Convicted and Comforted

Romans 8 and John 8 are connected. Romans says, No condemnation to fulfill righteousness. John says, I do not condemn you. Sin no more.

                                                     

Jesus, with His words in John 8, convicts the accusers in their conscience. And He comforts the condemned woman. This Lord’s Supper also brings conviction and comfort. Our forefathers in the Reformed faith have pounded away at conviction until this sacrament feels more like a funeral than a feast. And so we tend to over-react a bit and see it only as a comforting feast. But some of us need conviction. We are going easy on sin in our life. We are giving ourselves a pass while we condemn others. This cup you hold should bring you up short. You cannot take this cup and cling to your idols and sinful desires. Then again, some of us need comfort. Satan the accuser has worked us over, and even though we trust Christ, we are afraid we are not good enough to pass God’s moral test. Of course you can’t. Cling to Christ. Do not despair before God in your sin. Renounce it now, and turn to the pleasures found at His right hand, where Jesus Christ sits. See God’s favor, His kindness and joy in this cup you hold. Jesus does not condemn His people. He convicts. He comforts.

7/1/12