How The Gospel Addresses The Problem Of Sin

The Gospel Of Christ And The Problem Of Sin
How The Gospel Addresses The Problem Of Sin

A number of years ago a book came out with the title: "Whatever Happened To Sin?" This is a relevant question, for today "sin" is often taken too lightly by the world, even by the church. Exactly what is sin? The Bible speaks definitively, describing sin as:
A transgression of the law of God - 1 Jn 3:4 "Everyone who sins breaks God's law, because sin is the same as breaking God's law." A failure to do what you know to be right - Ja 4:17 "If you don't do what you know is right, you have sinned." Doing that which violates your conscience, even if the act is right within itself - Ro 14:23 "But if you do have doubts about what you eat, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your beliefs is sin." The Bible also reveals the seriousness of sin, which is seen...
In its universality - "all have sinned..." (Ro 3:23)
In its consequences - "The wages of sin is death..." (Ro 6:23)
Even so, I am not sure that many people, even some Christians, truly appreciate the problem of sin or how the gospel of Christ effectively addresses this problem! The goal of this lesson is to introduce thoughts that should increase our understanding and appreciation of "How The Gospel Of Christ Addresses The Problem Of Sin".

We begin by first noticing the problem of sin. There is the "love" or pleasure of sin. Sin does have a pleasurable nature - He 11:24-25 "Then after Moses grew up, his faith made him refuse to be called Pharaoh's grandson. He chose to be mistreated with God's people instead of having the good time that sin could bring for a little while." It is this pleasurable side that makes it easy for men to love sin, which in turn can then blind them to the truth - Jn 3:19 "The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light." Then there is the practice of sin. The seriousness of this aspect of sin is seen in that ALL have sinned! - Ro 3:23 "All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory." Even Christians continue to practice sin at times - 1 Jn 1:8-10 "If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn't in our hearts. But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away. If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and his message isn't in our hearts."

Those who both love and practice sin are said to be dead "in" sin - Ep 2:1 "In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God." This pertains to our relationship to God; as far as He is concerned, our practice of sin places us in a state in which we are dead "to" Him! In the Scriptures, this refers primarily to "legal" guilt, but it often includes as well
"emotional" guilt. We may try to deny or suppress this truth, but a Holy God still recognizes our guilt before Him - Ro 3:19 "We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty."

Jesus spoke of the enslaving power of sin - Jn 8:34 "Jesus replied: I tell you for certain that anyone who sins is a slave of sin!" Sin is so powerful, that even when a person wants to do good, outside of Christ they are unable to do so consistently - cf. Ro 7:14-21. The end result of sin is death, an eternal separation from God. "The wages of sin is death" (Ro 6:23). In the Scriptures, death includes the idea of separation (e.g., physical death is the separation of body and spirit - Ja 2:26). The result of sin is "spiritual death," or separation from God. Such separation exists in this life, but even more so in the life to come! - Re 21:8 "But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty-minded or who murders or is sexually immoral or uses witchcraft or worships idols or tells lies. They will be thrown into that lake of fire and burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Such is the problem of sin. Do we appreciate what a serious problem it really is? How does the
Gospel Of Christ address this problem? Bear in mind that the gospel consists of:
ü Facts to believe
ü Commands to obey
ü Promises to receive
The facts to believe are concisely stated in 1 Co 15:1-4 "My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing. I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say. He was buried, and three days later he was raised to life, as the Scriptures say.", which reveal things that God has done in Christ. These things which God has done make it possible for the commands and promises of the gospel to really address the problem of sin!

Now let’s consider how the Gospel addresses the problem of sin. First, the "Commands" of the gospel; the command to "believe in Christ" addresses the "love" of sin. That it is necessary to believe is evident from Mk 16:15-16 "Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned." When a person really believes in Christ and the facts the gospel tells about Him they will come to hate sin for what it cost God and Christ. They will have the attitude expressed by the Psalmist in Psa 119:104 "They give me understanding and make me hate all lies." The point is, true faith helps to eliminate our love for sin.

"Reprnt of sins" addresses the "practice" of sin.The gospel clearly calls mankind to repent - Ac 2:38 "Peter said, "Turn back to God!(Repent, JMN) Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit."; 17:30-31 "In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death." When a person truly repents (a decision of the mind that leads to a change of action), they will cease living a life devoted to the practice of sin.

"Be baptized into Christ" addresses the "state" of sin. Remember, outside of Christ our state is "dead in sin". The gospel includes the command to be baptized - Mk 16:15-16 "Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned."; Mt 28:18-20 "Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," When we are baptized, our "state" changes. For baptism puts us in Christ - Ga 3:27 "And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes." In Christ, we are now "dead TO sin", no longer "dead IN sin" - Ro 6:1-7 "What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's wonderful kindness will show up even better? No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father. If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. We know that sin doesn't have power over dead people."

And now for the "Promises" of the gospel; the promise of "remission of sins" addresses the guilt of sin. Remission of sins is promised to those who repent and are baptized - Ac 2:38 "Peter said, "Turn back to God!(Repent, JMN) Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit." When sin has been remitted, there is no longer any guilt!

"The gift of the Holy Spirit" addresses the "power" of sin. The gift of the Holy Spirit is likewise promised to those who repent and are baptized - Ac 2:38 "....., Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit." With the help of God's Spirit, we are no longer under the power of sin - Ro 8:12,13 "My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires."; Ep 3:16 "God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers", 20 " I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen."

"Eternal Life" addresses the "result" of sin. Instead of spiritual death and eternal separation from God, we can have spiritual life and eternal communion with Him! As Paul put it so succinctly: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ro 6:23)
In succeeding lessons we will examine these commands and promises more carefully. But I trust that we see "How The Gospel Of Christ Addresses The Problem Of Sin" in a wonderful and powerful way! Have you let the gospel address your problem of sin? By...
ü Believing the facts of the gospel?
ü Obeying the commands of the gospel?
ü Receiving the promises of the gospel?
Do so, and through Jesus Christ you can overcome the problem of sin!

This study is from a collection of sermon outlines and Bible study lessons by Mark A. Copeland . These outlines were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel. Feel free to use them as they are, or adapt them to suit your own personal style. To God be the glory!
The Executable Outlines Series, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2001