It’s funny, isn’t it, how sometimes we embrace “Christian” practices that feel good, that feel holy, that feel humble, but that really sabotage us from entering into the full and abundant life that Jesus has planned for us.

Over the last several months, I’ve been coming to realize one such area in my own life. 

It’s in the area of “worm” theology.

Here’s how this usually goes.

We might say to ourselves, “I’m such a sinner. I’m so unworthy of God’s grace. How can He love a sinner like me? I’m so unworthy, so worthless, and yet He loves me. Thank God He loves such a worm as me.”

And this is partially true. We are all sinful. Left to our original selves, we are all desperately wicked. 

But when Jesus enters our lives, everything changes. He takes our hand, and guides us along His paths of righteousness and redemption.

Yes, in the process of our salvation we do still fight against our old sin nature, as Paul so beautifully expresses in Romans 7, but we are also partakers in Christ’s victory over that same sin, as Paul expresses in the very next chapter. (“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” [1])

The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [2]

Using this verse, we can engage in “spiritual breathing”. This is a concept I learnt about during my university days when I was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. When we sin, we expel that sin (much like breathing out) through confession and repentance, and take in God’s forgiveness and the Holy Spirit’s power to enable us to live lives victorious over our sinful ways (much like breathing in). 

In this way, confession, repentance, forgiveness, and victory become a natural part of our spiritual lives. We no longer have to cower away from confessing our sins. We simply recognize that we are sinful, do our best to resist temptation, and when we fail, come to Christ to cleanse and restore us to healthy interactions with Him.

Now, let’s change gears for a minute. If we think about this verse in the context of “worm” theology, our focus shifts a little bit. 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [2]

A few months ago as I meditated on my own sinfulness and His holiness, I journaled, “Let me cling to You for all time, beyond all time. I would be satisfied to be a little dog under Your table [3], eating scraps, if only I could be near Your feet.”

God’s response? “You are not a dog. You are My daughter.”

“But I’m so sinful!” I responded.

“What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy [4],” He said.

And that’s the crux of the matter. Jesus has cleansed us with His blood. When we ignore this for the “humble” posture of a worm, we are essentially ignoring and diminishing our Saviour’s sacrifice on our behalf. Is this really humble?

This is like saying, “Your blood is enough to get me into heaven. But I’m still a worm. My sin is so bad that Your blood is not enough to transform me into anything other than a worm until I am completely perfect in heaven. My sin cancels out part of Your sacrifice.”

Dare we put limits on Christ’s power and blood?

Dare we continue to live in an Old Testament reality of uncleansable sinfulness when God Himself came down to make a way for us to be not only cleansed but to be transformed into His sons and daughters, members of His family? [5]

I may not deserve this breathtaking salvation that He offers me, but I am worthy of it. [6] Why? Because God has seen fit to declare me worthy. I’m worthy because He says I am. 

Worthy—the state of being worth something. 

Imagine a house being put up for sale. The house cannot decide what it’s worth. Not even the house’s owner can really decide that house’s worth. Only the person buying the house, and perhaps bidding against other people, can truly decide the house’s worth.

I cannot decide my own worthiness. But Christ, who purchased me from the clutches of sin and hell, decided that I was worth His blood. I was worth His very death. He chose to make me worthy. And so I am.


NOTES

For the previous instalment in this series, click here.

[1] See Romans 8:37.

We may point to Paul’s statements about himself to justify this “wormy” humility, but it’s important that we examine his statements in context, in order to see whether a wormy mindset was truly embraced by New Testament Christians. Three passages come to mind:

  • Paul called himself the “least of all the saints” (Ephesians 3:8). This is a reprise of another passage where he explains his reasoning for this label: “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:9)
  • Paul called himself a “wretched man” (Romans 7:24). Let’s look at the context of this verse. In this passage, he’s talking about the futility of trying to be righteous in our own strength (or, what I like to call the “do do” passage: “I don’t do what I do want to do, and I do do what I don’t want to do”). It’s at this point that he calls himself a wretched man, and asks, “Who will set me free from the body of this death?” With his very next breath, he goes on to proclaim the glorious victory we have in Christ, and the incomprehensible love of God towards himself and all Christians. 

There is no worminess prescribed, even in these passages. 

[2] 1 John 1:9.

[3] This is referencing Mark 7:28.

[4] This is a quotation from Acts 10:15.

[5] See John 1:12.

[6] Lewis B. Smedes, Shame and Grace, (New York, NY: Zondervan, 1993).

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