Tag Archives: Sin

Radical Consequences and a Radical Transformation

In his book Better Than The Beginning (2013, Reformed Baptist Academic Press), Richard Barcellos writes:

Man was created to reflect who God is and what He does more than any other aspect of God’s creation.  Man, and man alone, was created in the image of God.  That is why Adam’s sin, Adam’s failure to be a good image of God, has such radical consequences.

What are the “radical consequences” that Barcellos mentions?  In Romans 5:12 we read:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned —

Before Adam sinned death was something that the human race had never experienced.  It remained a promised consequence if sin were to enter the world.

Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

Adam disobeyed God’s command.  God, being true to His word, pronounced judgment – not just on Adam, but on the all of Adam’s posterity.

Genesis 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.  Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Adam was a unique creation.  He is the only human being never to be born of a woman.  He was never an infant or child.  He was created with a fully developed intellectual capacity.  Because his mind was free from sin at his creation, Adam was not saddled with the war that is constantly waging in our members – the struggle between obedience and sin.  It can be said that Adam was the most perfect of God’s creation.  Adam was made Imago Dei, in the image of God.  No other aspect of God’s creation was made in His image.  In a real sense Adam was our fair and just representative.  He was acting on behalf of the human race; either through his obedience or disobedience.  When Adam sinned he corrupted the Imago Dei, not just for himself, but for all of future humanity (c.f. Rom. 5:12).  Radical consequences indeed.

Thankfully, God provided the means by which the radical consequences of Adam’s sin could be reversed.

1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.”  The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

The last Adam is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus was born sinless, He was able to keep God’s commandments – His law – perfectly.  Whereas the first Adam simply became a living soul (God gave Adam physical life), the last Adam, Jesus, became a life-giving spirit.  That “life-giving” is nothing less than the gift of eternal life, given to all who repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

No matter what type of mess your life has become because of sin, it is not beyond the transforming power of Jesus Christ.  Jesus can forgive you sins and bring you into a right relationship with God by repenting (turning from) of your sins and placing your faith wholly in Him.  Instead of radical consequences, the message of the Gospel offers radical forgiveness and transformation.

Lord, I love you, but…

A common conversation with God:

“Lord, I love you.  I know that Jesus is the head of the church, which He purchased with His blood.  I know my sins have been forgiven and I am no longer my own; I belong to Christ.  But you don’t know what my life is like.  I really want to be in church on Sunday, but my life is just too busy.  I’m exhausted after a busy week and the only day I have to recuperate is Sunday.  I’m sure you know that I need some time to myself.  I can worship you just as well at a football game or at the mall.  It’s not like I never go to church.  And those at church have no right to judge me.  They have their own problems.  Thanks, Lord.  I knew that you would understand. “

God’s response:

Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.  For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries (Hebrews 10:19-27).

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).

Whiter than Snow

Snowscape

The Great Blizzard of 2009 has started. As I sit here at my desk, I am looking out the window. The landscape is covered with a thick blanket of white snow. It looks beautiful. The sea of white makes it look almost pure; at least until it turns to brown mush a few days later. It’s like that in our lives, isn’t it? We recognize that we’ve made a mess of our lives, and we often try to turn over that new leaf in order to make things right. Some of us try really hard, and it seems as though we’ve changed. Our lives almost seem like that sea of white from a fresh blanket of snow. But what happens to that snow a few days later? Car, trucks, and people turn it brown. Rising temperatures melt the snow and turn it to an unsightly mush. In our lives that mush is caused by sin, and we’re all guilty of it. Here is what the bible says about sin:

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Sin is anything that displeases God; anything that is contrary to God’s law. We’ve all heard of the Ten Commandments. They contain God’s moral law. In simple terms, right from wrong. Consider just four of these commandments that are found in Exodus 20:

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

False witness is term to describe lying. Lying is a serious sin. What do we call a person who lies? We call them a liar. About heaven the Apostle John wrote:

Revelation 21:27 and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Therefore, no liar will be able to enter heaven.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain

Have you ever used the word “damn” in conjunction with God’s name, or swore by His name and then did not fulfill that vow? Taking the name of God in vain is called blasphemy. We call people who do so blasphemers.

You shall not steal

Have you ever taken anything that hasn’t belong to you? Anything? It doesn’t matter how big or how small the items is, we call that stealing. What do we call people who steal? We call them a thief.

You shall not commit adultery

Most of us have broken the first three commandments I listed, but we may feel a bit justified on this one. Most of us have never actually committed adultery. What I mean is that we’ve not actually done the deed. But Jesus said:

Matthew 5:27-28 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

Based on the standard of the bible, if we’ve ever looked at another person and had a lustful thought we are guilty of adultery.

So, according to the bible, you and I are lying, blaspheming, stealing, adulterers.

If God judges you based on the Ten Commandments would you be guilty or innocent? If you answered truthfully you have said, “guilty.” That guilt is because of the sins we have committed. Sin separates us from God. No matter how we try to change our lives, no matter how much snow falls, God sees our sin, and that sin separates us from Him. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

Isaiah 64:6 all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment

This means that even our attempts to do right are not enough. They are not able to undo the sin we’ve committed.

The Good News

So far I’ve shared with you the reality, the bad news. But there is good news. It is possible for us to receive forgiveness for our sins. It is possible to be loved by God, and to know for certain that we will spend eternity with Him in heaven. We can actually be whiter than snow. The bible says:

Psalm 51:7 Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

King David wrote this psalm. What did he mean by asking God to a wash him? David understood that he was a sinner. He had broken God’s commandments and deserved God’s wrath. But he also knew that God was merciful and would forgive the person who turned to him in sincerity and truth. The promise of God’s forgiveness was not just for King David; we can know God’s forgiveness today.

John 3:16 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

The Father sent His Son, Jesus, to come into this world to suffer the penalty for sin. When Jesus died on the cross He experienced God the Father’s wrath on sin. Jesus was born without sin, and lived a perfect obedient life. Because He was without sin His sacrifice was acceptable to the Father. Christ’s merit, His righteousness, is credited to all those who turn to Him by faith alone. Turning is an act of repentance. It means that we are abandoning our own path and turning towards God. Faith is believing, trusting without seeing. The Father calls on us to believe and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is more than just believing in the story of Jesus, or that He is a historical figure. The belief the bible requires is complete trust; faith in Jesus Himself. We are called to abandon our sin and turn to Christ, to place our complete trust and faith in Him alone. The bible says:

Romans 10:9-11 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

Believe in your heart. Believe in and on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn from your sin and place your faith and trust in Christ. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin and made the way possible for all who turn to Him to receive forgiveness. Long after today’s snow storm has melted and turned to mush, it’s possible to be whiter than snow in your life. It is possible to have your sins forgiven and to know you will spend eternity in the presence of God.

Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved…”

God’s anger is not spent

Isaiah 5:24-25  24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble, And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.  25 On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down, And the mountains quaked; and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this His anger is not spent, But His hand is still stretched out.

Judah was judged for the sin of forsaking the LORD.  When Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, the horrors that Isaiah spoke about came on the people.  Their land was laid waste, and many people were killed.  In eyes of the Jew of that day it would have seemed that God’s judgment had been dispensed in full.  But that was not the case.  As Isaiah wrote, “His hand is still stretched out.”  The LORD would use Nebuchadnezzar to take Judah into captivity for seventy years.  During that time temple worship would end and Judah would cease to exist.  Finally, Nehemiah would lead a second exodus out of a heathen country and back to the promised land.  It was out of this return that eventually the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born, and hope given to all who would believe for the forgiveness of sins.

Our world continues on as though God’s anger and wrath are just stories contained in the bible.  The psalmist wrote:

Psalm 36:1  Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.

Our society has no fear of God.  Many people believe that hell is here on earth.  They couldn’t be more wrong.  No matter what hardship we may face in this life, it pales in comparison to what awaits those who perish in their sins.  God’s hand is still stretched out.  Paul wrote in the book of Romans:

Romans 1:18   18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness

The person who has not placed their faith in Jesus Chris has the wrath of God abiding over them.  They are under a death sentence that has only to be carried out.  God’s hand is stretched out.  But facing God’s wrath is not inevitable.  God has provided a way to avoid His wrath and to enjoy His blessings for eternity.  In request to a simple question, “What must I do to be saved?” the Apostle Paul answered:

Acts 16:31  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”

The bible says that Jesus Christ became sin on the cross.  God’s wrath was poured out on His Son on that cross.  The wrath that we justly deserve because of our sin was placed on Jesus.  In His mercy, the Father sent the Son to make a way possible for sinners, like you and me, to have peace with God.  That way was through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.  Jesus said:

John 14:6  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

There is only one way to have peace with God, the forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life.  That one way is through Christ alone.  What is required to know that peace?  Understand that you have sinned against a holy God, and that you justly deserve God’s punishment because of your sin.  Repent and believe.  Repentance means turning from something and towards something else; a change of direction.  For the sinner it means turning from your sin and towards Christ.  Belief is something that is done by faith.  It is trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins.  In the book of Romans we read these words:

Romans 10:9-11  9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;  10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

If you have placed your faith in Christ; if you believe the gospel message, then it is important to say so.  Christians need to grow in their faith, and that is best done worshiping and having fellowship with other believers.

God’s hand of sure judgment is still outstretched; but thankfully the hands of his Son were stretched out on a cross, nearly 2000 years ago, and satisfied God’s wrath in the lives of those who believe.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you too, will be saved.

Moralism, Therapy or Sin?

In his book “Christless Christianity, The Alternative Gospel of the American Church”, Michael Horton writes:

Far different is David’s confession in Psalm 51: “Against You, and You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight…I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me…Do not cast me away” (vv. 4-5, 11 NASB). Although the confession follows his adultery against Bathsheba and murder of her husband, Uriah, the fact that makes sin so utterly sinful is that is ultimately against God. It is the vertical relationship with God (law and gospel) that will not allow us to reduce confession to the horizontal plane of our neighbors (moralism) or our inner self (therapy).

Horton writes that American Christianity has come to view confession as a therapeutic experience to resolve the pangs of conscience we have for not meeting the expectations we or someone else has set for us. The problem with this view is that it is man-centric and not God-centric. It obfuscates sin as a human shortcoming and not an offense against a holy God. King David recognized that he was not in need of a form of therapy, but forgiveness. “Against You, and You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” It was only after David recognized his sin that he was able to plead for God’s mercy.

The philosophy of this world, especially the attempt to remove the utter sinfulness from sin, is a danger even to the church. Christians are often just as likely as unbelievers to buy into the world view that says, “I’m really not that bad. I make mistakes, but so does everyone else.” When we do that we repudiate the atoning work of Christ on the cross – the same work that made possible our forgiveness from sin. Indeed, the Apostle Paul said, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Christians need to remember that sin is an offense against a holy God (“against You, and You only, I have sinned”) and it cost the life of the Son of God to make the way possible for forgiveness. Reject the worldly lie that says sin is just a shortcoming or failure of expectations.

How do you measure up against God?

Have your parents ever drawn a chalk line on the wall or made notches in the door frame to measure how much you’ve grown?  You stand against the wall and they mark off how tall you are today.  Eventually your growing will stop and you’ll be as tall as you’re ever going to be.  But what if you were being measured against God’s holy nature?  The bible says, “Be holy for I am holy.”  How “tall” is holiness, and can you ever achieve it?  Gary Inrig, from the Gospel Coalition, deals with this issue in the following short video.