Sin is conscious rebellious disobedient action committed against God and His righteousness.
Sin is the source of everything that brings separation from God and His loving kindness.
All sin is in defiance of Gods’ gracious will for our lives and wellbeing.
All sin leads to death, both physically and spiritually.
When “original sin” was brought into the world, everything that exists in the physical domain became corrupted by and subordinate to it. The very plans that God the Father and creator of all things had set into motion were redirected down an irreversible path.
However; No!
God in His infinite wisdom and grace had foreseen these events which would occur; God then made provision for the creation to be brought back into its’ proper order.
I ask you our reader, in reverence to and fear of my God; please read the following words with an open mind. Check the facts; search Gods’ Holy Bible… This subject is the beginning of understanding which leads to reconciliation with God.
The first step in drawing near to the true and living God is acknowledging our rebellious sin against Him. Consider the world around us in comparison with what God has written to us about it for our own good (Genesis 1: 1 ~ 31); the evil that we see was never Gods’ intension.
Sin began with one of the heavenly beings that we know as angels. Angels were created by God to serve and glorify Him in much the same as we humans were created to bring glory to God. When this early creation event occurred is up to some debate; when we read the scriptures God offers an account of Satan (an angel of God) having rebelled against God in order to glorify himself. This first account of sin against God speaks of Satan walking in the Garden of Eden (of God) while he was still a valued and faithful servant of God. (Ezekiel 28: 12 ~ 19) declares the account specifically to guide believers about the historical events surrounding this original sin. Satan had a beauty and majesty that placed him in high honor among the angelic beings. He declared in his own mind and heart that God had no right to be in the supreme and exalted position as sovereign of the universe; this led Satan to declare himself as (intending) to be equal to God. These are the exact words Satan spoke into the minds of the first humans God created, and yes, Adam was led into disobedience against God after Eve had fallen for the lie;
(Genesis 3: 5; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ).
Many will debate whether these words are completely literal, or figurative in their style. This type of thinking alone reveals mans’ constant rebellious (sinful) condition. No matter how you interpret this teaching, the bottom line is that early man was prone to desire to be “like” God from the beginning. We do not have to know how or why the knowledge of good and evil will corrupt our God given lives; we just have to accept that this is true… God proclaimed it; that is the end of the discussion. How many times do we as parents encounter the ill-fated “why must it be this way” from our children, only to find ourselves at whit’s end. We want what is best for our children; then they demand an explanation before following with obedience that which is contrary to their understanding, the blessing from our instruction is circumvented by their rebellion. It is very easy to fall into this kind of attitude where we see ourselves as wiser, more capable and righteous than we are. Modern secular society is constantly fighting a battle to proclaim human “righteousness” within our world. People often achieve good things; kindnesses, acts of selflessness and the like lead many to believe that we are on the right path.
An honest evaluation will reveal that the more we progress, the more we sink into the depths of our own sinful depravity. Our nature is to declare various liberties to be logically good and acceptable.
These kinds of independent self righteousness’s are often the ones that God has declared are against His sovereign design and will for us. Gods’ wisdom exceeds ours in every way.
The entrapments of sin against God are the most encompassing and destructive forces in the world… this is the human manifestation of pride and arrogance against all that is good and right in Gods’ own eyes. When we commit sins against one another, we sin against God. All the murders, wars, thefts, lusts, envy’s and perverse treatments toward one another are affronts on the beautiful design God had in creation. The fact is that God is a creator, life giving being with only hatred toward sin. Gods’ default position is love, and His intolerance of sin is in keeping with His loving character.
Sin has caused every problem that is outside of the life, love and proper relationship with God which He has intended for our own advantage from the very beginning. Our sins separate us from His gracious blessings and loving kindness.
It is impossible for any person to ever enter into fellowship with, let alone the presence of God while willfully committing sin against Gods’ commands. No human being will ever stand before God having offset the destructive power of sin. This fact should lead us to ask; what then can we do, how can we get right with God? The answer is in atonement! All sin must be atoned (paid) for. We humans do not possess the substance of atonement for our sin; the cost of sin is an equally valued payment which means that our own lives are the only thing that has enough value to offset the debt. If we were to pay the cost of our sin we would have to die… for real, forever; non revocable. Since God knows of the full consequence of sin, He is the only one that can offer an alternate way of redemption that completely meets the requirement. Jesus Christ is that redemption!
We are slaves (servants of) to sin and therefore the only way to be freed from this sinful bondage is to become a slave (servant) of another master. The master of our eternal souls has always been designated as the One who is righteous… God is that Righteousness!
Romans 6: 16 ~ 23 NRSV 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When we come to acceptance about the truth of our current sinful condition; God who has full authority to forgive us can “cover” our sins with the righteous blood of Jesus Christ who gave his own life willingly for our atonement.
(May 24, 2016)