The Necessity of Admitting You are Wrong
Nothing hinders the sinner like foolish pride. Invariably, pride is foolish because it misplaces credit and honor due — or it defends the error. Pride is a lie. It is worthy of avoidance. History proves that totemic empires, structures, and public figures crumble with time.
Misplaced veneration of one’s own opinion must occasionally come to satori if growth is to occur. Most people will not exert the required effort to calculate the number of times they have been wrong about something or someone. It would not only be humiliating but debilitating to the building project on their current sand bar.
There is an absolute necessity for admission of error on a grand scale and with robust frequency. In a fallen world of lies, error thrives. In order to achieve self-preservation, people tend to cling to what they believe, and what they trust is the body of knowledge gleaned from all of their contributors from day one. Not everything one learns is truth, however.
Truth is liberation from lies. It sets one free from false ideas promulgated by false teachers, who are driven by bad motives like self-preservation.
Truth is an invaluable possession. It is an essential quest for those who truly want to be free. True knowledge is the only thing for one to believe, but it is very costly to attain because of the price of pride being devalued. Most people are unwilling to sacrifice pride for the gain of truth. This, of course, is lunacy, but people are proud…and blind…and crazy.
Proud people are easily offended. They quickly leave the place of exposure to truth if they have not pre-emptively avoided it in the first place. Darkness does not appreciate the intrusion of light. The risk of loss is too great. Pride is quick to warn oneself when the truth threatens to crumble the self-built utopian empire. The irrational child storms off in self-absorbed pity parties.
Jesus Christ is the truth, being the Son of God, who is true. He is the Light of the world which displaces the darkness. The only hope for the darkened mind is illumination, a renewal. The old must be put off, in order for the new to have its place. One must die to self.
Admitting the world is in a deplorable state is easy for all people who suffer in diverse manners. Admitting you are part of the problem with the world is more difficult. Admitting that Jesus is the only viable solution is impossible apart from the grace of God granting new life, that is, light in the form of true knowledge.
Until this miraculous act of grace is executed by the Spirit of Christ, pride, darkness, deception, and spiritual deadness prevail. For one to humble himself before Almighty God, he must know the mercy of God who forgives sins. God forgives sins by the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. The saved sinner looks at Christ crucified, and he or she is crushed by the reality of what is deserved by them (ie. judgment, death, hell, lake of fire, eternal punishment).
The conviction of sin (a work of the Holy Spirit) that leads to repentance is all grace. God causes one to be born again. This new life is a humble walk with God who has had mercy because of what was done to Jesus on the cross and by that which He did on behalf of those He came to save. What love this is — that self-sacrifice would step in for stubborn brats, who rage against God.
Grace is truly amazing because beauty embraces the ugly with genuine love. The foolish son returns to the house of his father but in repentant lament and with the humble request for even the lowest place, “I was wrong and now I know.”
The Christian denies his status in the world because the world is wrong before the judgment of God. Here is the exalted status of a worm! He also denies himself status in his Father’s house, with genuine humility, knowing and saying, “I am not worthy.” Why then do Christians have joy? Why do the weak have no fear of the truth of their lowly position? Why do they admit they were wrong?
The grace of God’s salvation affords even the chief of sinners the right to be wrong without fear of judgment and punishment. Pride is exposed as stupid. Who are you O man? My dear reader, resist the devil…not God. Turn from your futile allegiance to having to be right when you are wrong. The truth does not need you, but you need the truth. Therefore, come and learn from Him who is gracious to call you into His kingdom of light, life, and love. He is not wrong to include you who are happy to admit you were wrong.
David Norczyk
Missoula, Montana
August 6, 2021
