Sin
5 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned– Romans 5:12, NET©
From the beginning, God made the creation, Adam and Eve, and everything was perfect. There was no evil or death in the creation. Because God created mankind with a free will, and he also created the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. There was a choice man could make, to walk with God and live, or to walk his own way, but without God.
When Adam ate of the fruit from the tree of knowledge, he gained knowledge about right and wrong. Then, man could choose if he wanted to do good or evil, but at the same time, he rejected God.
When mankind rejected God, we separated from the source of life with the result of death, sin and evil, that came into the world. This means that all people are dead, separated from God, so that we can not have fellowship with him anymore. Since then, man has lost the meaning with life.
Mankind has since tried to get back to God through religions. Always based on the same idea, that we are supposed to become better humans to appease God. If man have been in denial of Gods existence, he has always tried to do something about his condition through ideology or philosophy.
Fact is, mankind is eternally separated from God; there is nothing it can do to compensate for its wickedness. Mankind is fallen!
The Law
20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin Romans 3:20, NET©
When God delivered the people of Israel from the slavery in Egypt through Moses, he took them through the wilderness to the land of Caanan. In the wilderness God gave the Israelites the law, and in the law there is the ten commandments of God.
It’s easy for a person to look at their surroundings and think they are good. Often we think:\newline
“I’m not worse than the others, I’m even better than him or her.”\newline
Then we usually think that we are good enough for God to accept us.
Let’s examine this by looking at three, of ten commandments, number six, seven and eight:
6 § You shall not commit adultery.
In Matthew 5:28, Jesus says that a man who looks at a woman with lusts, commits adultery with her in his heart. This is also applied in reverse. The question is then, have you ever been looking at another person (opposite or same sex) with sexual desire, ever in your life? It’s enough that you’ve done it once, to be counted as sin!
7 § You shall not steal.
In the seventh commandment: You shall not steal. What does it mean to steal? Test yourself after this: Have you ever robbed the bank? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you snatched? Have you taken something from another person? Even when you were a kid? It does not matter how large or small the crime is!
8 § You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
So what does it mean to bear false witness? One could ask themselves. Have you ever lied in court under oath? Ever accused someone, when you were mistaken? Have you ever talked trash about someone? Or simply just gossip? You know yourself, if you are guilty or not.
Guilty or not guilty? Now we have reviewed only three of the ten commandments. According to Jewish tradition, there is a total of 613 bids in the law of Moses, while the new The testament contains more than 1000 regulations on what is expected of us. No human being has ever managed to match God’s demands for righteousness. So we are all guilty of sin.
Sacrificial Service
6 So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into the outer tent as they perform their duties. 7 But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, and not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. Hebrews 9:6-7, NET©
In the Old Testament we have the sacrificial system and the temple service. The reason why it was necessary to sacrifice, was to divert the wrath of God for the sins of the people. The Bible clearly states that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
Shouldn’t God be angry for all the evil committed on the earth? War, murder, rape, theft. Yes, all acts that causes harm towards one and another. Therefore, God must be angry at the sin committed by us, and not just about certain sins, but all sin!
Because of the wrath of God for sins, bloodshed is required, so that justice will be done. In the temple, sinners sacrificed a lamb, sheep, ram or bull to derive the wrath of God, that was upon them. The priest and the sinner put their hands on the head of the beast, confessed the sins, and thereby transferred the sins to the beast, to be sacrificed. Then the animal was sacrificed on behalf of the sinner.
This sacrifice is actually a ritual accomplished in the sinner’s place. This derived God’s wrath from the sinner, so that he wouldn’t have to die in his sins. The temple service in the Old Testament, covered the sinner, for a period of up to a year.
Eternal Punishment
7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, 8 because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Galatians 6:7-8, NET©
For those who have sinned, though it is a minor sin, the wrath of God is upon them too. This is called in the Bible to be in debt, or to bear iniquity.
Every person will one day have to answer to the creator, for all they have done in their life. It’s enough to commit a sin, to be guilty. If you are guilty, you will spend the eternity after this life separate from God.
The place where the sinner will spend eternity, is called hell, and is a place of fire and sulphur. Once you go there, there is no chance to escape, and the punishment is forever.
The Cross
16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed. Ephesians 2:16, NET©
Jesus is the sacrificial lamb of God! Two thousand years ago, God sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ. He was born by a virgin, and placed under the law, while he at the same time is God. He walked here among us and experienced what it’s like to be human. He experienced evil, temptation and all that comes against all of us.
But Jesus was born without original sin, and walked on the earth, without ever falling into sin. By doing so he managed to keep the whole law that no other man ever did, while being able to have compassion with us deadly humans.
Not only that Jesus is the Son of God, He is also the sacrificial Lamb of God. When Jesus was crucified on the cross of Calvary he died and resurrected from the dead, for us. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who paid the price of all sin, guilt and shame. His sacrificial death does not just cover us, but also washes us completely white and clean.
The Grace
15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! Romans 5:15, NET©
Jesus came to us, to be among us and pay the price for our guilt, is God’s grace upon mankind. Grace does not mean that we can use Jesus’ sacrificial death, as an apology for our sinful lifestyle, but is the power of God unto salvation.
Through the cross, God gave his mercy, to be the children of God, to have all our debts paid. God took out the wrath of the sin of the world, on his own son, in our place.
In order to overcome the sin, and escape the eternal punishment, we must make use of the grace, which God has given us, through his only begotten son on the cross of Calvary.
The grace that God has given us, does not apply automatically. In order to take part of grace, we must receive salvation from God’s extended hand. An active response from our side is needed to receive God’s gift.
Jesus as Lord
16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. Hebrews 4:16, NET©
In order to receive salvation, we must repent to God and:
- Repent from our evil ways
- Confess our sin
- Ask for forgiveness
- Claim that Jesus as a sacrifice for my sins
- Believe that Jesus is God’s only begotten son and that He is alive today.
- Make Jesus Lord in our lives and proclaim it openly.
What we get delivered from is:
- Sin
- Debt
- Shame
- Disease
- Shackles
- Iniquity
What we get is:
- A pure heart
- Peace with God
- Hope about eternity
- We become children of God
If we persevere, we will get eternal life and rise from the dead. You can continue to study the introduction of the faith.