There is a truth that has radically changed my worldview.
Biblical Counselor Chase Maxey (studied under Ed Welch and is practicing in Ridgeland, MS) taught me the difference between going on a sin-hunt versus a grace-hunt. This refers to how we look at ourselves, others, and even how we view God.
Sin-Hunting
First, sin-hunting. Sin-hunting is the idea that what we notice most in ourselves, others, and God is sin, weakness, failure, and mistakes. It is not just that we notice it but that we major on it.
Sin-Hunting With God
To be sure, we will never find sin in God but we often can portray God to be too much like us in how he treats us. Satan tries to get us to see God in Satan’s own colors. We suspect the worst providence, forgotten promises, or only the Law for those (even if they are Christians).
This can often result in seasons of sinful fear or anfechtungen. Taking the idea from Martin Luther, Bob Kellemen says, “Anfechtung… is an image that captures the idea of an angry, finger-wagging, judgmental, harsh, condemning, aloof, holy God.” This is the idea of the Christian thinking and acting as if they are still under the Covenant of Works and have to keep up a performance “or else”. Therefore, we look at our lives and think God only sees our sin, will return vengeance upon us, and we can never rest in Christ.
Luther once said, “If you allow one [of these thoughts] to enter, and you pay attention to it, he will force ten additional thoughts into your mind until at last he overpowers you.”
Sin-Hunting With Ourselves
When we look at ourselves, we can often focus only on the bad, weakness, and sin. In other words, this is just Law. We fail to see the fruit, growth, and work of Christ in us. The focus is on how we have negatively sinned against God’s Law and that we have not positively upheld God’s Law. We only see ourselves doing the things we don’t want to do and not doing what we want to do (Ro. 7). Speaking of Romans 7, we only remember Romans 3:10-20 and Romans 7 but forget to keep reading into Romans 3:21-31 and Romans 8. We think our sinful nature is more powerful than the Holy Spirit within. We can never escape our past. We can never overcome present sin struggles. And we will never be able to find rest in our conscience in Christ’s righteousness.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “We must never look at any sin in our past life in any way except that which leads us to praise God and to magnify His grace in Christ Jesus.”
Carl Trueman: “The Evil One will cite Scriptures to us, which he takes out of context, and inflate the law while reducing Christ in such a way that the former seems to overwhelm the latter. This too leads to despair and is particularly effective at a time when the Christian might also be suffering or afflicted in some way.”
In Untangling Emotions, Groves & Smith: “When guilt is warped, it becomes self-condemnation, arguing that no forgiveness is possible. When shame is warped, it becomes self-loathing.”
Sin-Hunting With Others
We also do this with others when we only focus on their badness, weakness, and sinfulness. Inevitably, that causes us to look at ourselves and others in a condemning way. Rather than bearing burdens (Ga. 6) we are judgmental and condemning. We keep the focus on becoming like other people rather than truly seeing who we are in light of God’s Law and in desperate need of Christ. We fail to treat others as righteous in Christ even though they struggle with sin. We fail to placard the promises of Christ before their eyes because we won’t them to doubt their salvation. We want them to feel really bad about their sins. And when they go long enough feeling really bad about their sins then they can start to feel really good about feeling really bad. This is too much focus on us. We keep them looking at and focusing on their sin and shortcomings rather than Christ. We fail to notice where God is at work but rather stay suspicious of them. This never promotes unity, peace, or restoration.
Grace-Hunting
Second, grace-hunting. Grace-hunting does not ignore sin. When sin is downplayed, grace is downplayed (Rm. 5:20). But, we never stop at sin; Nor do we mainly look at sin. We take even more time dwelling on grace. Grace is what fuels godliness. Grace is what enables godly fear. Grace is not grace when sin is not noticed (Ps. 103:12). Grace implies sin but is far more than merely sin. We don’t ignore our sin, rather we take our sin to Christ trusting that His promises of forgiveness are true. What does this look like with ourselves, others, and God?
Charles Spurgeon: Godly fear makes us “lean towards God because of His goodness.”
John Newton: “‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.”
Grace-Hunting With God
With God, we must expect the best and highest from him (Mt. 6:25-34; Ph. 4:8,19)! We must not think ill of him and his promises. Satan paints God in Satan’s own colors. As Scripture portrays God, He is for us (Ro. 8:31), with us (Is. 7:14), in us (1 Jn. 2), at peace with us (Ro. 5). He is not neutral; He is infinitely for us as we stand in Christ! Thoughts that go on a sin-hunt with God must be (in the words of Luther) excommunicated from our conscience and thought life. We must think of Him as He is revealed to us in the gospel.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones is very helpful when he says, “The very essence of the Christian faith is to say that He is good enough and I am in Him. As long as you go on thinking about yourself like that and saying, “I’m not good enough; Oh, I’m not good enough,” you are denying God – you are denying the gospel – you are denying the very essence of the faith and you will never be happy.”
Again, Lloyd-Jones comments, “The way to love God is to begin to know God’s love to you.”
John Bunyan: Godly fear flows primarily “from a sense of love and kindness of God to the soul…from some sense or hope of mercy from God by Jesus Christ….Indeed nothing can lay a stronger obligation upon the heart to fear God, than sense of, or hope in mercy.”
Grace-Hunting With Ourselves
With ourselves, we can’t forgive ourselves because we don’t have that authority but Christ can (Mk. 2). When we see our sin, we don’t stay there or wallow in it. We know we’re growing in godliness the quicker we run to Christ with the sin we’re convicted of. We don’t just forget the sin or ignore it; we confess it! But, we also know we’re growing in Christ the quicker we are to believe that grace really is for us. When we go on a grace-hunt with ourselves, we look MORE at how God is at work in our lives, how His promises for us are ALWAYS true, and how we do have the power (not in us but by the Holy Spirit through union with Christ) to live unto God.
Luther has said, “Your sin is forgiven. Rely resolutely on this… Give heed to all that your pastor and preacher tell you from the Word of God. Do not despise their counsel and comfort, for it is God Himself who speaks to you through them.”
Ph. 3:13 “forgetting the past and pressing forward to what lies ahead”
Rom. 5:20 “where sin abounded, grace super abounded”
2 Sam. 12:13 “The LORD has also put away your sin.”
Lk. 7:50 “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
Grace-Hunting With Others
We go on a grace-hunt with others by not focusing solely on their sins. We trust that Romans 10:13 is true. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (quoting Joel 2:32).
Can people make a profession of faith and not be true believers? Absolutely. See Matthew 7:22 and Hebrews 6. But, every true believer makes a profession of faith (even if they’re severely led astray at the moment).
What’s the answer for both? They need to look at Christ! So, instead of having them constantly dwell on their sin (we do preach sin but not only sin) we show them the sufficiency of Christ because that is what fuels faith (2 Cor. 3:18). If they make a profession of faith, unless there really is significant reason to doubt such profession, we should take them at their word.
In that mindset, we continue to show them Christ and we actively look at where Christ is at work in their lives. Seeing Christ more is what will give them more of a sense of how they fall short of the Law (since He is the Law Giver and Law Keeper) and how they are righteous in Him. It will help them grow when they see Christ at work because it will give them confidence that He will finish the good work that He started (Ph. 1:6).
Here is a question: If you see embers on a fire seemingly dying out, what do you do to make it come alive? You gently blow on the embers and slowly feed it. So the professing believer might be greatly struggling (unbelief, addiction, backsliding, etc.) but we don’t smother them with Law only. We have a proper Law-Gospel distinction and dynamic. With God’s Word, we afflict the comfortable but we also comfort the afflicted. We never leave people in affliction when they know their affliction. We want to fuel their faith by looking at Christ and His promises. We treat them as their identity in Christ calls us to treat them. We search and point out where Christ is at work in their lives even amidst great sin and struggle.