Wednesday, April 20, 2011

"Is Sin So Serious?"

Many seem to miss it. I recently got a email from a young man that shared with me that he couldn't understand the wrath of God against everyone because there are some good people around and he was one of them. I can understand that kind of thinking, in fact, as people make comments on my posts (which I always appreciate more than you know) things about our heavenly Father and insight to Him are revealed.
Simply put, many times people and I'm talking about a Christian, just do not know God! It has always been that way. Israel was worshiping, praying and sacrificing according to the Law but they did not know God (Heb. 3:10 and a host of OT Scriptures). Many know facts about God and talk about spiritual themes but that doesn't mean they know God. Jesus said eternal life was knowing God and His Son (John 17:3). We aren't talking head knowledge here but a deep, intimate understanding of His ways and purposes. We can never get to all of God but we need to do more than scratch the surface.
Here is something simple for those who believe they are basically good and do not deserve eternal punishment. How many sins did it take to drive Adam/Eve from the presence of God? Ezekiel speaks that the soul that sins will die. (Ezek. 18:4) How many have sinned (Rom. 3:23)? How many died because of sin (Rom. 5:12)? Sin, one sin or a thousand, has a consequence tied to it. "For the wages of sin is death..." (Rom. 6:23). Wages, what we have earned because we sin and that's the verdict of God. The reason we are so easily carried around by every wind of doctrine or even in our own readings is because we do not understand sin from God's perspective. Sin killed Jesus! Man sins! Jesus didn't die for the righteous man because there aren't any (Rom. 3:10/5:6). Jesus died for the sinful. It was His death that redeemed (paid the ransom price) and purified (made us holy). It is NEVER our goodness because our best caused His death. 
This is very basic I realize but we must grasp the meaning of sin in our lives. Sin is in direct conflict with God. Sin is the power of the devil. You sin, you die spiritually! That's the fact. God cannot be in the presence of sin because His holiness won't allow that. That's why there is eternal wrath for those still in their sins! If you don't see your own sinfulness, your dying spiritually because you have sinned, then you have missed knowing the holy and righteous God who calls us to Himself through Jesus. It is only in Jesus that we will escape the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9). It is Jesus washing us completely clean in His blood making us holy and pure so we can stand in the presence of our holy Father. When we come to a recognition that our sins, every single one of them, will either be punished in us or punished in Jesus, we are on the road to knowing God and knowing God is eternal life. If believe we are good enough not deserving the wrath of God then Jesus died needlessly because we were good enough anyway. Now, let me ask you, have you ever sinned? What's God's verdict toward ALL sin? What are you doing with Jesus?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How many are at this moment are saying "But, I do know God. I do work in the name of God."? Is this not what is heard throughout the world now?

This kind of thinking always reminds me of Matthew 7 and the words of Jesus.

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is how easily we fool ourselves into the line of thinking that we do know God.

Maybe it is because we believe that we have power through our knowledge. Maybe it is because our focus is on ourselves and not on God through Jesus. Maybe it is because we think with our heads and leave our hearts out of the process.

The example of Adam and Eve is such a great one. Along with that, I think about David and what he said in Psalms 38 of his sin. No matter how good we are, there is always sin. How that sin is dealt with is the question, as you stated.