Replacing Affections

The Bible says there is one thing we all have in common.  No matter how hard we try, or how good we think we might be, we all sin.  Scripture says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. (Rom 3:23). This is precisely why what Christ has done on the cross is such good news.  No matter what sin we have committed, it’s not beyond the scope of Christ’s redemption.  Romans 3:24 follows with “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Sin isn’t a popular word.  We can deny it, wallow in it, or downplay its effects on us.  However, the quicker we can come to grips with our sin and confess it to God, the quicker we will find freedom from that sin.  This is the first step in a journey toward God in this Lenten season or any season: Confessing our sin.

The Apostle John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8

After confessing, we should with Christ’s help, prayerfully overcome sin’s grip on us.  This is not done through gritting one’s teeth, but through what Thomas Chalmer, a Scottish pastor who lived from 1780-1847, called “the expulsive power of a new affection”.  Often we can recognize sin, but instead of being repulsed by it, we coddle it.  We turn it around in our thoughts and imaginations long before we ever act on sin. Sin is deceptively attractive or it wouldn’t be a temptation.  Instead of fighting this affection, Chalmer’s says we need to develop new ones; Godly ones.  I agree.

In doing this we are agreeing with the Scripture that tells us to:

 “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Eph. 4:21-24

“The expulsive power of a new affection” is the process of overcoming sinful desires by replacing them with a stronger love for God and holiness. This spiritual, inward transformation requires cultivating a delight in divine truth that makes sinful attachments unappealing, rather than relying solely on willpower.

If we focus on God’s Word by actively studying and meditating on scripture, we will begin to cultivate a desire for God that outmatches the “desires of the flesh”.  We can direct your thoughts, love, and adoration toward God, which gradually weakens the hold of fleshly thoughts and the lure of sin.  This shift is only fully accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, so we must fully trust him and not our willpower.

Transferring our affections moves beyond mere behavior modification to true, inward sanctification, changing desires and thoughts rather than just actions.

This quote taken from “Thirsting” by Strahan Coleman summarizes all of these thoughts beautifully:

So why not behold God, look to Him, turn all your ache and desire toward his goodness and let Him have it? “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” and see if He doesn’t offer you Himself in place of whatever you thought you needed. Give Him your loneliness, your doubt, ambition, your want for sex and lust, your anxieties and fears. Tell Him that beneath all of that your true want is Him… Let Him replace your endless scrolling, your numbing with food and alcohol, your giving away your heart and body to others. Pray your pain. Simply sit in it together in silence, allowing Him to be with you there. Let Him be what He promises to be, living waters that satisfy the very\ seat of you. Consecrate your heart, give it to Him. Set your body and mind aside for this “one thing,” that in channeling up all this dis-ease within you it would welcome the presence of God and transform your very self.

May God move us this Lent away from sin and shame and to forgiveness and freedom.

Blessings and peace,

Rev. Todd