Another Favorite
ANOTHER FAVORITE OF MINE
"For the wages of sin is death, BUT..." Romans 6:23
Years ago and old preacher once preached about "Pay Day Some Day!" And it is a message that resonated well. So much that many people wanted to turn around and turn in there "pay checks." He was talking about the pay day that was coming to all who have sinned. In case you don't know it that includes all of us. Everyone has sinned. Sin has a pay check. It is the great and glorious reward of the death penalty.
Okay??? So by now you are asking me, "Hey SoJourner! I ask you again. Are you crazy? What in the world could make this verse one of your favorites." Now that is a very good question... a good question indeed. How could a statement telling people they could possibly get the death penalty be something that anyone would favor?
As I told you before, I am (along with a whole bunch of God's people) considered peculiar for what I know to be the unchangeable, unshakable and undeniable truth. Setting that to the side, let me begin to tell you what makes this favorite of mine such good stuff. First it is good stuff because of the last word in the sentence and the dot, dot, dot that follows. It is true all who sin get the death penalty for breaking the law. This is kind of like people getting punished by humanity's law by lethal injection but worse. However, the "BUT..." shapes the conversation a bit.
What is sin? Jesus tells us if we commit ourselves to a sinful lifestyle, that sinful life style enslaves us. John 8:24. And that is NOT a good thing. Sin, according to God's word, among other things, is to break God's law. Say that another way... To sin is to choose to live independent of God. The first time that happened is when our ultimate ancestral Grandparents decided to violate God's instructions, and God did His best to prevent the consequences up front. He told them ahead of time, "You do this and you will die." He did not want them to die. It was not God's will. But God knew what sin would do, and so God warned His children. They decided to rebel, and they died and polluted all of us with the same death sentence. We inherited their behavior to try and live independent of God.
Here are 10 top 10 Sins:
- Worship false gods.
- Bow down to idols.
- Speak using God's name disrespectfully.
- Failing to take a Sabbath and make it sacred.
- Dishonoring parents.
- Murder: Jesus defines this as hating others as well.
- Being a person who violates God's sexual mores: This includes such things as adultery, non-marital sex, homosexual behavior, pedophilia bestiality and the like.
- Stealing comes in next.
- Lying is next, especially when you lie about someone else.
- Finally greedily desiring stuff that does not belong to you.
All of these, in a Holy God's Court of Law, make you and anyone eligible for the death penalty. And this is an eternal thing! Interestingly enough our original courts in the USA (including the Supreme Court of The United States of America used this God/Law as a basis for decision making.) The architecture of the courts gives testimony to this.
But What About The "But?"
Now, do you remember the "BUT?" There is not a person, myself included, who has NOT broken God's law. In a nutshell, there is not a one of us who has failed to seal our fate by choosing to act like little gods and live independently of God. We have all been under a death sentence "BUT ..."
Okay, what comes next? God's love is what comes next: God so loves the world that God gave His ONLY biological Son (Jesus is His name) to die in our stead. He took on our condemnation. He did this so that who ever believes in HIM. (Turns from our sin(s) to Him, holds onto Him, clings to Him and trust in Him.) -That's what believing in Him means in the Greek language. That person will not perish but will share in God's life forever.
Let's Keep It Simple Saint: God's holy justice demands the payment of death for sin. God's Love satisfied the issue of condemnation and or judgment: God poured out His Holy wrath on Himself because of His love for us. So now there is a way out. Surrender and no perishing eternally will take place. Only living eternally will take place for the Christ Follower. He also actually rose from the dead; therefore, He give us the power to arise. He gives us power to be new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17. All the old sinful bondage is gone. The power to be new has come! All those enslaving sinful lifestyles can be transformed in the newness and life.
Regrettably all too many so called "progressives" still rebel. Even powerful religious figures in so called Mainline denominations rebel. Well paid and well healed leaders of my own Church - The United Methodist Church - Rebel: They no longer fulfill their covenant to use as their rule for life the Word of God as contained in the Old and New Testaments. They do not bear the fruit of Spiritual Leaders who want to do depend on God. As a matter of fact, their lives indicate a distinct desire to live independent of God's Word and His guidance in His Word. They want to take one particular sin off of God's list. To a large extent, in deceiving themselves, they indeed seem to think they actually have succeeded in their surgical removal of this sin by reframing the discussion. They say, "Don't judge! Only God can Judge!" Well God already made His judgment. I am just the messenger who says to you, if you truly will turn from your sin(s) to Jesus. If you repent. If you confess those sins, God will indeed be faithful and just to forgive you every single solitary sin. And He will give you the power to be free from the lifestyle that has you in its eternally dreadful and deceitful death grip. The Lord will make you free INDEED! John 8:36. This is GOOD NEWS PEOPLE!
Now you know why this is one of my favorites. God will not give us what we deserve, if we come to Him humbly confessing and repenting, which are exemplified in earnest and sincere believing. We who were stranded in our law breaking, and other such sin, will be given the liberty to live brand new lives here on earth and through out eternity. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and don't let yourselves be trapped by the yoke of slavery!" Galatians 5:1.
So, don't believe the lie that you, as a mere human being can live independently of God. Don't condemn yourself, and maybe your children to a death sentence that can be avoided. Don't think that, all by yourself, you can remove your cancerous sin from the deadly life threatening list upon which it is contained. Denying you have a problem can assure your death as sure and not treating a deadly disease. There is a cure, friend. Without Jesus, the wages of sin will be paid to you in death..... But the gift of God is eternal life (the ability to share in God's life forever) is available to you through Jesus Christ.
I Am Telling You That You CAN INDEED Be Blessed Today!
SoJourner
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