Something has been on my mind about how to view sin in light of the glory of God.  In the words of Matt Thiessen from Relient K, “I’ve been thinking over thinking.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7kxte3qGk&w=300&h=200]

I often find myself focusing on my own sinfulness, trying to make sure my actions are “right.” I will do something and then wonder, “what that a sin, or am I okay?” and then feel guilty regardless of the answer because, the truth is, I don’t know.

For the sake of this discussion, I’m going to call this phenomenon “moral self-consciousness” – that is, when you’re preoccupied with whether what you’re doing is acceptable to God.  I believe that there is something wrong with how I think: this thought process is focused on me.  (Even the fact that I am talking about how this thought process is “wrong” shows that I’m stuck in moral self-consciousness).

I’ve wondered what thought process should replace moral self-consciousness, and I decided that instead of looking to myself, I must fix my eyes on Jesus. And not just to accomplish my own goal of self-improvement, either, because I don’t think that perfection is God’s goal in us on earth. (If it were, then He could well have made us perfect at the very moment of salvation.) Instead, I think that we need to be in a state in which we’re so infatuated with God that we forget about ourselves.

We must look upon our bridegroom in awe of His majesty – a majesty so important and mesmerizing that our own shortcomings don’t even have room in our minds and hearts.  We fall so deeply in love with God’s qualities that, in a sense, we forget about ourselves.  We stop trying to become like Christ in our own mental processing when, mind and all, we are the absolute antonym of God Almighty.  When God gives us the grace to fall in love with Him, only then, I believe, are we compelled by love, rather than dragged by guilt.

What do you think of this idea?  I would like to hear your comments about this, not to systematize my faith, but to hear how God has worked out this dilemma in your own life in an organic way.  I’m curious to hear evidence from the Word or daily experience about how God wants us to view (or remove from view) our own sin.

Just to clarify, my conclusion for now is this: “We should be so infatuated with God that we don’t have time for moral self-consciousness.” 

P.S.  If this conclusion is true, then I advise you not to spend too much time thinking about your own thought process, because it would take time away from thinking about God.

P.P.S.  I thought I would include the song “Overthinking” by Relient K because it just seems relevant.