A Message from the Pastor

By Pastor Lance Ness

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One sermon an old pastor of mine preached was called, “The Successful Sin.” Something about it has really stuck in my mind after many years.

First, the title sounds a little strange, even contradictory. Sin is a failure, not a success. When we do what God does not approve of, then we fail in our moral standards, we fail to maintain our vows to God.

So a sin is a failure. But most of our historic figures had great failures in their lives. The recent movie, “Young Washington” honestly portrayed some of his great failures as a young officer in the British army. He built a fort in a terrible location. His strategy led to heavy losses. But this is how we learn and grow.

People often point out that “Babe” Ruth was the home run king of professional baseball for many years. During his professional career he hit 714 home runs. But he also struck out 1330 times. Edison

had to experiment with hundreds of substances before he finally found something that would create a bright, long lasting, electric bulb. Hundreds of failures; one success.

Some of the greatest saints in Christian history were known for great sins before their conversion.

In the 4th and 5th century, in Egypt, there was a woman known for her great lust. Even after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land it took years before she finally shed herself of her sinful ways.

A teenager, Augustine of Hippo abandoned Christianity, lived with a mistress, and had a child out of wedlock and studied pagan philosophy. But at age 32 he embraced Christianity, became a bishop, and wrote great theological works.

These people were sinners. But one day they faced their sins, embraced their faith, and learned from their past. The successful sin is when you sin, repent, and turn your sin experience into a tool for God.

Many of the best addiction therapists are the ones who fought addiction themselves. Reformed criminals are often great at helping criminals rehabilitate.

God knows we will sin. What we do with the sins matters. We can use our experiences, our failures, our sins, to better witness for God and bring holiness to others. When real people see God's work in us it makes a difference.

In Jesus' Name