An Airbrushed Life

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An Airbrushed Life

Proverbs 30:20

• This is the way of an adulterous woman:
• She eats and wipes her mouth,
• And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

The adulterous woman of Proverbs 30:20 is an example of an airbrushed life. She doesn't confront her behavior but simply paints over it with a denial of her guilt. In her mind, she can relieve herself of any guilt by simply saying she has no guilt! The scriptures give insight into her thinking - she eats, then she wipes her mouth and then says "I have done no wickedness". This person has lost who they are. In her mind, her adulterous living is morally equivalent to putting on her shoes - "I have done nothing wrong!" How shallow, to believe that one can wipe away their sinfulness as easily as food is wiped from their mouth. 

No person has the moral right (authority) to declare themselves good when in fact they are not good! By reading Matthew 28:18 we can understand the limits of autonomous thinking. Matthew 28:18 that says all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, which means He is the one who has final say over what is good or evil. Also, as Judge of the whole Earth, Jesus is the One who will judge our lives, John 5:22. For all who will listen, this is a great truth. Since all authority has been given to Jesus, don't be foolish, thinking you can wipe away your sins, but confess and forsake them, and He will be the One who justifies you! 

The Apostle John reminds us that it is not our words but our behavior that demonstrates who we are. John says "if we say that we know the Lord, but do not keep His commandments, then we lie and do not practice the truth. An airbrushed life cannot wipe away ones guilt. Airbrushing is being dishonest - it is an attempt to make yourself look good, but in realty, you are living in a way that is not good. Jesus said if the tree is good then the fruit will also be good, but if the tree is bad the fruit also will be bad! Matt. 12:33

How difficult is it to be the person God has called you to be? Isn't serving God preferrable to living a make-believe life? Isn't being real better than being make-believe? The purpose of airbrushing an image is to hide the imperfections. Isn't it better to face one's imperfections than hide them. Think about it, every day just to feel good about myself, I have to speak lies to hide who I really am. Isn't it better to actually be beautiful rather than having to create a manipulated, artificial, beauty? Isn't it better to face who we are, and make the needed changes, rather than refusing to see our need for change? What happens to our inner person if we chronically paint over who we are? What is the ultimate cost of refusing to evaluate our life? How pathologic is it, having to speak lies to make yourself look good; isn't truthfulness better, why not be good and avoid the stress of making your life a performance. Isn’t honesty intrinsically preferable to dishonesty? Isn’t it true that dishonest living ultimately destroys any hope of a good life. Why not confront and overcome, why be a person who has to airbrush who they are? The problem with airbrushing your life is that eventually you will come to believe the airbrushed you is the real you!  

There are many ways to airbrush a life. Our friends can convince us that we are in fact good even though our behavior is not good. If we are living an airbrushed life, then we will allow their opinions to paint over our bad behavior. They can convince us that we have no guilt, that we have the moral right to live our own life, to choose our own path, and to be our own person. All that is true if there is no Creator God. Yes, if there is no God who tells us that He is Lord and that we are to serve Him, we can live as we choose. If there is no God who has called all people to repent of their sins, then we can paint over our behavior any way we choose.  But, if He exists, and if He is who He says He is, then our lives belong to Him first. He is the Lord God, He calls every person to righteous living, He tells us that He is holy and that if we are going to see Him we also must be holy, 1Peter 1:16, Hebrews 12:14. He also tells us that he loves us and that He will never condemn a person who comes to Him in childlike faith.  

Our culture can airbrush our behavior with a message of tolerance toward one another's differences, which is appropriate in a social context. But with regard to one's personal behavior, we are called by God to turn from all wickedness. The scriptures recognize the challenges of being human and the Lord treats us with patience and mercy. But at the same time, He demands inward honesty, He demands our heart. We cannot airbrush our life and call it good. We do not airbrush anything, but in Christ we overcome every challenge to our personal holiness. Rather than airbrushing our behavior, we are told to overcome ungodliness through the redemptive victories of Christ. God's predestined purpose for every Christian is they be conformed to Christ.

Churches can airbrush a sinful life with a message of God's love. It goes something like this - God loves you so much that He will never reject you. He knows that we are weak, and that we are all sinners. Since Christ died for you, He will never count your sins against you, even if you live in open and willful sin. Since His love for you is so great, He will never condemn you. Of course, to believe such a message you have to ignore the plain teaching of scripture. We are told repeatedly that if we live in willful sin we will perish. Listen to the following scriptures and do not airbrush them away. 

Gal. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 1John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

Friends, family, churches, educational institutions, therapists, etc., will airbrush over the plain teachings of scripture but those who confess and overcome their sin will inherit eternal life!

The scriptures warn of a "whitewashed" life. The outside is painted white, but the inside is rotten. Think about a whitewashed wall - it looks strong, stable, and good. But it is a deception. In reality, it is rotten on the inside. It has been whitewashed to hide the decay! It is make-believe. It says that it is good and strong but it speaks lies. The whitewashed life is the same as the whitewashed wall. It looks good but is rotten on the inside. Never are we told to hide who we are, to serve God superficially. Always, in every place, and at all times, we are to serve God from the heart, which means we are not living a whitewashed life. A good person lives in obedience to what God says. They do not whitewash their lives, they confess and forsake their sins. A good person both hears and obeys the voice of the Lord that says "put off the old and put on the new," Ephesians 4:22-24!" An honest and good person has learned to honor the Lord by hating evil, Prov. 8:13. Never do we whitewash our sins but always confess and forsake them.

The problem with internally airbrushing our behavior is that eventually we believe what we say. Initially, our conscience will condemn our efforts to justify our bad behavior. When we wipe away our guilt we wipe away the sensitivity of our conscience. If we continue to live an airbrushed and phantasy life, the day will come when we no longer sense a need of repentance! A wise person protects their conscience. They understand God gave it as an early warning system. If we take the wrong turn, it will say bridge out, danger ahead, turn, bridge out, danger ahead, turn. If we listen, it will keep us on the right road and away from decisions that destroy. But if we choose to live as the adulterous woman, if we choose to look the other way, to cover our sins rather than confess and turn, then we will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

The Word of the Lord from Genesis to Revelation communicates only one message - if you live in willful and unconfessed sin you will perish.  

But, if you confess and forsake your sins, you will have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

God bless you,

Jim

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