First Retreat—What We Learned

The primary topic of the first retreat was the same as our theme for this year: the Cross. More specifically, we discussed how a growing awareness of God’s holiness and a growing awareness of our sinfulness result in a growing awareness of the greatness of the Cross. Also, we talked about two ways we shrink the Cross to our own size: Pretending and Performing.

The illustration taken from our study book “The Gospel-Centered Life” looks like this:

Makes sense, yes?

But we don’t live like that. We pretend to ourselves and to others that we are better than we are. We—I—don’t acknowledge the depth of my own sin. There is nothing good in me. Yet I pretend there is. I think that I’m pretty good. I’m not as bad as that guy over there at any rate. I’m clean and pure compared to him. (Sound like anyone you’ve read about? Check out Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector). Not that I’ve ever actually really formed those thoughts as it were, but my attitude has been one of superiority based on good deeds.

Which leads into performing. If I am good, if I do such and such, then God is obligated to do thus and so. He’ll look on me with favor. If I don’t do good, He’ll frown upon me. If I sin, I just need to try harder next time. As if I could attain to God’s holiness of my own.

So in reality, my life illustrated has looked more like the picture below (also from the book):

That needs to change. So will all of you please pray with me that I will stop pretending, and stop trying to perform to earn God’s favor and learn to see Him for Who He is and me for who I am? Thanks.


One of the biggest things that I took away from this weekend was the truth of the equation of the Cross. I’ve always known that Christ’s death took away my sin. And I’ve known that God gave me His righteousness. But I’ve never put the two together. Christ’s death did more than cancel out the debt I owed. It overflowed and filled my account with righteousness.

As an accountant, I immediately pictured a journal entry. Before this past weekend, I had thought of the entry looking like this:

The Cross       ------
My Sin                      ------

The entry balances and all is good. But that’s the wrong entry. There was another account involved: God’s righteousness. So the proper entry is:

The Cross                           --------
       My Sin                                       ------
       God’s Righteousness               ------

And I can never exhaust the greatness of His riches toward me.

The Cross paid for so much more than my sin. It wasn’t—isn’t—just enough to cover the sin. God doesn’t have to draw on a different account to fill me with His righteousness. Christ is enough.

And if I begin to live like that, how will I change?

How will you?