ipsc-cbThe Shooter’s Sin

Open confession:  The last time I was at the shooting range this Southern Baptist Pastor SINNED…..and sinned a bunch!

At the last USPSA match I was at EVERYBODY SINNED – over and over again!

Most of us don’t like to think about sin; and we certainly DO NOT want to apply it to competitive shooting.    But, we must.

You see the Biblical word “sin” is actually a shooting term. Yep, that’s right, a shooting term.

The simple definition for sin is, “Missing the Mark”   It means our projectile did not hit where it was supposed to hit.

In the old days it may have referred to a spear, knife or arrow.  Today, it could also mean any non-alpha hit on our IPSC target.

So when you were at the most recent USPSA shoot or just at the range you sinned.  I sinned a bunch!

During a shoot we applaud the Alphas, accept the Bravo or Charleys, moan the Deltas and deny the Mikes. (Surely the RO can see that two rounds went through that Alpha hole!”)

When we slow down and concentrate more we usually get more Alphas and sin less often.  Transversely, when we try to go fast we sin more and get fewer Alphas.

Sin is a shooting term.  Next time you hear this preacher talking about sin on the range, just know it is my off target hits.  I am missing the mark and need to make corrections in my aim, my grip or my attitude.

This shooting term is applied to our of range life in the Bible.  Yes, we sin off range when we miss God’s mark.

God expects Alphas.  Every time.

Anything else except Alphas is sin.  You may get some credit for Charleys, Bravos or Deltas in USPSA, but not so much in the Kingdom.

We are all sinners.

God only has 2 categories:  Hit or miss.  Alpha or Mike….and His target is not as large as IPSC’s.

We tend to think like a competition: we applaud our alphas, think our “Charley sins” are ok (not to bad), we moan about our Delta sins (I need to work on those) and deny having any “Mike sins” (it’s not like I have killed anyone or something really bad)

God does not see them that way, and He has said that there can be no sinners allowed into His house.

The good news is that God is a GREAT RO!

God sent His one and only Son to take the bad scores/the punishment for our sins.  We are called to believe He can forgive our misses and score us with His son’s perfect score.

When we believe, God scores with mercy.  God does not give us the score we deserve.

When we believe, God scores with grace.  God gives us His Son Jesus’ perfect score.

When we believe there are no DQ’s, Mikes are forgiven and there are no Accidental Discharges.

It is better when God is on your side!  If He is for you, no one can beat you! Every Christian is a Grand Master.

The reality is, like on the range, if I will slow down and think about what I am doing I will sin less.  The more focus I put on God and His Word the more Alphas are in my life.

I have learned to accept the times I sin on the range, but pray I never get comfortable with my off range sins before God. I must make the proper corrections to hit the mark God has set for me.  You?