Hubris

It has been blogged and articled to death, but the fall of Ted Haggard should be seen as a warning to us all. He believed that he didn't need to hear of his sins often, and he probably thought he didn't sin all that much. It is a common lie we tell ourselves, especially those of us in regular contact with Baptists (of all flavors) in the "Bible Belt." Many people consider Lutherans to just be depressing, wallowing in our sins. But what better way for a dose of reality than to know that we can't do what we naturally want to do? If you read the necessary sacrifices in the Old Testament, the temple had to have been awash with blood. The ground was most likely reddish with the tint. We rationalize that our sins are "minor" or light. Christ paid the ultimate price for each of them. This is why Christians are to remember their sins, then praise God that He has provided the perfect sacrifice for them. If we aren't reminded of them often, we forget too quickly and merrily fall off that tall cliff. We are most definitely sheep; in need of remembrance and grace.