Hi church family, my name is Seth and I’ve been a member of Christ Church since January of 2022. I’m so grateful to be a part of this beloved church family. I live with my sweet wife of 6 months, Hannah, in Tyrone, and am currently working at Harbinger Marketing.
I am blessed to have wonderful, godly parents who steeped me in the Word of God from an early age. Raised to know the truths of the Bible, I grew up understanding right and wrong and lived a moral, principled life. Yet despite being both biblically literate and doctrinally sound, I was blind to my self-righteousness and pride like the Pharisee in Luke 18. Just as that Pharisee saw himself to be holier and more pure than the sinful tax collector, I too, viewed myself to be more righteous than those in my social circles. Because my life was characterized by devout rule-following, I often belittled others and judged their sin, thinking I was better (Obadiah 1:3). I would separate myself from those I deemed sinful, but never looked at my own heart (1 John 1:8). In my own eyes, I had mastered true godliness; but I had become a cold, calloused, habitual moralist (Jeremiah 17:9). What I thought was righteous living was really fruitless attempts at earning favor before God and man, and the tone of my prayers was like that of the Pharisee: “God, I thank you that I’m not like the other people who are deceitful, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11).
At age 15, a faithful friend challenged me to examine my heart. In self reflection, God opened my eyes to discover the magnitude of my pride and the depth of my sin before a Holy God, and I saw with complete clarity that I deserved eternal punishment (Romans 6:23). My sin was great: I had rebelled against God and sought to exalt myself above Him through my good deeds. I had gone my own way, living according to my wisdom yet countlessly breaking either the letter or the spirit of God’s commandments. I was bound by the power of sin, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, and in and of myself, I was lost without hope (Titus 3:3). Through His Word, God showed me that my moral and right living could not atone for my sin and earn a right relationship with God (Ephesians 2:8-9). I was completely and utterly unable to make even the slightest contribution to my own salvation. But what I could not do, God did – and in doing it, He did it all, sending His own Son into the world to die on the cross for my sins (Romans 5:6). In repentance, I turned from my pharisaical thinking and cried out to God with the tax collector, “Be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). In faith, I looked to Jesus and received the complete and sufficient atonement for every past and future sin (Acts 13:39). In justifying me, God pronounced me righteous with the very righteousness of Jesus (Rom 5:18).
Life after salvation has not been perfect, as I often wrestle with my self-righteous tendencies to return to the Law as my guarantor for salvation. But oh, how free I am now to walk not in the flickering comfort of my own righteousness, but in the perfect, unwavering, and enduring righteousness of my Savior (Philippians 3:9)! Through Christ, the shackles of shame and guilt have been broken and I no longer live weighed down by my performance. Instead of striving to God, I’m now abiding in God.
My purpose has been made clear: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I’m no longer wandering in a wilderness of meaninglessness and fear. Through the Gospel, I’ve been given a framework for battling my propensities for cynicism, anxiety, and depression. I’m learning that there is no room for doubt, fear, and self-pity when my heart is set on God who is faithful, good, and sovereign. Brothers and sisters, God will never let you down (Rom 8:38-39)!
As my wife and I look forward to meeting our first little one in November, please pray that God would be preparing us to be faithful and godly parents. Pray for the healthy development of our baby, as this is a high-risk pregnancy due to Hannah’s type 1 diabetes. Lastly, please pray for God’s provision, as we desire to be not only spiritually but materially prepared to raise our baby.