Recently, I saw a news report where some protestors marred a few expensive works of art in a museum. A once beautiful artistic work was marred, so it is with God’s original image of mankind, it has been marred by disobedience.
Do you realize we are all marred images? When I look in the mirror, that is not a concept I can argue about. A visit to Walmart will also verify that fact.
Mankind was originally made in the image of God according to Genesis 1:27 (NKJV), “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Of all the creatures of creation, we were the only ones created in the image of God.
I believe the image is more than an obvious outer appearance such as nose, ears, etc. We were created as spiritual beings with self-awareness, a capacity for moral judgment, and consciousness of divine existence (knowing that we are part of something beyond matter, energy, and time).
Man’s image became marred when the first couple ate the forbidden fruit opening their eyes to both evil and good. Then they had the capacity like God knowing the good from the evil. This put them in a dire position of knowing good from evil yet not having the inner power to always choose the good and refuse the evil.
We often speak of this marred image as our broken human nature. Every man born has a broken nature. There are many different forms and degrees of brokenness. Some are obvious and usually tolerated like an argumentative person. Others are cloaked and dangerous like a serial killer.
There is some form of brokenness residing in all of us. The image of God in us is marred—broken. We happily say, “No one is perfect!” It is true, yet, we say it happily to convince others not to judge us too harshly.
We should not get comfortable with our brokenness and wear a badge to prove it. We should not expect people to get comfortable with our brokenness. And most of all, we should not expect a wink and a nod from God concerning our brokenness. From time to time, someone will post on social media something like, “Don’t judge me, God doesn’t judge me.” Someone who thinks that God is not the ultimate judge, evidently has not read the description of the “Great White Throne Judgment” in Revelation 20:11-15!
Let me remind everyone, we all are broken in some way! I have certain unhealthy and/or sinful propensities, you have another kind. I do not expect or want anyone to affirm my brokenness. I will try to show mercy and grace and pray for you in yours.
“Brokenness” is a synonymous term describing sinfulness or the propensity for sin. The Bible describes besetting sins or “sin which so easily ensnares us” (Heb. 12:1 NKJV). It describes our weakness or fault point. The sin that easily ensnares us is another way of describing brokenness.
Again, we all struggle with something. Even though it may be an easy sin for us, it should not be an easy excuse for us. How many times have you heard someone say with a smirky attitude, “Well, that’s just the way I am, and people will just need to get used to it!” Really??
Or… “If you stay around them long enough, you will get to know them and get used to their ways.” Maybe most of us do not have that much time!!!
My brokenness is not an excuse for my conduct or lifestyle. It is not an excuse for my demand upon anyone to tolerate my brokenness, much less celebrate my brokenness. I should confess, repent of it, and ask Holy Spirit to empower the victory over my brokenness.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 NKJV)
Do you know that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die on a cross for our sins a.k.a. “our brokenness”? Why should we so casually glory in the sin that Jesus died for?
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Pathway Journey 