How Am I a Follower of the Lamb?

How am I a follower of the Lamb? What if I am an active church member who lives an upright life? What if I’m someone who doesn’t engage in open, gross sin? Does that mean I’m always a faithful follower of the Lamb?
In God’s eyes, our sinful thoughts are just as bad as the act. The sin of malice is a good example. Malice is defined as the desire to have suffering, pain, or distress inflicted on another person. Maybe the malice is caused by jealousy of someone who outshines you in something you cherish. Or perhaps it’s because you did not get the credit you thought you deserved for something.
Have you ever spent part of your day taking pleasure in malicious thoughts toward another person? St. Paul says: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8). Instead, as a follower of the Lamb, Paul writes: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). The next time you are thinking about another person, pay attention. You might be guilty of malicious thoughts toward them—thoughts you would not want them to think about you.
That is when we need to go to the Lamb. In Him we have forgiveness for our sinful thoughts too. He became guilty of all our sins including the sin of malice. He suffered and died on the cross, guilty of all our sins and the sins of the whole world. He arose on Easter morning and won for you and me and all people forgiveness for every last one of our sins. And we can claim that forgiveness as free by faith alone. (John 3:16)
By faith in Jesus and His forgiveness, we can be more faithful followers of the Lamb. Instead of malicious thoughts, we can pray for other people. Even as we still battle thoughts of malice in our Old Adam, we can pray in Jesus’ name, claiming His righteousness. In Jesus’ name we can pray that our relationship be restored peacefully. If the other person is in the wrong, we can pray that God would show them the error of their ways and lead them to repentance and faith in Jesus’ forgiveness. And we can do even more than that. We can pray a more general, unconditional prayer. We can pray that God would help us to love other people more.
We can be faithful followers of the Lamb by repenting of our sin and trusting in the Lamb for our salvation, and by hearing His Word and eating and drinking His precious body and blood in the Sacrament. That alone is what saves us. Our holy life adds nothing whatsoever to our salvation. We will battle our sinful nature as long as we live. As St. Paul says: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. …Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12–14). And again: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:19,24,25).
Ron Pederson is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Suttons Bay, Michigan.