Self-Justification?

I sometimes laugh a bit about the barn-sized shot taken at "the church" regarding it's (our) sins, hypocrisy and lack of love- as if both believing and unbelieving prophets had none of the same in themselves.

Again reading Bonhoeffer's "Life Together" as well as various online and print articles I am reminded of early Jesus Movement times when the statement "God is Dead!" AND a massive genuine move of the Spirit brought countless thousands to saving faith in Jesus -many of them -inside- the churches!

Bonhoeffer speaks of the death of community in part due to "self-justification" and our propensity to want control over others. If we can do away with God we think we've total control. If in our time some have decided He doesn't exist and of course biblical, church and human history clearly shouts the sins of professing believers, then let's finally also "do away" with the church as well, right?

I repent daily. I need to. I've been doing so the vast majority of my life as a follower of Jesus. See, sin isn't merely corporate, it's individual, personal. Even full-on atheists believe in sin, it's simply the focus is on professing believers who do it. Ha! Even a brief scan of human history demonstrates the mythology in that state of thought!

Further, most unbelievers and even professing Christians who are fully "done with church" still walk around with sins in their own lives, in those of their closest friends with or without faith in Jesus. Shall we discuss these or merely those of the backslidden, loveless and godless churches? Hmmmmmm?

Mind you, the church NEEDS to repent, and regularly.

After the Bible itself I've long been a major fan of A.W. Tozer and others who regularly blasted the sins of the churches. Amos is likely my fave Old Testament prophet and Jude (Book of Jude author) one of my most-loved New Testament books, I admit it. Book of James is very near top of my list. Prophets are my friends, heroes, and like myself, sinners needing to repent of THEIR sins even as they called/call out Israel, the church in our times, in fact ALL times if you care about verifiable history.

So is it love, true concern for the welfare of and grace for the sinners in and outside of established, ad-hoc churches and other groups of believers that propels our desire to speak, write, demand they repent and change? Believe me, I've been doing it most of my life and often have had to face this very question about my own motives.

D.B. was/is correct: self-justification is no justification. Only Jesus justifies. He specifically justifies the repentant individual. Throughout both Testaments God continually (yes, continually due to our clear need) calls His people to repent, turn, re-think and behave in faith toward Him, love for Him and toward others. But that ongoing sin of seeking control?

So as Steve Wonder sang "Preachers, keep on preachin'", but loving and forgiving as well as possibly receiving what may be from God- a legit call and gift to prophesy that in the end you don't pull a Jonah. Whether hard history or Jewish O.T. allegory, the people of Nineveh repented but it's questionable if in the end, Jonah truly did.

As always, thanks for stopping by. -Glenn