The issue that offends God is that our disposition is naturally against Him, not for Him. Until that is conceded the issue of HOW we sin doesn't even matter because to address sin in any other context is corrupted self driven attainment. In other words, in the words used in Judges--
Everyone being right in their own eyes.
What we need is Jesus and the grace to surrender to Him first and foremost. That's why the story about the tax collector and pharisee that Jesus shares about in Luke 18 is so profound. The pharisee was focused on his performance and perceived good deeds and therefore self deceived about his corrupt state-of-being. Whereas the tax collector was fully aware of his entire corrupted disposition which is why he prayed "have mercy on me a sinner" rather than, "Have mercy on me for my sins!".As sinners even on our best day we're far from pleasing God by what we do because of our natural disposition which is against Him. Every good work therefore is corrupt, unauthorized and illegitimate because it's for ourselves and not for God. Our attempted performance for God is nothing but garbage in the words of Paul in Philippians 3:8.
The good news is God loves us. And because He does He provides the method for bringing us back into a right disposition with Him. This happens when we acknowledge who Jesus is, what He did for us, and our need for Him. We then repent of who we are and surrender our disposition to Him so we may be transformed from the inside out. All of this happens by trusting in Jesus and can only occur when God's grace is given and apprehended to do so.
When we believe in Jesus and surrender in this way, we are given a new frame of mind which does not begin with self justification but rather brokenness and a willingness to change in whatever ways God shows us we're in opposition to God in how we think about Him, how we relate to God and others, how we think about ourselves, and how we live our lives.Even after this occurs we must continue to understand that while there is law which is God's prescription and command for the right way to live, behavior modification to obey the law is only outward behavior modification which is often temporary and does not necessarily reflect a change of heart.
Transformation does not occur simply by adjusting our behavior. We must allow Jesus to show us the inclination of our deceitful hearts that will often fake obedience to God without surrender.
The analogy that comes to mind is that of a child who is sitting down in obedience to their parent's wishes outwardly but inwardly still standing with a defiant attitude.We must allow Jesus to show us our corrupt motivations and be brought to a state of recognition of our disposition and then become willing for God to purify our hearts.
None of this however would even happen without God's SANCTIFYING grace intervening to bring us to that awareness.
Identifiable sinners and addicts may be more inclined to see this truth about themselves than others because their sin has brought them to that place affectionately referred to by recovering addicts as rock-bottom.
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Scriptures to Pray About
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Philippians 3:9 (New Living Translation)
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