A Conversation With Sin:
Part 2
Review of Previous
Conversation:
Sin:
Here are the facts. I am always
created by disobedience to God's law, brought on by selfish human desire usually combined with believing some kind of lie/ untruth. When I enter a life I always separate that
soul from God and eternal life.
Adam, Eve and
all their descendants were created in the image of God (Gen 1:26; James 3:9; 1 Cor 11:17).
No person was ever born separated spiritually from God because of
something Adam did (physically separated
from Eden, Yes). I only stain the souls
who have by their choice somehow invited me into their lives. James explains my arrival very well. "But every man is tempted, when he is
drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it
is finished, bringeth forth death. Do
not err, my beloved brethren. (Jas
1:14-16).
I would add to
this several analogies the Bible used to describe me in a person's life. I become a stain on that person's soul
(though your robes be like scarlet…though they be red like crimson…Isa 1:18). I
am like bondage or slavery from which no one can be freed without God's help.
Rom 6:16: "Know ye not, that to whom ye
yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether
of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
Joh 8:31-34: "Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free. They
answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how
sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
RJ:
Okay, now we understand more about what the Bible has to say about your
permanent stain. Is there anything a
person can do to remove you from their life and be restored to a good
relationship with God? This would be the
single most important piece of information that anyone could ever learn.
Sin:
I can give you the answer to that question in one word: Jesus. Not a single person will ever be freed from
my stain and bondage without the blood of Jesus. From the first sin, the
pronounced penalty was "death."
Everyone who allows me into their life deserves to die physically and
spiritually. But, since the first sin, God has also taught the idea of allowing
another to die in the sinner's place. He
did this by allowing the best and purest animals to be put to death to give man
a reminder and temporary atonement for their sin. Then, when the time was right, God made the
ultimate sacrifice to make a way so the lost could be free from me at last. The
Bible could not make this simple fact more clear.
"Even so
we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the
world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons." (Gal 4:3-5)
Joh 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Heb 10:16-19 "This is the covenant that I
will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into
their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more
offering for sin. Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus."
Eph 2:13 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."
Rev 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the
faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the
kings of the earth. Unto him that loved
us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."
As I pointed out
in our last discussion; one of the main purposes of the Bible is to point out
my existence and how I bring eternal separation from God. But, the Bible's greatest purpose is to
reveal God's plan to bring sinner's back to himself through Jesus Christ.
Speaking of Jesus, Peter said, "Neither is there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved." (Act 4:12).
RJ:
The Bible is pretty clear that Jesus is the only way mankind can be rid
of you. But, does that mean that you will be removed from the souls of all
people by His sacrifice? Some say that
God's grace is universal and unconditional? I have heard many people say that a
good God would not allow anyone to go to hell.
Sin: Salvation is certainly not universal. God has made the way of salvation very clear.
Just as I cannot condemn a soul without their own selfish personal decision to
disobey or to ignore God. No person can
be saved from me without a personal decision to obey Jesus. No one will make it to God's presence without
me by accident. Jesus is "the author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey him." (Heb 5:9).
Those who choose
not to obey Jesus will face the full consequences of my presence in their lives
when Jesus returns in the judgment.
2Th 1:7-9 "And to you who are troubled rest with
us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power."
There is only
one group of people who will not take me with them to the judgment. Only those who live and die putting their
trust in what God has revealed to them in their time. This trust, proven by obedience to the Word of God, is
called "Faith." Faith comes by
hearing and obeying the Word of God (Rom 10:17). The Grace of God has appeared
to all men (Titus 2:11) and God wants all men to come to repentance (2 Pet
3:9). But, God requires that each person
accept His offer of forgiveness by having faith. Paul said it this way, "For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:" (Eph 2:8). Those who live by
faith will be freed from me and my consequences forever. God demonstated His
love for man by offering a way of salvation to those who deserve to die with me
on their souls. Forgiveness is never
deserved or earned, but God only offers this gift to those who choose to practice
faith as it is explained in the Bible (Biblical Faith).
RJ:
I have a quick question for you.
If Jesus is the only was way to get rid of you, then what about all the
people who lived before He died on the cross?
They did not know about God's plan to get rid of you through Jesus.
Sin: Well actually, there is a saying in
both the Old and New Testament which says it all. "The just shall live by faith."
(Hab 2:4; Rom 1:7; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). The "just" means those who God views
as "justified." God sees the
justified, just as if they did not have me in their lives. Remember that this
is not possible without the blood of Jesus. As for the people who lived before Jesus, the
prophets did speak of Jesus and what God would accomplish through Him. They spoke of an everlasting King. They spoke
of a time when God would remember their sins and iniquities no more. The people
were told of a great servant who would take the punishment they deserved, be
killed and be raised from the dead. There are hundreds of prophecies
foretelling Jesus' work. For example :
Isa 53:4-11: "Surely he hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted. But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of
our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 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.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment:
and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the
living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he
made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had
done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make
his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for he shall bear their iniquities.
Abraham was told
that one of his descendents would bless all nations. "And in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my
voice." (Gen 22:18).
Israel was told
to expect a new covenant with God. "And
they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto
the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I
will remember their sin no more." (Jer 31:34).
Anyone who
believed God's Word and Promises and obeyed Him had what is called faith. If
they died with faith made alive by their obedience (James 2:20), this left them
in a sort of dry river bed. They were
not yet saved, but were positioned in death and ready for the promise of God
when it was fulfilled. When Jesus died
on the cross, his blood flowed backwards in time to wash me out of their lives
forever, opening the way back to God.
Jesus blood also flows forward from the cross to all who have had faith
since the cross. So you see, it is only
by the blood of Jesus that a person can be free from the stain I put on their
soul. Those without faith will face God
without this cleansing. My presence will
cause them to be thrown into the lake of fire forever (Rev 21).
RJ:
Sin, this conversation has been truly helpful. The Bible has verified your existence and
revealed the remedy for the condemnation you bring into every life. Thank God
for His wonderful love and for the gift of His Son on the Cross. Do you have anything you would like to add as we finish our
conversation?
Sin:
Yes. Let the whole world know
that I am real. The awful consequences of
my presence in a human life are real.
There is only one way that I can be removed from a human soul, it is by
faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. God
offers salvation freely to all, but gives it only to those willing to accept it
by the simple terms of faith He has revealed.
If a person truly desires to have me removed from their life, they must
obey the Gospel like Peter taught in Acts chapter two. Those who believed the message about Jesus
asked what they should do. Peter told
them the simple truth which is still true today.
Act 2:38-41: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For
the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save
yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand
souls.
Saving faith also involves following through and trying to live as Jesus has commanded:
1Jn 1:6-10: "If we say that we have fellowship with
him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Living by faith as
revealed in the New Testament (Biblical Faith) is the only way to be free from
the consequences of my existence in a human life.
RJ:
Thank you for having this conversation with us. We might have a few more questions for you
later if that is okay.
Sin:
Sounds good to me. I will be
around.
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