Renovations, Religion, and the Finished Work of Jesus
Renovations, Religion, and the Finished Work of Jesus
We’re right in the middle of renovating our master bath — out of necessity, not choice. Trust me. Renovating bathrooms is one of our least favorite things to, and a need that seems to follow us from one dwelling to the next.
A little while ago, we noticed some discoloration on one of the baseboards abutting our shower. Water damage.
In order to determine the root of the problem, the extent of the damage, and the best course of action, a number of experts were called upon to weigh-in; but not everyone came to the same conclusions nor offered the same advice throughout this process.
One plumber we called minimized the problem and suggested an unnecessary external repair that did nothing to solve the internal problem whatsoever.
A renovation specialist sent out by our insurance company exaggerated the problem — or I should say, problems.
Based on her assessment, our house was practically falling apart. At the very least, we needed to gut the master bathroom and start over on that corner of the house.
Several times throughout her inspection, she clicked her tongue and suggested that, if we’d been more vigilant, we could’ve caught this before it became such a catastrophic problem. (Though, considering the problem started beneath the surface, I’m still not sure how we were supposed to realize anything was wrong before it manifested externally.)
Most of the other experts landed pretty unanimously in the middle. Yes, there was a real internal problem that was manifesting externally. Yes, it needed to be addressed. Yes, it would require some ripping out and rebuilding by a professional.
But the repairs would be a manageable. And soon, our bathroom wouldn’t just be back to normal working order; it would be better than before!
I can’t help but think how this is sort of like religion…
There are some camps of religion that say our human situation isn’t all that bad. We’re basically good people who just need a little fix here, or a little tune-up there. No real problem!
But all of those superficial minor fixes and tune-ups ignore the reality of what’s going on deep inside of us, and our sin keeps on eating away at our bodies and souls like mold on the wooden frame of a house.
Then there are other camps of religion that say our situation is actually worse than we probably thought, because we don’t just have a problem; we have problems! And the only way to solve these problems is to remove all the bad (which is a list that’s ever-growing) and replace it with good!
There’s a lot of work to be done — project upon project — and shame on us for letting things get so out-of-control in the first place!
But if the goal is for us to reach a state of perfection, it’s a losing game. Just like how, no matter how many things we fix inside an imperfect house, we’ll always end up finding something else that needs fixing, no matter how many good deeds we do in life, we’ll still be spiritually dead in our sins.
Then there’s the truth, and it’s found somewhere in the middleground.
You and I are in a worse state than we probably initially thought, but also, it’s the most hopeful state we could possibly find ourselves in; because while we do have a very real problem, it can be solved, and you and I were never expected to solve it ourselves or to keep it under control.
Our sin problem is going to require relying on Someone qualified to deal with sin (sort of like a mold problem requires relying on someone qualified to deal with mold). He is going to have to do some ripping out and rebuilding — not so much with our help, but with our cooperation. These repairs are entirely manageable, though, in the capable hands of Jesus. And while the metaphor veers off a bit from our bathroom renovations here, the real solution to our sin problem has already been paid in full by Him (Mark 10:45; Romans 6:23)!
We just have to (1) believe that we have a very real sin problem under the surface, (2) trust in God’s solution for that problem, and (3) let Him do the work that needs to be done inside of us!
It’s both that simple and that hard.
Religion tells us two contradicting things: either (1) you really don’t need to worry about it at all, or (2) you need to run yourself into the ground worrying about.
Jesus also told us two things, but His two things go hand in hand: (1) “It is finished!” (John 19:30), and (2) “I am the resurrection and the life! Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live!” (John 11:25).
(If you’re reading this today, and you’ve not yet experienced what it’s like to have the weight of your sins lifted from your shoulders, here’s some real good news just for you!)
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