Anchor Gaslamp

Movie: Seven Pounds

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality.

Runtime:  123 min

Last night I watched Seven Pounds, the somewhat recent film in which Will Smith’s character is stricken with a deep since of guilt about some untold event in his past.  As the movie progresses, it become clear that Ben Thomas (his character) is driven with such a desire to help others, to his own detriment, that he donates his eyes, bone marrow, kidney, liver, part of his lung, his beach house, and even commits suicide in order to give his healthy heart to the woman he loves.  Though unspoken, the implication is that he does these things in order to make up for the seven lives lost in his past during a head-on collision in which he was driving.

Now there are all kinds of parallels here.  His fiance was one of the lives lost in the car wreck.  So the movie portrays him indirectly “taking the life” of the woman he loved, and “giving his life” for the new woman that he loves.  There are a lot of redeeming qualities to the plot.  He feels the weight of his actions.  He feels the guilt of the situation.  And in order to relieve his dark conscience, he gives a total sacrifice of his own body so that others will know life in a deeper, more beautiful way.  He does some great things to help great people.  His eyes help a blind man see.  His house becomes the new home of a battered woman and her two kids.  And in the end, you are made to feel as though he is a man of great sacrifice.  Many redeeming qualities, and also a few things I noticed about our human nature.

We often find ourselves in Ben Thomas’ position.  Knowing we’ve done something wrong, wanting to make it right, not quite knowing how.  At some time or another, we all try to self-atone.  We try to make things better on our own.  We try to prove that we can pay the price for the wrongs we’ve done, that on our own we can make things right, make it better, make it acceptable to God and others.  But the story of the bible tells us this is not the case.  The wage of sin is death, and all have sinned, and more importantly all are sinners.  We’ve messed things up, we’ve marred the image of God that we were formed in far beyond recognition… far beyond our own ability to redeem.

In many Christian traditions, the wrath of God is empasized over his love.  The justice of God is empasized over his grace.  I grew up with a fear that God was waiting for me to mess up so that he could send me straight to hell.  I know of others with similar stories.  It led me to believe that I had to perform.  It led me to believe that my salvation depended on my performance of God’s rules, instead of his act of love for me on the Cross.  It let me to believe that everything was riding on whether or not I sinned, instead of whether or not he made a way.

But the good news is that when we had no way to pay for our sins, God acted on our behalf.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the us.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours, but for the sins of the whole world.  He loves us!  He knew that we would sin.  He knew that we would try on our own to cover it up, or to make things right.  And he knew that the only way to make it right was through the Blood of Jesus on the Cross.  The truth is that when we could do nothing to help ourselves, he did everything to help us up, and to make us acceptable!  This is the story of redemption.

But are we Ben Thomas?  How often, though, have you found yourself still trying to self-atone?  Have you ever found yourself holding on to the guilt of a mistake, almost grieving it to prove to God that you’re sorry?  As if you will “feel guilty” enough to make up for the wrong?  As if there is a scale which you must tip in order to have God’s favor?  Have you ever found yourself going above and beyond to prove to your friends and family and co-workers that you are competent, that you can handle things, that you can measure up? (especially if these are people you have let down in the past).  Aren’t we always trying to prove ourselves to somebody?  Whether we’re proving ourselves to ourselves or to others, it’s because of a false belief.  It’s because of a lie that we hold on to so dearly.  It’s because of a belief that we can make things right.  Or that we should be perfect, so we will try our best to prove to others that this is the case.  It’s because we think that since God is perfect, he expects us to be sinless and perfect on our own.  (If you think I’m wrong, then ask yourself if God is surprised each time you fall into sin.)

Here is the truth:  God is gracious, so we don’t have to prove ourselves.  God knows we are imperfect.  He knows our fallen nature.  And out of love, he made a way that we could live above sin.  In Christ, he’s made us from from the guilt of sin and the power of sin.  So, the challenge for when we misstep is to rely on HIS GRACE instead of our own abilities (or should I say feeble attempts) to make things right.  God is gracious, so let’s rest in that.  God is gracious, so let’s show others grace.  God is gracious, so don’t work so hard trying to prove to him or to others that you’re perfect.  He knows you’re not, and we know you’re not.  After all, when we try to self-atone, what we’re really communicating is that we feel like we have sinned against our own image.  When I sin, have I sinned against “me and my image” or God and his image?

I know this is long, but it’s really only the beginning of what was happening in my heart as I watched.

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more – Rom 5:20