light. 

Vices -

We all have our extreme behavior. Aristotle gave many examples of vices and virtues. He said that with every character trait, there were extremes (vices) and the mean (virtue). We have to work very hard constantly to attain the virtue in our lives; however, we all have our vices. We can be rash or a coward, we can be self-indulgent or insensible, we can be boastful or understate everything, be can have envy or spiteful, we can be shy or shameless. We are rarely have courage, temperance, patience, proper ambition, truthfulness, modesty, or righteous indignation. We are all one extreme or the other. These extremes will kill us; these extremes will consume our soul. 

Sin and Time- 

I always try to forget my sin after I ask for forgiveness. Me trying doesn't mean I succeed. Just because time elapses doesn't mean that the sin is a okay; it doesn't mean that I can continue in a lie. Like C.S Lewis says, guilt doesn't go away with time. A sin, or a lie, will haunt you until you come clean. It will haunt you even then. It is better to never lie and sin, but we all have fallen short of the glory of God. We are all screw ups; thus, the reason that we are equal.  I know that I mess up, I know that time can't make it go away; however, I want to believe that it will. This isn't what life is about (waiting for the wrong we do to pass), it is about fixing it, becoming more virtuous, and having a relationship with God.

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"I Run To You" - Lady Antebellum

I run from hate
I run from prejudice
I run from pessimists
But I run too late
I run my life
Or is it running me
Run from my past
I run too fast
Or too slow it seems
When lies become the truth
That's when I run to you

[Chorus]
This world keeps spinning faster
Into a new disaster so I run to you
I run to you baby
And when it all starts coming undone
Baby you're the only one I run to
I run to you

We run on fumes
Your life and mine
Like the sands of time
Slippin' right on through
And our love's the only truth
That's why I run to you

[Repeat Chorus]

[Repeat Chorus]