First, though I'd like to review what I learned in the first three chapters.
All the sins that we so easily dismiss as not that big a deal are sin none-the-less and as such when we commit them, we break God's law. One sin is not any bigger or smaller than another in God's sight. Hate and anger is just as bad as murder. Lust is just as bad as adultery....etc. Just because we had the thought in the heart but didn't act on it, doesn't make it any less a sin than if we had acted on it according to the verse above. Sin is sin no matter how small. For every sin of the heart there is a corallating physical act.Jamess 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.(KJV)
The law is there to show us where we have sinned. The word sin means missing the mark.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 5:12 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:(KJV)
So in the first three chapters of Jerry's book I felt guilty and beaten down. What was worse was circumstances came along that just brought out the ugliness in my heart and I was able to see those "small sins" that I so easily justified, clearly as sin for the first time. So what is the solution to all this?
In the third chapter, which is where I am now, Jerry, tells about John Newton, the former slave trader whom God saved. He was the one who wrote "Amazing Grace". John Newton said, "I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior."
The Gospel is the remedy for my sin. Jerry shows how this is.
First, the Gospel shows us our sin and prepares us to face up to it.
Second, facing our sin makes us feel guilty because we are guilty. If I believe that God still counts my sin against me, my instinctive self-protection will make me minimize my sin or not even acknowledge it. We can't face it unless we openly acknowledge it. So the Gospel assures us that our sin is forgiven and then we can deal with it.
Romans 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin
Why has God forgiven my sin and does not count it against me? Because he charged it to Christ. Isaiah wrote,
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Third, the Gospel motivates and energizes me to deal with my sin. I can face my sin and deal with it when I realize God has already forgiven it in Christ Jesus.
This assurance does two things.
- I realize that God is for me not against me. He is no longer my Judge but is now my heavenly Father coming along side to help me deal with my sin.
- I have a strong sense of gratitude for what God has done and is doing for me through Christ.
This gives me a desire to deal with my sin. God commands us to deal with our sin. It is not an option. Jerry says, "But duty without desire soon produces drudgery." The Gospel puts the desire in our hearts to deal with our sin.
The Gospel is not just for unbelievers, it is for believers on a daily basis to help us deal with our sin each day. After all, we are all great sinners and we have a great Savior.
Here are some Scriptures that assure us of God's forgiveness so we can face our sin and deal with it.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Romans 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Romans 8:1 ¶ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
So, the first part of the Gospel is that God has forgiven all my sins through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross and that frees me to be able to deal with my sins.
4 comments:
While I agree there is a theological and perhaps soteriological sense that all sin is equally bad, I have to ask if they are equal with respect to temporal consequences. As I read the Mosaic law, it does seem that God prescribed different consequences to different sins. Even while we are not under the law, are there not lessons to be gleaned there from? Scripture does seem to put different temporal weight on different categories of sin.
It seems to me there is a danger here. If a Christian is given to lust, then that person is, at best, struggling to walk in the spirit. As such a fleshly mind ponders the idea that, “Lust is just as bad as adultery,” there is a fleshly temptation to reason that since one sin is as bad as the other, one might as well commit the other. “In for a penny; in for a pound,” so to speak. If I’ve lusted, then I might as well commit the act, since adultery certainly isn’t any worst than lust. Dangerous thinking indeed. I hope you’ll agree.
I was reading the verses below and it seems to me that a true child of God would be convicted in their heart if they justified adultery because they lusted and figured they might as well do the whole thing if they are already guilty of the one. Verse 24 says they that are Christ's have crucified the lusts with the affections. That is not to say that we don't still struggle with remaining sin. But in salvation, the reigning power of sin is broken. We no longer have to live in habitual sin and the Holy Spirit will convict us when we do slip into sin. As a child of God we are commanded to walk by the Spirit. If we are not making an effort to do that, then we are in disobedience to Him and if we are truly one of His, He will come after us.
Galations 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Just a few more thoughts:
Mt 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mt 5:21 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
I think the verses above illustrate Jesus' thinking on the issue of sins of the heart. It seems to me that if He equated sins of the heart with the act that we should too. Just because someone might take it that they might as well commit the act if the thought is as much a sin as the act, doesn't mean we should not teach this principle. This principle is a Biblical principle and we are each responsible before God for what we do with it. If someone chooses to ignore the meaning that Jesus intended and use it to their own selfish designs then they are responsible for that before God. God is not gong to hold us responsible for someone else twisting the Word of God if we are faithful to teach it as He intended it.
I remembered an illustration that might help make this more clear.
When my daughter was young she would do something mean to her brother if he did something mean to her. I was trying to teach them the Golden Rule..."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
She would twist it up and say, "Well, it says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He hit me first so I should do to him what he did to me because he did to me what he would want me to do to him!"
The question is, since she twisted this for her own selfish designs, should I have then stopped trying to teach her that principle because she twisted it? NO!
Similarly, Jesus teaches that the sin of the heart is as bad as the act itself. Since there are people who might twist this up for their own self desires and decide to do the act since they are equal as sin...then should we skip teaching this principle?
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