Monday, June 9, 2014

90: the assumption that I'm a sinner

After the academic part of school ended and we just had school picnics, award ceremonies, and cleaning up, I started watching Once Upon a Time. I had heard that it was addicting, so I put it off til then. Good thing I did too!

In the second season (SPOILERS), Snow White kills Cora. Snow is devastated. She is known for being pure--more or less faultless. When she kills Cora, her heart grows a dark spot. According to Regina, that dark spot will grow until her whole heart becomes dark.

Watching that, I thought how I cannot imagine not having forgiveness. The Bible starts with the assumption that we are all sinners. The book of James tells us to "[c]leanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (4:8). Unlike Snow, we don't start with a perfection to maintain. As Bible-believers, we don't believe in the Lockean blank slate.

I forgot the freedom in acknowledging that I am a sinner, that I need a Savior, and that there is a Savior and Redeemer of my sin.

Snow White doesn't have that. All she can do is work to redeem her sin for herself and hope she doesn't become a villain.

But as believers, although we strive to be like Snow White--holy and blameless--when we mess up we haven't destroyed who we are. Instead, our sin testifies that God's plan for our salvation is exactly what we need.

In the fairy tale, true love's kiss is always the last hope against death. But fairy tales don't have what we have: a Master Savior who will walk us through any mess we make during life and will guarantee us life everlasting after death.

3 comments: