“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities).
“People are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods. God is looking for better people” (E.M. Bounds, The Power of Prayer).
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said,
“See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:6-7).
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One … is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Part 4: Absolution
One thing that we did not hear in the church in which I grew up were “words of absolution.” The reason for this was quite simple. We never confessed our sins together as a congregation. Oh, we were taught the “plan of salvation” for sure. I grew up hearing repeatedly that because were lost sinners and that Christ died for us, that we needed to receive him as our personal Savior. After that, confession was something you did privately, between you and God. Public liturgical confession along with private confession to a priest was considered “empty ritual.” However, as I became exposed to other church traditions, I began to appreciate upon our confessing of sin, hearing those assuring words, “your sins are forgiven.”
Vision of the True King, the exalted Holy One, “who was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8) should lead us to awe. And that should lead us to brokenness and contrition in the light of the awesome understanding that “everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). Contrary to what many say, I believe that a healthy fear of the One who “is able to destroy both body and soul in hell” is a good thing. Apparently, Jesus thought it was (see Matt. 10:28).
When Isaiah saw the Lord, his response was “I am ruined!” He fully expected to be destroyed. “What else can be done with me in such a wretched state as I am?” What is to be done? The initiative comes from the throne. The “burning one” is dispatched with a “live coal” to cauterize the open sore of Isaiah’s unclean lips. From where? The altar of sacrifice where the innocent takes the place of the guilty. An image of the ultimate sacrifice – one just man dying for all unjust people.
Isaiah is not destroyed. Nor are his lips destroyed. He has underestimated the grace of God who declares through the seraph, “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” God shows his own love for us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. There is more grace than we know – as individuals and as churches. “God brings these terrifying things into Isaiah’s life, in order that… he might be delivered into his true vocation,” says one commentator. And he is a model for us as God’s people, as churches. The pattern of Isaiah is a pattern for the church.
How do we stay fresh in our vocation as missional people – as those who are called to be on mission with Jesus in our world? I heard an older pastor once give this answer. “The way to stay fresh in the ministry is never to get over the thrill of being saved.” Do I know the depth of my own sinfulness? Do I remember where I’ve come from before Jesus rescued me? Or have I fallen into some kind of feeling of Christian entitlement?
We need to continually receive the words of absolution deep in our souls. “I declare to you that your sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord.” Only when I understand the depth of God’s mercy for me am I humble enough to go with Jesus as his friend on his mission of helping others to find and follow him.
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