Sins Cure

          Sin is a birth defect that manifests itself in mental and behavioral aberrations. As a genetic problem, sin can’t be cured with medication; eliminated by behavioral modification; or eradicated by vaccination. There is no twelve step program for being human. If sin is the natural state of mankind and can’t be cured, what’s all the fuss about? Why do we even care? There are two reasons why sin matters and both hinge on the existence of God.

            If God does not exist sin is irrelevant. Sin is no more than a convention of society’s collective consciousness. Human legal systems are not about sin and righteousness or right and wrong; they are about legal and illegal. That which the law allows is legal. It is not necessarily right or wrong. Without God we can have no more than human law provides; an arbitrary agreement imposed on citizens by their government. The law may bring order to society, but it not an adequate definition of human morality.

           “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Sin is the precursor of death. Where sin is found disease and death are not far behind. Death entered the world in the wake of sin and will continue as long as sin lasts. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” If sin were eradicated, so too would be death. Therefore, sin is matters.

Sin matters for another reason. Death in Christian thought is more than the end of physical life. Paul said: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Christians believe when physical life ends, the soul goes to be with God and the fullness of spiritual life begins. The real death that sin brings is separation from God and from the divine fellowship for which we were created. Sin separates us from God. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Reconciliation with God depends on the elimination of sin.

So, how is sin to be defeated?

Adam was alive. When he sinned; he died and death passed upon all men. Men now exist in the dead state of inherited sin. That is, we are separated from God by our sinful nature. The solution, according to Jesus, is to reverse the process. A representative, sinless, man must die for sin and pass on life to his children. As there are no sinless men, God became a man--called Jesus. One night Jesus met with a man by the name of Nicodemus who had a difficult time figuring out how this worked.

“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?”

“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

Nothing short of a rebirth could possibly cure sin. The natural man must die and be reborn. Repentance is the act of killing the old man by repudiating is deeds and his rebellion against the word of God. In repentance, surrender is made to the will of God. Christ is accepted as Savior and King. God’s word is accepted as the supreme rule of life and self will dies. Then, we are resurrected. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Adam had no faith in God’s word; disregarded it in favor of his own interpretation and was cursed. Jesus destroyed the curse on the cross. His children, forsaking Adam’s rebellion, by faith, accept God’s promise of new life. God is worshipped as Lord, King, Savior and Judge.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Here is the cure.

“The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”