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.”
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