Jesus, The Way To Forgiveness - Part One

Jesus, The Way
Jesus, The Way To Forgiveness - Part One

We have seen that Jesus is The Way to a better life, even here on earth. But much more importantly, Jesus is the way to forgiveness for our sins! To understand why we need forgiveness and how Jesus provides the way to forgiveness is the purpose of this lesson. It is important, then, that we begin by properly defining sin...

THE DEFINITION OF "SIN"
Many people have the wrong conception of sin. They think it is nothing more than a violation of human relationships; that an action is sinful only if it is frowned upon by society, violates their own conscience, or is harmful to someone else. Such a misconception of sin leads people to a misconception of how the problem of sin can be corrected. For example, some believe that correcting sin involves nothing more than making things right with other people. With this misconception, they think they are forgiven of all past actions if they simply change their behavior.

But what is the Biblical definition of sin? The Bible actually defines three different types of sin. First, there is the direct violation of God’s Law. The apostle John describes sin in this way:
"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4)
For example, where God’s law tells us not to steal, we sin when we steal something. This is commonly referred to as the sin of commission (where we commit something that displeases God). Another kind of sin is found in James’ epistle:
"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17)
This is the sin of omission, where you fail (omit) to do that which you know to do. For example, when I know Jesus tells me to love my enemies, I sin when I do not display love towards them. The apostle Paul mentions yet another kind of sin:
"But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)
For lack of better words, this is the sin of violating your conscience. In this case, the thing you are doing may be right in and of itself, but if you cannot do it with a clear conscience, you are sinning! The example found in Romans 14 pertained to someone who because of earlier religious training before becoming a Christian had difficulty eating meat without a guilty conscience. Paul would have the brother whose faith is weak to abstain from eating meats, and even calls upon brethren who are strong in faith to be careful not to put any enticements in the brother's way which might wound his conscience.

So we see that sin is more than simply a violation of human relationships (though it often involves that); sin is a serious matter that involves God and His Will! How serious is sin? By considering the consequences of sin as described in the Bible, we begin to appreciate its terrible nature. As Paul wrote in the book of Romans:
"For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23)
This "death: of which he speaks is ultimately described as the "second death" which involves eternal torment for those who die in their sins:
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
Why is sin considered so bad that unforgiven sinners must experience such torment?

To understand why, we must appreciate... THE NATURE OF GOD AND THE PROBLEM OF SIN
God's nature is such that it is very difficult for a sinner to be acceptable before Him. First, God is
supremely holy. His holiness makes any "truce" with sin impossible. The Psalmist understood this aspect of God’s nature:
"For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man." (Psalms 5:4-6)
Because God’s holiness cannot tolerate sin, sin serves to separate man from God:
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2)
Not only is God supremely holy, He is also supremely just. His justice demands that sin be punished accordingly. As examples of the strict justice of God, notice what happened to the sons of Aaron when all they did was offer in sacrifice something God had not commanded:
Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’" So Aaron held his peace. (Leviticus 10:1-3) Even Moses and Aaron, the servants God used to lead the children of Israel, had to learn the hard way that sin must be justly dealt with. When they struck the rock instead of speaking to it as God commanded, they lost the right to enter into the promised land of Canaan:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." (Numbers 20:12)

And since we have already seen that the ultimate penalty for sin is eternal torment, all this tells us two things:
w How holy God must be!
w How terrible sin must be!
As we begin to realize these things, we should see that man is in a terrible predicament. For you see, the Bible has judged that all of mankind is guilty of sin:
"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23)
And the very nature of God (holy and just) demands separation of sinners from God and punishment for our sins!
Can man do anything to help himself? There are no "works" that a person can do to make himself innocent of the guilt of his or her sins. For example, a man who commits murder is not made innocent of that crime by living the rest of his life by the law! Yet many people think that they save themselves by balancing their good deeds against their sins. But sin of any kind is so repulsive to God’s holiness that His justice requires punishment. Look again at the sins referred to earlier:
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
Whether the sin is fear, lack of faith, lying, or murder, the "second death" is reserved for those who are guilty.

Do you think that your sins are few and therefore not worthy of such punishment? Even if you
commit just one sin, the nature of sin in the sight of a holy God is such that you are as guilty as one who broke every law:
"For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)
Since we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), it appears that we are all doomed to suffer God’s justice! Is there any way that God can be both holy and just and yet allow sinful man to be "reconciled" to Him? Yes, there is, and Jesus is The Way! We will examine how Jesus makes The Way possible in our next lesson.

God Bless,
Jim Newsted
Shamrock, Tx