Irreligious Musings from the "Cabin"

I just started reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Whether it was God or me, I’m not sure, but for some reason it’s been in my head to read it for a few months now and that idea stuck. On a side-note, sometimes I notice that’s how God speaks to me. A thought occurs to me, origin unknown, and unrelated to whatever I had been thinking about at the time, and no matter how many times I get distracted from it, or in cases where it’s an unwelcome thought, try to push it away, it never leaves. It just hangs there patiently and expectantly until one day I put it together and realize its been God all along, but that’s a post for another time.

I’m only about halfway through the book, which I’m reading online via Project Gutenberg, but I am completely absorbed in the storyline. I’ve been struck by several passages along the way, and one in particular captured my attention.

To emphasis it’s impact I’ll give a bit of context. Uncle Tom, the devout, loyal, and humble slave has been sold (apart from his wife and three children) to a family in New Orleans. The “master” of the family is a good-natured and kind man by the name of Augustine St. Clare who has the misfortune of being married to a selfish and callous woman named Marie. Marie attends church (when not suffering from her frequent “illnesses”) because it is the proper thing to do in society and she fancies herself quite pious. Sr. Clare does not. This particular day she has just arrived home and is apprising him of the particulars of a most agreeable sermon in which the preacher has explained away all the evils of slavery by pronouncing the “distinctions in society” as a reflection of God’s ordering of the universe.

Seesaws and Solid Ground

I once heard a pastor explain that as Christians we exist on seesaw of sorts where we must always balance our identity as a saint with our identity as a sinner. To identify ourselves as either would constitute an “unbalanced” approach to the Christian life. With much respect, and the full knowledge that the man who said this has a true heart for God, I must say, “false.”

To describe my position as presumptuous would seem an understatement considering I never went to seminary, can by no means call myself a scholar (of any sort, much less a Bible scholar), and really other than spending several hours, days, months, searching Biblegateway.com wouldn’t be able to argue my case against his as effectively as he could his against mine.

So why am I so convinced? Because a revelation of grace swept over me a few years ago that forever changed how I see myself and relate to God.

I am not a sinner. I am 100% through and through a saint. And, I can say that without a shred of pride because the same is true for every Christian that believes that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and has been reconciled to right relationship with God though His sacrifice, whether they believe it or not. And, no I am in no way saying I behave perfectly or that I don’t sin. Either would be blasphemy that would illegitimize my entire case.