| Many people think
that sin is nothing more than a violation of human
relationships. They consider an action sinful only if it is
frowned upon by society, if it violates their own conscience, or
if it is harmful to someone. To such people, correcting sin is
nothing more than making things right with other people. When
this is done they feel a peaceful release.
But sin is more
than this. Sin is any deviation from God's will.
"All
unrighteousness is sin." (1 John 5:17)
It may be doing
what God disapproves.
"Whoever
commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is
lawlessness." (1 John 3:4)
Or, it may be
failing to do right.
"Therefore,
to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is
sin." (James 4:17)
The grossest
behavior toward another human being is sin only because it
violates God's law. After committing adultery and murder, David
wrote in a Psalm to God:
"Against
thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy
sight." (Psalm 51:5)
This means that
sin is more serious than most people realize and it explains the
penalty attached to it:
"For the
wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)
It means, also,
that no man is forgiven until all is right with God.
THE
PROBLEM OF SIN
Making a sinner
right with God is not easy -- even for God. God is perfectly
HOLY, and holiness makes any truce with sin impossible.
"Your
throne, O God is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate
wickedness." (Psalm 45:6-7)
God is
infinitely JUST, and justice demands that He punish sin with
that penalty which His justice prescribes for the guilty --
death.
"Let no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the
wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience." (Ephesians
5:6)
These facts
involve men in a terrible predicament. He is a sinner. The very
nature of God demands separation from man and man's punishment
by death.
Man is helpless
to solve the problem. He cannot deny the fact that he is a
sinner; and no good works he may do can make him innocent. A man
who has committed an undetected murder is not made innocent by
living the rest of his life by the law.
Doing other
things God has required does not give us credit to apply against
our sins. Once we are sinners, we are as dead men.
"So
likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are
commanded, say, `We are unprofitable servants. We have done what
was our duty to do.'" (Luke 17:10)
SOLUTION
TO THE PROBLEM
"But God,
who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He
loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, has made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."
(Ephesians 2:4-5)
God's love and
grace do not compromise His holiness or justice. He struck the
blow which justice required. But His love provided His own Son
as a shield to receive the blow in place of sinful man.
"...He was
cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of
my people was he stricken." (Isaiah 53:8)
These words,
written hundreds of years before Christ, were fulfilled in His
death on the cross. A shield or protection from punishment is
called a propitiation.
"And He
Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only
but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:2)
FORGIVENESS
CONDITIONAL
Though Christ is
the propitiation for "the sins of the whole world,"
not all will be saved by Him.
"And having
been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all
who obey Him." (Hebrews 5:9)
Obeying Christ
requires believing, having faith in Him. If He is the Way, we
must put our trust in Him.
"Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household." (Acts 16:31)
This faith, of
course, must be strong enough to create in us a resolve to turn
from sin. This is repentance.
"And these
times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all man
everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30)
Our faith must
be strong enough to prompt public confession.
"For with
the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made to salvation." (Romans 10:10)
And we must
believe sufficiently to be baptized.
"He who
believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)
This baptism
puts us into Christ where we are children of God by faith.
"For you
are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you
as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
(Galatians 3:26-27)
It is when we
are buried with Christ in baptism that God makes us alive.
"Therefore
we were buried with Him by baptism into death, that just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life."(Romans 6:4)
Once we are in
Christ and have this new life, we are forgiven of our sins when
we continue to comply with God's conditions of forgiveness.
"But if we
walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us
from all sin...If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7,9)
CAN
YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Please look up
the following verses in your Bible, then answer the
questions.
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© 2000 for church of Christ, Oroville, Ca. All rights reserved.
Last revised:
February 22, 2007 . |
