Picture courtesy of: money.cnn.com
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
There is no exception. The heart, whether male or female, is wicked. God does not rank sin on a hierarchical ladder. Humans do, but God doesn’t. James 4:17 clearly states, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” Based on James’s definition, I sin countless times a day. I curse, I worry, I am unkind, I gossip, and the list goes on. Whether you and I admit it or not, God knows. He is able to search our hearts and examine our minds because He MADE us.
Dictionary.com defines “normal” as follows: conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural. Based on the above information, I feel confident in surmising that Josh Duggar is normal. Yes, Josh Duggar is normal, just like you and I are. Before we accepted Christ, we all conformed to the standard or common type–the SINFUL type. Psalm 14:1 has this to say about people pre-salvation: “Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!”
What Josh Duggar did is unpardonable except by the blood of Jesus Christ. This means that you and I don’t have the capacity barring the grace of God to extend mercy towards him after such repugnance emerges. But God does what God wants. And he made a way for even molesters to be reconciled to Him. What’s more is that God turns what the enemy intends for evil into something GOOD (Genesis 50:20).
Even after we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are still capable of sinning. The difference post-salvation is that because you and I are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Surely David is not alone in his fervent and contrite prayer to God, begging Him to “create in [him] a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within [him].” Later on in this same Psalm 51*, David recognizes God’s mercy, saying, “[His] sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart [He], God, will not despise.” You see, God examines the heart not the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). What you and I see is only part of what God sees. God knit us in our mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13). Surely He knows us from the inside out. Our frame CANNOT be hidden from Him (Psalm 139:15).
According to the Duggar Family Official Facebook page, Josh Duggar has said regarding the molestation allegations: “I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. ” As Romans 10:10 reiterates, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Because you and I cannot possibly examine Josh Duggar’s heart as that is God’s job (Jeremiah 17:10), we are to rightly assume that his statement means he has accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).” You may say, “But, wait, that’s not fair!” You’re right! It’s not. That’s the point. “But God showed his great love for [all of] us by sending Christ to die for [all of] us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).”
*David penned this Psalm after committing adultery with Bathsheba.
Lauren
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I’m so glad you shared this. I feel the same way, but you said it to elegantly. I believe God changed his heart. I don’t think badly of Josh at all. May God bless you and keep you. Your sister in Christ
Thanks for your encouragement!
I don’t believe that what Josh did was right and I can see why he is getting backlash for what he did. But, you’re right in saying that a sin is a sin is a sin is a sin. He’s no better than us and vice versa. It’s between him and God whether he’s forgiven or not and whether he’s accepted Christ.
Agreed!!