Sin - 2.

In last week's post, we looked at the reality of sin - the simple fact that it taints each one of us from the very instant of our conception. This week, I wish to share something about the results of sin - in your life; in my life; in the world that we inhabit. We might say that if the reality of sin tells us what it is, and what it is not, then the results of sin refer to what it does.

In the last post, we went back to the very beginning, and looked at Genesis 3:1-6. In this post, we move on to the following verses - 7-16. "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." (Gen 3:7). The Word tells us that they immediately had their eyes opened, and became aware of their nakedness. May I suggest that they also, at that moment, realised that they had been disobedient? Their nakedness was, I would suggest, symbolic of the removal of Father God's protection. They had sinned, and the consequences had already been made clear! "And YHWH Elohim  commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." (Gen 2:16-17). This was not physical death, but spiritual death. 

Adam and Eve were all too aware of what they had done. So aware that, we read, "... they heard the sound of YHWH Elohim walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of YHWH Elohim among the trees of the garden." (Gen 3:8). Have you ever wondered why so many people seek to deny the very existence of the Creating God? I suspect that, for the vast majority, it's just their modern attempt at "hiding from God"! They are like the ostrich that allegedly hides its head in the sand in the hope that trouble will pass it by (that is, of course, a false allegation!). "If I deny that God exists, then I won't have to deal with Him!" However, that is not how things work!

My sin doesn't affect the existence of the Sovereign God of the universe, any more than did that of Adam and Eve! If I may analogise - the fact that certain people in the UK don't acknowledge HM Queen Elizabeth does not mean that she does not exist. I happen to have stood, on a couple of occasions, less than ten feet away from her, and I can give an absolute assurance that she is a real person. "Ah,", I can hear some folk say, "but you saw her with your own eyes. Have you seen God like that?!" The honest answer to that question is, of course, "No!". But that is not a complete answer. I have never "seen" the wind with my own eyes - but I have certainly seen its effects. I have never "seen" natural radiation, but my SW France body tan is clear evidence of its existence!; I have never seen a quark, but my physicist friends assure me that there is ample evidence of its existence.

Gen.3:9 shows the next stage in the saga. "But YHWH Elohim called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?'" The basic result of sin is that it takes us away from our Creator. That question, asked so long ago of our first parents, is one that still rings out: "Where are you?" You see, in spite of your sin, and mine, the loving father-heart of Almighty God, still seeks us out. We may try to avoid Him; to run away from Him; to ignore Him. But still, He reaches out, in love, and grace, and mercy. Sadly, so many refuse to respond. Instead, like Adam and Eve, they do what most of us still do when we are "in the wrong" - they "pass the buck"! 

"The man said, 'The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.' Then YHWH Elohim said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.'" (Gen 3:12-13). During my teaching career, I often wished that I could find the pupil named "Nae-me"! You see, the normal response to the question "Who did that" (and its variations!) was "It wisnae me"! ("It wasn't me", for those unfamiliar with the Lanarkshire dialect. I shall ignore the poor grammatical construction!).  It wis Nae-me. Someone else was responsible. It wasn't my fault! Indeed, Adam even appears to have been laying the blame on God: "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me," (emphasis added). If I could have identified "Nae-me", I could have put a stop to all disruptive behaviour in the school!

Sin has created a gulf between us and the Heavenly Father. That is its result! It's a gulf that none of us is able to cross. We are stranded, and deserve only the judgment, and wrath of the holy God Who cannot even look upon evil (see Hab.1:13). We may try to bridge that gulf by our own efforts - but we always fail (and we know it!). "New Year Resolutions"; "turning over a new leaf"; "starting all over again". Such concepts have never worked for me - and I would dare to claim that they have never worked for you, either!

So, does that mean that there is no hope. Thankfully, no! But that's for the next post!

Sin.

Sin is something to which I have referred in a number of posts. It is not a particularly popular topic - but it is a very important one! I plan, DV, to look at the subject in this, and the next two (or three!) posts. Budding preachers may even discern a little three-alliterated-point sermon!

In this post, I want to look, briefly, at the reality of sin. This involves asking the question "What is it?" The answer provided by the authors of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (on which, with my Presbyterian background, I was raised!) is that: "Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God." (Q.14). In other words, sin is not simply committing a crime. Of course, in most countries, that which is considered to be a crime is, indeed, a sin. If I murder someone, I have broken the law; committed a crime - and I have also sinned. However, the Lord Jesus says "... that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment;" (Matt 5:22) - and He makes that statement in the context of the sixth commandment. Yet I will not be arrested for being angry with anyone - it is not a chargeable offence.

Teasing out the Catechism definition, it is saying that if I fail to live up to God's law, or  in any way disobey it, then I have sinned. The reality is that not one of us meets those criteria. Every day; every hour; I let God down in one way, or another! Whether, or not, I like the idea, I am a sinner in His sight! And worse - I can do nothing about it! I am not a sinner because I sin - I sin because I am a sinner!

How is this so? Well we have to go right back to the beginning. In his letter to the early church on the great metropolis of Rome, Paul writes: "... sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned." (Rom 5:12). You may read the story (if you don't already know it) in Genesis 3 - read the whole chapter! We see, in the opening verses, the devil's strategy. He starts by sewing the seeds of doubt: "Did God say …" (v.1) He then goes on to "put words in God's mouth: "... You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" Now, it is true that, at this point, the woman puts the devil right. (vs.2-3).  However, the devil moves on in his strategy by denying God's Word (vs 4-5). This leads to the woman's defection from the command of Almighty God, and her drawing her husband into the devil's scheme. (v.6).

Note the progression - the woman saw; she took; she ate; she gave. That is the sad progression of defection - and it is a pattern that has been followed ever since. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, brought sin into the perfect world that had been created ("And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." [Gen 1:31]), and it has been a part of each of us ever since. The psalmist-king of Israel, David, wrote: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Ps 51:5). Now let me emphasise that David, writing under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, was not condemning the act of sexual intercourse which, between a man and a woman in a marital relationship, is God's way of fulfilling His command in Gen.1:28. What David is saying is that from the moment of our conception, we are sinners! 

So that is the reality of sin - it is inherited by each one of us. If David were writing today, he might simply say that it is "in our DNA", and we cannot get rid of it. That is why Paul can state, quite categorically, that "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"(Rom 3:23). And, if we look at ourselves, honestly, we know that that is true. You are a sinner; I am a sinner; every human being on the face of the planet is a sinner. There's no getting away from it. And, says Paul, "... the wages of sin is death," (Rom 6:23).

But that is leading on to the next post when, DV, we shall look at the results of sin.

The answer waits!

 After last week's post on the subject of death, I received an email from a very dear young friend. In it, she informed me that she related very much to the post as her cousin, a young woman of only 38 years of age, looking forward to a wedding that had had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 restrictions, had died during the early hours of the previous day, after "a horrendous battle with cancer". She went on to inform me that her mother was struggling to come to terms with the situation, asking the question that most people would ask: "Why her?"

I was able to share with my friend that I could relate to her current situation. I, too, had a cousin who died from cancer (leukaemia, to be precise), and at only 21 years of age. She was, officially, my cousin but, to me, she was the sister I never had. She too was looking forward to her wedding day - indeed, her father and her fiancé went together to cancel the wedding cars, and order the funeral cars. My maternal grandmother was the only surviving grandparent and, at 84, she could only ask, "Why not me?"

A pastor tells of an experience in his youth when he went on a holiday with some friends. he didn't take as much care with his money as he ought to have done and, before the holiday was ended, he had nothing left. He wrote to his father (this happened in the days before mobile 'phones, and WhatsApp!) requesting that he be sent some more cash. However, his father decided that he should teach his son something about the value of money (this definitely happened in an earlier era!), and did not respond to the request. The young man's companions wondered why he had been turned down, but were told, "I'll wait until I get home. Then he'll tell me himself"!

Many of us go through experiences that we don't understand, but the attitude of that son is the attitude that we ought to have towards our heavenly Father - if, indeed, we are His adopted children! Life holds many unanswered questions, but we may have the assurance that the Sovereign God is in control, and that He is working all things out in accordance with His divine plan. He has already said: "... as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa 55:9). That's why we cannot comprehend all that He is doing in our lives.

We may have to wait until we enter His nearer presence before we receive explanations for many of the difficulties that we face, the trials through which we pass, and the wounds that can bring so much hurt. But even that is not guaranteed. Almighty God is not bound to explain His dealings with us and, I suspect that, in His presence, we will no longer be concerned. We will know, as we cannot know here, that He was right.

Of course, even all of that depends on us being in a right relationship with Him now, through accepting the salvation that was gained for us, at such great cost, at Calvary. And let us remember that, at Calvary, even Almighty God was, for a brief moment of earthly time, separated from the Son. Paul tells us that "For our sake He [the Father] made Him [the Son] to be sin Who knew no sin," (II Cor 5:21). When I shared this thought, in a different context, last Sunday in Lamonzie-St Martin, I said "It is an incredible thought! In the plan and purpose of Almighty God, Jesus, the beloved Son became, for a moment, Sin - sin in all its blackness, its grossness, its wickedness and its sheer evil. And the Father, Who is pure, and without sin, could not look upon this evil and had to turn away His holy eyes. And I often wonder if this was the moment when the Son cried out what we often call "the cry of dereliction," "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)". The eternal bond was, for that brief period, severed. He knows; and He understands! 

Are you in a right relationship with Father God, through the reconciling sacrifice of the Son, by the power of the Spirit? Before those words already quoted, Paul wrote: "... in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (II Cor 5:19-20).

With Paul, I beseech you, if you are not already so, be reconciled to God.

Death.

Some weeks ago, I conducted the funeral service for an English friend who had lived in the neighbouring department of Lot & Garonne, and who had died after a battle with cancer. He was a disciple of Jesus, and that simple fact made it so much easier to deal with the situation, as I was able to easily bring the Gospel message into the service - to the great pleasure of his widow! 

However, I do wish that I had received the following before that funeral. I would have quoted it, verbatim, as I now share it in print. 

« Blessed are the dead. 

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!" (Rev.14:13).

This promise applies specifically to those recent believers who will suffer martyrdom during the last half of the awful tribulation period (“henceforth,” in context). But dealing as it does with the state of the believing dead, in principle, it surely likewise applies to all who die “in the Lord.”

How are they blessed? In numerous ways, according to this verse.

First, they are blessed in that they “rest from their labours.” In this life we earn our physical sustenance by “the sweat of [our] face” (Genesis 3:19). Here we must work hard to train our minds (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Now we constantly battle our inward, fallen nature: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). Even as we attempt to serve our fellow man, our efforts are spurned and rejected. Not so for the dead! There all these labours will cease, and joyous, eternal service to the Lamb will commence (Revelation 22:3).

Secondly, they are blessed in that their labours continue to bear fruit even after they have gone. Perhaps even a previous word, or act of testimony, will be the eventual tool God uses to bring someone to Himself, and the reward will be properly distributed. No act done to the glory of God will pass unnoticed.

 

Thirdly, what a blessing to know that this state is promised by the very Spirit of God Himself. One’s worth at death is not measured by the content and sincerity of the opinions of friends at his funeral.

This doctrine should produce both great courage for the Christian and great comfort for the bereaved. »

Having prepared the above earlier in the week, I also received, today, notification of the death, in Scotland, of the father of David Robertson – whom I often quote, and who currently lives in Australia, so was unable to visit his dying father, and will be unable to attend the funeral service. I had known my English friend for about 8 years; Mr Robertson, Sen. I never met. However, I would like to think that my children could speak/write of me as David described his dad: “He was a humble, hardworking, faithful man who struggled with assurance, self-doubt and yet never let that get in the way of serving the Lord he loved, looking after his family, and earning the respect of all through hard graft, generosity, and dutiful service.  He was a good dad to me.”

Another comment by David reminded me of a man who had a profound influence on my young Christian life – Billy Grant. He died from cancer of the bowel many years ago, while still a relatively young man. I was able to visit him at home shortly before he died. Before leaving, I prayed with him, and his wife Sally (whose funeral service takes place tomorrow – is all of this “coincidence?!). I was thanked by them both for not having prayed that Billy would be necessarily healed, but that he would know the deep peace of Father God whatever happened in the following weeks. David writes, concerning his wife: “Annabel (who is such a strength to me in these times), prayed last Lord’s Day asking that my dad would know peace as he passed through death into the New Life.” I think, too, of a brother in the Lord who was a member of a Baptist Fellowship to which I belonged at the time. He, too, had terminal cancer. One day, while praying for him during my personal devotions, I sensed that I should visit him, and anoint him with oil, in the name of the Lord Jesus. I did so and, although he died shortly afterwards, his widow assured me that his final days were unexpectedly peaceful.

This morning, I was preaching on the topic of being “in Christ”. Those who are need not fear physical death. They will know His peace, and will be welcomed into His presence, to dwell with Him throughout eternity. The world can offer nothing like that!