A True View of Sin.

But that which God calls sin is something infinitely terrible, far beyond our ideas of misfortune and disease, something to which even Sodom and Sinai gave but faint expression. It is something which the Law curses and the Judge condemns; something which needs a righteous pardon, a divine Savior, and an almighty Spirit; something which can destroy a soul and ruin a world, which can, from one single drop, overflow earth for six thousand years, and fill hell eternally. It is that of whose hatefulness the blood and smoke and fire of the altar speak, which is "exceeding sinful," whose wages is death, the first and second death, and of whose balefulness the everlasting darkness is the witness. He who would know holiness must understand sin: and he who would see sin as God sees it, and think of it as God does, must look at the cross and grave of the Son of God, and must know the meaning of Gethsemane and Golgotha.

Horatius Bonar (2010-04-14). God's Way of Holiness (Kindle Locations 198-205).  . Kindle Edition. 

     Sinful man is guilty of holding a false view of sin. It is easy for us to downplay it; to believe that it really is not that bad. We tend to as the question "What does it matter, it is not hurting anyone?"

But what does god think about sin? Read the above quotation by Horatius Bonar. Sadly, many of the preachers and evangelists of the past had a greater insight into the evils of sin, and all of its deadly consequences, than what the preachers of today are teaching. Sin is the destructive force behind all of the evils and injustices that have plagued the world throughout the ages. It lies behind wars, murders, hatred, dishonesty, immorality, broken marriages, and broken homes. It will destroy your life on this earth, and then lead you to an everlasting hell. It is more than a "mistake," it is rebellion against God Himself.

     When we see sin for what it truly is, and come to grips with the fact that we stand guilty before a holy God, deserving of the awful consequences of our disobedience; our despising of God and His law; when we see that it was our sin that put Jesus Christ to death, broken and bleeding on a cruel Roman cross; when we see that Jesus loved us in spite of our sinfulness, loved us enough to die for us; to bear our sins in His body; How can we refuse to humbly cast ourselves down in repentance, and give our lives to follow Him?

The Coming Day of the Lord.

     Behold the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. 
     For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light.
     Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
                                                     Isaiah 13:9-11 NASB

     In this present age, an individual who would quote a passage of scripture like this one, is viewed as mean spirited, judgmental, and even hateful. This is the common reaction of many when confronted with biblical truths such as this. 
     The simple truth is this: There is indeed a "day of the Lord" coming. This is reality plain and simple. There is coming a day when God is going to judge the world in righteousness through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31). One day every mouth will be stopped, and the whole world will be held accountable to God (Romans 3:19). There is a coming day when the sun will be as black as sackcloth, and the moon will be as blood, and the stars will fall from the heavens (Rev 6:12-13; Acts 2:20). The day will come when all of those who in their pride and arrogance cast off God's law, and brazenly promoted sin will stand before Him in terror. The Bible tells us that we will be judged according to our deeds (Romans 2:5-16), and all of those whose names are not found in the Lamb's book of life will be cast into everlasting torment in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).
     The only remedy is to flee to Christ from the wrath to come. To cast yourself upon Him in repentance and faith; surrendering your life to Him. He will cleanse you and change you; blotting out all of your sin, and preparing you for the day when we will all appear before Him.
     

Calling Upon the Lord in Truth.

     The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
                                              Psalm 145:18 NASB

     In my last post I focused on the free provision of the gospel made available to all. In this post I would like to look at the fact that while the gospel is offered to whosoever may call on the name of the Lord, calling on the name of the Lord means far more than many of us may understand.
     First off, it may help our understanding if we can see that the name of the Lord reflects His character.  There are many scriptures that tell of God's righteousness, but I will use this one here. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 97:2b). You see, God is right and just in all He does. It can be no other way; it is who God is. His rule over man is done in righteousness, and He requires it of us as well. For a righteous ruler to not require righteousness and justice from his subjects would mean that ruler was corrupt. What kind of ruler would allow injustice and anarchy to reign among his subjects, while declaring he, himself was righteous and just?
     The work of Jesus is to save us from this life of lawlessness and rebellion to the righteous rule of God. We read that He was to be named Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins (Matt 1:21) We also read that He gave Himself for our sins, to rescue us from this present evil age (Gal 1:4). The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil. That is, sin. Therefore one who is born of God no longer practices sin (1 John 3:8-9). This was what God purposed to do for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His intent was to bring us out from our lawless rebellion, to submission to His rule and reign in our lives.
     Now what does it mean for us to call upon the name of the Lord in truth?

     "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God I thank You that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all I get.'
     "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me the sinner!'
     "I tell you this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
                                                                Luke 18:10-14 NASB

     The Apostle Paul writes of a godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation (2 Cor 7:10-11). We see so many people who are shallow in their apologies and confessions to people that they have wronged. A man may have offended his wife, and after a few days of the silent treatment, and a few nights on the couch, he desires to get things back to "normal" in his home. He may come with flowers and an insincere "I'm sorry," but more than likely he has no concept of the pain he has caused, and does not realize or care that what he did was horrible- he is only concerned with himself and the inconveniences he is now suffering through. 
     It is the same way with God, and the sin that has offended Him. A person may desire forgiveness to avoid hell; may desire a "relationship" with Jesus for the sake of a better life, but this is selfish! A truly sorrowful person grieves over the fact that they have offended God. They know and understand that they are wicked at heart, and like the tax collector, they take the responsibility for their actions, in calling themselves sinners. A true confession of sin takes the whole blame; it does not make excuses. One who has been convicted by the Holy Ghost can see the deplorable ugliness of their rebellious heart, and the first step is admitting to it.
     Therefore, one who calls upon the name of the Lord in truth, is calling not only for forgiveness, but to be changed, to be saved from sin. For someone to recognize how horrible they are at heart; how deeply offensive their actions are to God and others, and not give them up, but tightly cling to their right to live however they wish-how can their confession be sincere?
     To believe in Christ is to believe not only in His willingness to forgive, but also in His willingness and power to change the individual. It is to "dethrone" oneself, and place Him upon the throne as Lord of all.
     Paul, writing to the Roman's, asks how can someone who died to sin still live in it (Romans 6:2). Repentance (dying to sin) is basic to salvation! This was something that these believers understood. When they made their baptismal profession, they were in effect giving up sin, and choosing, by faith, to follow Christ in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). The world with all of it's wicked ways is going in the opposite direction of Christ. To repent, is to turn back from the world, and go after Christ. There is no calling upon the name of the Lord in lip service only, it involves a deep sorrow over our sin, and a renunciation of it, for the sake of Christ.



    
    

The Abundant Provision of the Gospel.

     The message of the gospel is good news for fallen man. I would like to use this post to share some of the promises found in the word of God that pertain to His abundant willingness to save sinners. 
     God does not desire the death of sinners, as it says in Ezekiel "For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live." (Ezekiel 18:31-32 NASB). And we also read in 2 Peter that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The offer of salvation is open to all. Notice however that repentance is made conditional in both of the above verses. While God does not desire the death of the sinner, yet He requires repentance on their part if they would be saved.
     In what is quite likely the most quoted verse found in the bible, we read that God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
     We also find in Acts 2:21, Peter quoting from Joel 2:32. "And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." And then we read What Paul said in Romans 10:12-13, For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
     I highlighted the words such as all, whosoever, whoever, any, and anyone, to emphasize the fact that God has made abundant provision so that no one should perish; so that any and all may come to salvation through Jesus Christ. 
     God has done all that He had to do to make it possible for us to come to salvation; to be delivered from the power and guilt of sin. As Paul said, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all... (Romans 8:32), and, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." In fact while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). 
     In a future post I would like to focus on what it means to believe in Christ; on repentance, and what it means to call upon the name of the Lord.