God's Amazing Way Of Dealing With Sin
All religions acknowledge the reality of sin and the need of
deliverance from it. However on
this point the views vary; to ancient Greeks sin was a flaw in perception, an offense
against divinity or accepted rules and norms. Its ethical implications were not dealt with. The sinner was in constant search of
ways to get rid of it. One
religion prescribes the need of religious duties, e.g. Islam. Another dwells on the cycle of
reincarnation, e.g. karma in Hinduism. Still another fixes its adherents on
the pursuance of Nirvana, e.g.
Buddhism. Certain primitive forms
stressing the fear of demonic forces seek ways to appease such powers. Modern persons recognize neither the
presence of sin in one's life nor have any suggestion regarding deliverance
from it. Other positions may also
be mentioned.
All religions concur on the unavailability of total
remission and the assurance thereof.
The one true God, Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, features sin as man's
chief distress, pointing to a historic occasion of its entry to mankind,
resulting in the depravity of the whole human race. Sin is one collective offence introduced through the first
man, manifested in every individual.
In His Holy Word God stresses the absolute need for deliverance. In a single act of unparalleled grace
God extends the means of liberation through a Savior. Jesus Christ must be received in faith and the believer
submit to His redemptive offer.
Those who honor God's way of salvation are brought into new birth and
new life, justification from all guilt, reconciliation to a holy God and
ultimate glorification. This is
God's way of purifying men and women, converting them into an entirely new
course. In brief, this is the
essence of Christian theology coming from God's inspired message to all men in
all times.
In the O.T., sin is the basic problem between a holy God and
faulty man. The first eleven
chapters of Genesis depict not only the history of man, but also the history of
sin. The N.T., where man's Savior
becomes Incarnate, sin and justification by faith are the paramount
topics. In Christian theology hamartology describes the study of
sin. Actually, in the original
text nine different words are employed for sin. One etymological interpretation of hamartia (sin), offers an interesting rendition: to be without
share.
The quandary of sin has been most effectively dealt with by
God who loves man but detests sin.
No human ingenuity has ever been able to offer a solution to it. God performed a staggering act on the
Cross through Jesus Christ, His dear Son.
The outcome of this He freely bestows on any sinner who will value it
and believe in the offer. John D.
Rockefeller (1839-1937) is the person who introduced petrol for ordinary
use. The millions which he made
are legend. Like all men, he died,
leaving colossal wealth. He had
only one son with the same name, Jr.
The son appreciated the fact that this immense inheritance would not
accomplish its desired end unless something positive would be done with
it. So he began disseminating his
father's millions to a wide range of philanthropic causes. He dispensed millions with greater
speed than it had taken his father to accumulate.
The loving Father sent His only begotten Son to sin-stricken
mankind as His munificent gift. By
the commission received from His Father, the Son shed His precious blood on
Golgotha's Cross, establishing a legacy for millions of sinners. Transcending Rockefeller's philanthropic
generosity the beneficiaries of Christ's free gift are whoever, wherever,
whenever. The God-designated
Redeemer is the sole bestower of grace.
In classical Greece there was a renowned ground called
Delphi, Apollo's center for soothsaying.
It was considered the aphalus (navel)
of the whole earth. Through
priestesses the gods would divulge events that were to take place in exchange
of valuable gifts. Delphi is a
touristic site today. The navel of
the world in these troubled times should be the Christian pulpit, fountainhead
of grace from where God's freely-extended redemption is offered to
directionless people everywhere.
David's tormented cry in the O.T. is well-remembered: "For I know my transgressions, and my
sin is ever before me… Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and
I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:3, 7). This agonizing imploration receives a
sprightly response following the fulfillment of Calvary's unique event: "but if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his
Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7). The mighty Offerer of such amazing grace shows the
validity of his gift in arresting pictures.
I. GOD REMEMBERS OUR SIN NO MORE
God forgetting?
A contradiction in terms!
He who never forgets wills to forget in accordance with his sovereign
will the sins of the forgiven sinner through Christ's atoning death. This is an invigorating aspect of the
truth of redemption often overlooked.
God reassures the repentant sinner that he will blot out of his
omniscient knowledge all his/her past sins: "I
am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not
remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25).
" No longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother,
saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to
the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will
remember their sin no more…In those days and in that time, says the LORD,
iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none; and sin in Judah,
and none shall be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant…I
will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will
forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me" (Jeremiah
31:34; 50:20; 33:8). The
writer to the Hebrews in two places makes reference to this enthralling truth (cf. 8:12; 10:17).
The just God who never tolerates sin blots out our
transgressions for his own sake.
God's esteem of his own name is remembered well in Psalm 138:2b. David
expresses the same verity in his well-known psalm in distinct expression: "He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake” (Psalm 23:3). His sovereign purposes rest entirely on the surpassing
property and capability of his name (cf.
Exodus 3:14; Judges 13:18). This
superlative name carries its own renown.
How does God do justice to the eminence of his name? He wills in his resolve not to remember
the sins of the penitent sinner.
Thus, he demonstrates to the angels and demons that his name is
consistent with incomparable love which he alone can generate and exercise. We proceed to the second portrayal of
his manner of forgiving the sinner.
II. GOD CASTS OUR SIN
BEHIND HIS BACK
Jesus was flagellated on his back. He then carried the hallmark of our sin, the cross, on his
back (cf. Mark 15:15; John 19:17; Isaiah
53:4, 5). King Hezekiah after
being healed from his sickness admitted the link between his near-fatal
sickness and his sins (cf. Isaiah
38:17). He did not suffice to
praise Yahweh's mercy for his healing alone, but in the same breath exalted him
for casting all his sins behind His back.
The Lord Jesus Christ often extended pardon from sin to those whom he
had granted healing. How
meaningful is David's celebration of this joyful certainty (cf. Psalm 103:1-4)!
Jesus literally carried the offenses of the pardoned sinner
in his body. He died for them and
the Father being satisfied with the Son’s offer, cast man’s sins behind His
back not to behold them any longer.
The omnipresent God wills not to view the ugliness and repulsiveness of
our sins. Human sin is the most loathsome sight to our holy God. His paramount interest is to rid man of
his sin, beholding his creature as a redeemed, sanctified being. Therefore he compassionately calls
every individual to the remission of his/her sin to appear before him as a
sweet smelling savor (II Cor. 2:15;
Isaiah 1:18). We move on to
the third assurance of his forgiving
act.
III. GOD DUMPS OUR SIN
INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA
The highest peak on earth is Mt.
Everest (8848 m.) which has been scaled numerous times. It is the ambition of many a seasoned
mountain climber to reach this famous peak. But where is the deepest chasm of the oceans? Has it been fathomed in this age of
unparalleled achievements? No! The
deepest abyss has never been probed and very likely, never will be. God's
reassurance to the sinner is beyond comprehension: "He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our
iniquities under foot. Thou wilt
cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19). In Hebrew, the prophet's name
means, "Who is a God like
thee?" And the prophet
continues, "pardoning iniquity and
passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance" (7:18).
The TITANIC which sank in 1912 lay unreachable for decades until entrepreneurs poured out great
sums to focus their cameras on the remains of this historic ship. Its exact location became known, a
film--mingled with romance--was shot on the spot with impressive returns
pouring into the box office.
But who can fathom the horrifying
depth where the sovereign Yahweh has dumped our disgraceful sins? They are lying there, never to be
brought to the surface again. Such
is the extent of God's grace.
Grace alone provided by Jesus Christ can dispose of our transgressions. Should someone be able to traverse the
oceans of our world he will fail to find them. The person whose sins have been dumped by God into the
ocean's depths lives with the certainty that his place is in the highest
heavens through Jesus Christ. As
for the sinner who shows no concern to plead the forgiving God to dump his sins
into the depths of the ocean mention is made about the horrifying bottomless
pit (cf. Rev. 9:1, 2). Forgiveness emanating from God's
grace carries us to the fourth figurative definition:
IV. GOD REMOVES OUR SIN AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) said,
"East is east, west is west and never the twain shall meet." East and West -- figuratively speaking,
embraced each other in the age of globalization. Nevertheless, speaking in concrete terms, "never the
twain shall meet." North Pole
and South Pole are well-described geographically fixed locations. Conversely, no one can talk about an
absolute eastern or western point.
One can travel westward and never reach west, or vice-versa. David says, "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our
transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12).
The mighty Creator and Sustainer of
the universe established all this from timeless
aeons. God does not remove our
sins as from the north to the south, but as far as east is from west, i.e. to a
distance ad infinitum. The touching story of the lost son
returning to his waiting father is a vivid picture of God embracing his
long-lost child with absolute compassion and love (cf. Luke 15:20).
Our sin is removed from us as far as
east is from west. The loving
embrace of our forgiving Father is as close and warm as any two beings could be
in togetherness. Far, far my sins
are removed, while at closest proximity is my Savior's comforting embrace. "But
as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26b). There is still another picture depicting the Savior's
forgiveness.
V. GOD SWEEPS AWAY OUR TRANSGRESSIONS LIKE A CLOUD
Once again the OT evangelist who prophesied
about the marvels of redeeming grace draws a vivid picture of forgiveness: "I have swept away your transgressions
like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed
you. Sing, O heavens, for the LORD
has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O
mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in
Israel" (Isaiah 44:22, 23). An
able artist can probably produce a masterpiece about this rich theme with the
skill of his brush if he ventures to portray it on canvas. Consider the rising sun. Dwellers in a mountainous region
observe the dispelling of the clouds and the mist of the night sky, ushering in
a brilliant, clear day.
This is exactly what the Sun of
Righteousness does (cf. Malachi
4:2). When Christ rises upon
the forlorn sinner, He extends total healing. He brings unimagined joy, causing the redeemed person to
leap. There is such a case in the
New Testament when Peter and John healed the man lame from birth. He started walking, leaping and
praising God. People were filled
with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him (cf. Acts 3:8-10). Such is the effect of the Sun of Righteousness. This unparalleled feat was procured through
the most valuable ransom: "You know
that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not
with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of
Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (I Pet. 1:18, 19).
The sinner's logical response to
God's offer is acknowledgement of his hopeless condition, admitting Jesus
Christ by faith to accomplish in his/her life the work which He was sent to
fulfill "He was destined before the
foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your
sake” (I Pet. 1:20).
Once again, consider God's amazing
dealing with your sin:
·
God remembers our sin no more
·
God casts our sin behind his back
·
God dumps our sin into the depths of
the sea
·
God removes our sin as far as the
east is from the west
·
God sweeps away our transgression
like a cloud.
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