The Gospel's Answer To The "Practice" Of Sin Part One
(Repentance Of Sin)
Paul declared that he was not ashamed of the gospel because it was God's power to save those who believe - Ro 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith." (ASV) We saw in general terms how the gospel saves us from the problem of sin (first lesson). Our previous lesson dealt more closely with faith as the gospel's answer to the love of sin. This lesson shall focus on repentance as the gospel's answer to the practice of sin.
That the practice of sin is a serious problem as seen in that All have sinned - Ro 3:23 "for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;" And even Christians continue to 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." The gospel of Jesus Christ answers the problem of the practice of sin by commanding us to "repent"... notice Lk 24:45-47 "Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. He told them: The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, you must tell everything that has happened."; Ac 2:38 "Peter said, "Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit."; 3:19 \pard plain "So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven."; 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."; 26:19-20 "King Agrippa, I obeyed this vision from heaven. First I preached to the people in Damascus, and then I went to Jerusalem and all over Judea. Finally, I went to the Gentiles and said, "Stop sinning and turn to God! Then prove what you have done by the way you live."’ When a person truly repents, they will cease the practice of sin! Unfortunately, the call to repent is often neglected in preaching the gospel today by those who preach "faith only" and by some who react to "faith only" by emphasizing "baptism". As the passages listed above clearly reveal, one cannot truly preach the gospel of Christ without the call to repentance.
But what is repentance? What are indications that repentance has occurred? What leads one to true repentance? In 2 Co 7:9-11 we find the most elaborate discussion on repentance found in the Scriptures, and it will serve as the basis for much of our study. Based upon this passage, let's begin with the definition and misconceptions about repentance.
That repentance is "sorrow". 2 Co 7:9-10 shows that repentance is an outcome of sorrow not the sorrow itself. "Now I am happy, but not because I hurt your feelings. It is because God used your hurt feelings to make you turn back to him, and none of you were harmed by us. When God makes you feel sorry enough to turn to him and be saved, you don't have anything to feel bad about. But when this world makes you feel sorry, it can cause your death."
That repentance is "a changed life" or a converted life. Ac 3:19 shows that repentance and conversion are two separate things. "So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven." Peter says to "repent" and "be converted". Peter is not being redundant; rather, the one leads to the other. As we shall see, the order is actually this:
First, there is sorrow
Then, repentance
And finally, a changed life (conversion)
Note the proper definition of repentance. The Greek word is metanoeo (meta=change, noeo=thought or mind) W. E. Vine's definition; "a change of mind" "signifies to change one's mind or purpose" "this change of mind involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God". So we can think of repentance as "a change of mind" in which we decide to "turn from sin and turn to God"; a decision. Preceded by sorrow. Followed by a changed life.
Having therefore defined repentance, how do we know when repentance has occurred? Let's take a look at the signs of repentance. Several signs are mentioned in 2 Cor 7:11 - "For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." (KJV) "diligence" (KJV, carefulness), this can be defined as "earnestness, zeal, sometimes with haste accompanying it", i.e., being quick to do what is right! The examples of conversion in the book of Acts demonstrate this diligence by the fact every conversion described in detail shows people obeying the gospel after one lesson! "clearing of yourselves", to clear one's self of blame e.g., to quickly stop doing what is wrong, if such is the case; or to quickly respond to the offer of forgiveness if one realizes they are guilty of sin. "indignation", this involves a sort of anger, hatred i.e., toward the SIN which required the repentance. "fear", lest the sin be repeated. Lest the sin should not be quickly removed. "vehement desire" i.e., a "fervent wish", especially to be right in God's eyes. "zeal", "eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something", in this case, to turn from sin and turn to God. "vindication" (KJV, revenge) as the NIV puts it "what readiness to see justice done", to do the right thing! Such are the signs of true repentance. Not apathy. Not half-hearted service. But a desire to do "works befitting repentance" - Ac 26:20 "First I preached to the people in Damascus, and then I went to Jerusalem and all over Judea. Finally, I went to the Gentiles and said, "Stop sinning and turn to God! Then prove what you have done by the way you live."’
Now that we may have a better idea as to what repentance is and what indications are that it has occurred, in our continuing lesson we will consider what is involved in the production of repentance.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
The Gospel's Answer To The "Love" Of Sin - Part Three
The Gospel's Answer To The "Love" Of Sin (Faith In Jesus) - Part Three
Having examined the character of these witnesses in our last lesson we need to look at the nature of their testimony. Hard, empirical evidence - Jn 20:25 "Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!"’; Ac 10:40-41 "But three days later, God raised him to life and let him be seen. Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him."; 1 Jn 1:1 "The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen, and our hands touched this Word." Objective, not subjective evidence, testimony that cannot be attributed to hallucinations, dreams, etc.
Note the transformation which took place. Prior to the resurrection, they were cowards who had lost hope! They fled at His arrest - Mk 14:50 "All of Jesus' disciples ran off and left him." Peter denied Him. They hid for fear of the Jews - Jn 20:19 "The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group." Yet, after the resurrection, they were praising God and proclaiming Christ boldly as having been raised from the dead! Praising God in the temple - Lk 24:52-53 "After his disciples had worshiped him, they returned to Jerusalem and were very happy. They spent their time in the temple, praising God." Proclaiming Christ, despite persecution - Ac 5:28-32"We told you plainly not to teach in the name of Jesus. But look what you have done! You have been teaching all over Jerusalem, and you are trying to blame us for his death." Peter and the apostles replied: We don't obey people. We obey God. You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But the God our ancestors worshiped raised him to life and made him our Leader and Savior. Then God gave him a place at his right side, so that the people of Israel would turn back to him and be forgiven. We are here to tell you about all this, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to everyone who obeys God.", 41-42 "The apostles left the council and were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus. Every day they spent time in the temple and in one home after another. They never stopped teaching and telling the good news that Jesus is the Messiah." Even an honest Orthodox Jew admits that the transformation in their lives is strong evidence for their testimony:
"If the disciples were totally disappointed and on the verge of desperate flight because of the very real reason of the crucifixion, it took another very real reason in order to transform them from a band of disheartened and dejected Jews into the most self-confident
missionary society in world history." (PINCHAS LAPIDE, former chairman of the Applied Linguistics Department at Israel's Bar-Iland University). Lapide concluded that a bodily resurrection could have possibly been that reason! (TIME, May 7, 1979). The change in the apostles gives strength to their testimony.
Consider the high moral standard they taught and lived. They exhorted disciples to live holy lives - 1 Th 4:1-7 "Finally, my dear friends, since you belong to the Lord Jesus, we beg and urge you to live as we taught you. Then you will please God. You are already living that way, but try even harder. Remember the instructions we gave you as followers of the Lord Jesus. God wants you to be holy, so don't be immoral in matters of sex. Respect and honor your wife. Don't be a slave of your desires or live like people who don't know God. You must not cheat any of the Lord's followers in matters of sex. Remember, we warned you that he punishes everyone who does such things. God didn't choose you to be filthy, but to be pure." They lived their own lives in an unimpeachable way - 1 Th 2:10-12 "Both you and God are witnesses that we were pure and honest and innocent in our dealings with you followers of the Lord. You also know we did everything for you that parents would do for their own children. We begged, encouraged, and urged each of you to live in a way that would honor God. He is the one who chose you to share in his own kingdom and glory." Does this sound like people who would propagate a lie if they knew better?
Consider the sacrifices they paid in life and death. They endured much hardship because of their testimony - 1 Co 4:9-13 "It seems to me that God has put us apostles in the worst possible place. We are like prisoners on their way to death. Angels and the people of this world just laugh at us. Because of Christ we are thought of as fools, but Christ has made you wise. We are weak and hated, but you are powerful and respected. Even today we go hungry and thirsty and don't have anything to wear except rags. We are mistreated and don't have a place to live. We work hard with our own hands, and when people abuse us, we wish them well. When we suffer, we are patient. When someone curses us, we answer with kind words. Until now we are thought of as nothing more than the trash and garbage of this world." All but one of the apostles died violent deaths because of their testimony of the resurrection. Even James, Jesus' brother, was thrown off the temple and clubbed to death for his refusal to recant his eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus! Deny the resurrection of Jesus, and you impugn the honesty and integrity of these witnesses! They would have had to been rank liars and frauds, out to deceive the world! Yet, these are the very ones who tell us what we know of Jesus, whose life and teachings has transformed the history of the world and the lives of millions! These are the ones who gave us the New Testament, containing the highest standard of morality the world has ever known! Does it make sense to call such men liars and frauds? To accept their testimony and the fact of the resurrection is not only rational, it is the beginning of the kind of faith which will come to hate sin!
But there is even more evidence which creates this kind of faith, fulfilled messianic prophecy. This was also an important foundation upon which faith in Christ was based. Jesus used this to strengthen the faith of His disciples. Note the two disciples on the road to Emmaus - Lk 24:25-27 "Then Jesus asked the two disciples, "Why can't you understand? How can you be so slow to believe all that the prophets said? Didn't you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?" Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets." Also note the teachings of Jesus to the apostles - Lk 24:44-48 "Jesus said to them, "While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen." Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. He told them: The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, you must tell everything that has happened." In their own teaching and preaching, the apostles appealed to fulfilled prophecy; Peter - Ac 2:29-31 "My friends, it is right for me to speak to you about our ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is still here. But David was a prophet, and he knew that God had made a promise he would not break. He had told David that someone from his own family would someday be king. David knew this would happen, and so he told us that Christ would be raised to life. He said that God would not leave him in the grave or let his body decay."; 3:18 "But God had his prophets tell that his Messiah would suffer, and now he has kept that promise.", 24 "Samuel and all the other prophets who came later also spoke about what is now happening." Philip - Ac 8:35 "So Philip began at this place in the Scriptures and explained the good news about Jesus." Paul - Ac 17:2,3 "So as usual, Paul went there to worship, and on three Sabbaths he spoke to the people. He used the Scriptures to show them that the Messiah had to suffer, but that he would rise from death. Paul also told them that Jesus is the Messiah he was preaching about."
How strong is this evidence? Consider there are at least 330 prophecies in the OT fulfilled in Jesus Christ! Twenty-nine (29) were fulfilled in one day! Such prophecies were spoken at various times by many different people during the ten centuries from 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. The science of probabilities demonstrates that it is nigh to impossible Jesus fulfilled these prophecies out of coincidence. In one study (by Peter Stoner), eight (8) prophecies were considered:
The likelihood of anyone fulfilling just these eight by chance was calculated to be 1 in 10 to the 17th power. This would be like finding on the first try, while blindfolded, a marked silver dollar in a pile of silver dollars two-feet high covering the entire state of Texas!
In another study (also by Peter Stoner), forty-eight (48) prophecies were considered:
The likelihood of a coincidence was 1 in 10 to the 157th power! How big a number is 10 to the 157th power? Counting at the rate of 250 a minute it would take you 19 million times 19 million times 19 million years to count such a number! Remember, that is just calculating the chance of any one man coincidentally fulfilling 48 prophecies - Jesus fulfilled 330!
Look at it another way. Your chances of surviving a fall from 10,000 feet without a parachute is 1 in 10 million - would you "willingly" jump and take such a chance? Yet to reject Jesus because one thinks fulfilling 330 prophecies was coincidental is infinitely more risky than jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet without a parachute! We would say that anyone who jumped out of an airplane with such odds against survival is either stupid, crazy or ignorant of the risks. What about someone who takes the chance of rejecting Christ in view of the overwhelming odds he is wrong about Christ???
This is the kind of evidence in the Word of God to create faith in Jesus as the Son of God:
Eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus by numerous, reliable witnesses.
Fulfilled messianic prophecy that overwhelmingly convinces any informed, rational and
objective person! Yes, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." - Ro 10:17
What kind of faith? A faith that hates sin, for what it did (separated us from God). For what it cost (the death of God's only begotten Son). For what it can do when engaged in by the unrepentant Christian (crucify again the Son afresh - He 6:4-6).
A faith that loves God for what He has done, for what He is doing and for what He will do.
A faith that will do whatever God desires me to do, to rid my life of the guilt of sin (e.g., faith, repentance, and baptism).
A faith that will utilize whatever blessing God offers to overcome the problem of sin (e.g., remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit, the promise of eternal life). Do you have that kind of faith which the gospel both gives and requires...a loving and obedient faith?
"If you love Me, keep My commandments." (Jn 14:15)
This study is from The Executable Outlines Series, 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
Having examined the character of these witnesses in our last lesson we need to look at the nature of their testimony. Hard, empirical evidence - Jn 20:25 "Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!"’; Ac 10:40-41 "But three days later, God raised him to life and let him be seen. Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him."; 1 Jn 1:1 "The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen, and our hands touched this Word." Objective, not subjective evidence, testimony that cannot be attributed to hallucinations, dreams, etc.
Note the transformation which took place. Prior to the resurrection, they were cowards who had lost hope! They fled at His arrest - Mk 14:50 "All of Jesus' disciples ran off and left him." Peter denied Him. They hid for fear of the Jews - Jn 20:19 "The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group." Yet, after the resurrection, they were praising God and proclaiming Christ boldly as having been raised from the dead! Praising God in the temple - Lk 24:52-53 "After his disciples had worshiped him, they returned to Jerusalem and were very happy. They spent their time in the temple, praising God." Proclaiming Christ, despite persecution - Ac 5:28-32"We told you plainly not to teach in the name of Jesus. But look what you have done! You have been teaching all over Jerusalem, and you are trying to blame us for his death." Peter and the apostles replied: We don't obey people. We obey God. You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But the God our ancestors worshiped raised him to life and made him our Leader and Savior. Then God gave him a place at his right side, so that the people of Israel would turn back to him and be forgiven. We are here to tell you about all this, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to everyone who obeys God.", 41-42 "The apostles left the council and were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus. Every day they spent time in the temple and in one home after another. They never stopped teaching and telling the good news that Jesus is the Messiah." Even an honest Orthodox Jew admits that the transformation in their lives is strong evidence for their testimony:
"If the disciples were totally disappointed and on the verge of desperate flight because of the very real reason of the crucifixion, it took another very real reason in order to transform them from a band of disheartened and dejected Jews into the most self-confident
missionary society in world history." (PINCHAS LAPIDE, former chairman of the Applied Linguistics Department at Israel's Bar-Iland University). Lapide concluded that a bodily resurrection could have possibly been that reason! (TIME, May 7, 1979). The change in the apostles gives strength to their testimony.
Consider the high moral standard they taught and lived. They exhorted disciples to live holy lives - 1 Th 4:1-7 "Finally, my dear friends, since you belong to the Lord Jesus, we beg and urge you to live as we taught you. Then you will please God. You are already living that way, but try even harder. Remember the instructions we gave you as followers of the Lord Jesus. God wants you to be holy, so don't be immoral in matters of sex. Respect and honor your wife. Don't be a slave of your desires or live like people who don't know God. You must not cheat any of the Lord's followers in matters of sex. Remember, we warned you that he punishes everyone who does such things. God didn't choose you to be filthy, but to be pure." They lived their own lives in an unimpeachable way - 1 Th 2:10-12 "Both you and God are witnesses that we were pure and honest and innocent in our dealings with you followers of the Lord. You also know we did everything for you that parents would do for their own children. We begged, encouraged, and urged each of you to live in a way that would honor God. He is the one who chose you to share in his own kingdom and glory." Does this sound like people who would propagate a lie if they knew better?
Consider the sacrifices they paid in life and death. They endured much hardship because of their testimony - 1 Co 4:9-13 "It seems to me that God has put us apostles in the worst possible place. We are like prisoners on their way to death. Angels and the people of this world just laugh at us. Because of Christ we are thought of as fools, but Christ has made you wise. We are weak and hated, but you are powerful and respected. Even today we go hungry and thirsty and don't have anything to wear except rags. We are mistreated and don't have a place to live. We work hard with our own hands, and when people abuse us, we wish them well. When we suffer, we are patient. When someone curses us, we answer with kind words. Until now we are thought of as nothing more than the trash and garbage of this world." All but one of the apostles died violent deaths because of their testimony of the resurrection. Even James, Jesus' brother, was thrown off the temple and clubbed to death for his refusal to recant his eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus! Deny the resurrection of Jesus, and you impugn the honesty and integrity of these witnesses! They would have had to been rank liars and frauds, out to deceive the world! Yet, these are the very ones who tell us what we know of Jesus, whose life and teachings has transformed the history of the world and the lives of millions! These are the ones who gave us the New Testament, containing the highest standard of morality the world has ever known! Does it make sense to call such men liars and frauds? To accept their testimony and the fact of the resurrection is not only rational, it is the beginning of the kind of faith which will come to hate sin!
But there is even more evidence which creates this kind of faith, fulfilled messianic prophecy. This was also an important foundation upon which faith in Christ was based. Jesus used this to strengthen the faith of His disciples. Note the two disciples on the road to Emmaus - Lk 24:25-27 "Then Jesus asked the two disciples, "Why can't you understand? How can you be so slow to believe all that the prophets said? Didn't you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?" Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets." Also note the teachings of Jesus to the apostles - Lk 24:44-48 "Jesus said to them, "While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen." Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. He told them: The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, you must tell everything that has happened." In their own teaching and preaching, the apostles appealed to fulfilled prophecy; Peter - Ac 2:29-31 "My friends, it is right for me to speak to you about our ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is still here. But David was a prophet, and he knew that God had made a promise he would not break. He had told David that someone from his own family would someday be king. David knew this would happen, and so he told us that Christ would be raised to life. He said that God would not leave him in the grave or let his body decay."; 3:18 "But God had his prophets tell that his Messiah would suffer, and now he has kept that promise.", 24 "Samuel and all the other prophets who came later also spoke about what is now happening." Philip - Ac 8:35 "So Philip began at this place in the Scriptures and explained the good news about Jesus." Paul - Ac 17:2,3 "So as usual, Paul went there to worship, and on three Sabbaths he spoke to the people. He used the Scriptures to show them that the Messiah had to suffer, but that he would rise from death. Paul also told them that Jesus is the Messiah he was preaching about."
How strong is this evidence? Consider there are at least 330 prophecies in the OT fulfilled in Jesus Christ! Twenty-nine (29) were fulfilled in one day! Such prophecies were spoken at various times by many different people during the ten centuries from 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. The science of probabilities demonstrates that it is nigh to impossible Jesus fulfilled these prophecies out of coincidence. In one study (by Peter Stoner), eight (8) prophecies were considered:
The likelihood of anyone fulfilling just these eight by chance was calculated to be 1 in 10 to the 17th power. This would be like finding on the first try, while blindfolded, a marked silver dollar in a pile of silver dollars two-feet high covering the entire state of Texas!
In another study (also by Peter Stoner), forty-eight (48) prophecies were considered:
The likelihood of a coincidence was 1 in 10 to the 157th power! How big a number is 10 to the 157th power? Counting at the rate of 250 a minute it would take you 19 million times 19 million times 19 million years to count such a number! Remember, that is just calculating the chance of any one man coincidentally fulfilling 48 prophecies - Jesus fulfilled 330!
Look at it another way. Your chances of surviving a fall from 10,000 feet without a parachute is 1 in 10 million - would you "willingly" jump and take such a chance? Yet to reject Jesus because one thinks fulfilling 330 prophecies was coincidental is infinitely more risky than jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet without a parachute! We would say that anyone who jumped out of an airplane with such odds against survival is either stupid, crazy or ignorant of the risks. What about someone who takes the chance of rejecting Christ in view of the overwhelming odds he is wrong about Christ???
This is the kind of evidence in the Word of God to create faith in Jesus as the Son of God:
Eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus by numerous, reliable witnesses.
Fulfilled messianic prophecy that overwhelmingly convinces any informed, rational and
objective person! Yes, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." - Ro 10:17
What kind of faith? A faith that hates sin, for what it did (separated us from God). For what it cost (the death of God's only begotten Son). For what it can do when engaged in by the unrepentant Christian (crucify again the Son afresh - He 6:4-6).
A faith that loves God for what He has done, for what He is doing and for what He will do.
A faith that will do whatever God desires me to do, to rid my life of the guilt of sin (e.g., faith, repentance, and baptism).
A faith that will utilize whatever blessing God offers to overcome the problem of sin (e.g., remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit, the promise of eternal life). Do you have that kind of faith which the gospel both gives and requires...a loving and obedient faith?
"If you love Me, keep My commandments." (Jn 14:15)
This study is from The Executable Outlines Series, 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
Sunday, January 15, 2006
The Gospel's Answer To The "Love" Of Sin - Part Two
The Gospel's Answer To The "Love" Of Sin (Faith In Jesus) - Part Two
Faith comes from the Word of God (Ro 10:17). Indeed, as the apostles of Christ proclaimed the gospel, they presented evidence designed to create faith in the hearts of their listeners. We continue this lesson looking at the evidence of the Gospel creating a faith that answers the problem of "the love of sin" The evidence that creates such faith is found in eyewitness testimony concerning Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This evidence is an important foundation upon which faith in Christ is based! Jesus knew this was how people would come to believe on Him - Jn 17:20 "I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me." Therefore, in their preaching and teaching, the apostles appealed to this line of evidence.
Peter - Ac 2:32 "All of us can tell you that God has raised Jesus to life!"; 3:14-15 "You rejected Jesus, who was holy and good. You asked for a murderer to be set free, and you killed the one who leads people to life. But God raised him from death, and all of us can tell you what he has done."; 4:33 "In a powerful way the apostles told everyone that the Lord Jesus was now alive. God greatly blessed his followers,"; 10:39-41 "We all saw what Jesus did both in Israel and in the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was put to death on a cross. But three days later, God raised him to life and let him be seen. Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him."
John - Jn 20:30-31 "Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life."; 1 Jn 1:1-3 "The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen, and our hands touched this Word. The one who gives life appeared! We saw it happen, and we are witnesses to what we have seen. Now we are telling you about this eternal life that was with the Father and appeared to us. We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so that you may share in this life with us. And we share in it with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."
Paul - 1 Co 15:3-8 "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. Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time."
How strong is this evidence? Consider the number of witnesses. This affects the strength or weakness of any testimony. For example, the OT required at least two or three - Deu 17:5-6 "But you will need two or three witnesses--one witness isn't enough to prove a person guilty. Get rid of those who are guilty of such evil. Take them outside your town gates and have everyone stone them to death. But the witnesses must be the first to throw stones." In this regard, the strength is very strong - 1 Co 15:5-8 "Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time." (over 500 people!)
One needs to also consider the character of these witnesses. Some had not believed in Christ prior to His resurrection, like His brothers in the flesh - Jn 7:3-5 "and Jesus' brothers said to him, "Why don't you go to Judea? Then your disciples can see what you are doing. No one does anything in secret, if they want others to know about them. So let the world know what you are doing!" Even Jesus' own brothers had not yet become his followers."; Mk 3:21 "When Jesus' family heard what he was doing, they thought he was crazy and went to get him under control."
But after the resurrection, they too became disciples! - Ac 1:14 "The apostles often met together and prayed with a single purpose in mind. The women and Mary the mother of Jesus would meet with them, and so would his brothers." Some were disciples who had been skeptical after His death e.g., Thomas - Jn 20:24-25 "Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But Thomas said, "First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!"’ Only after hard, empirical evidence did he believe - Jn 20:26-28 "A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!" Thomas replied, "You are my Lord and my God!"’ Some were former enemies who had violently opposed Christ (e.g., Paul). They were not gullible people willing to believe anything!
Having examined the character of these witnesses we need to look at the nature of their testimony. We will make this examination as we continue our lesson in Part Three.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Faith comes from the Word of God (Ro 10:17). Indeed, as the apostles of Christ proclaimed the gospel, they presented evidence designed to create faith in the hearts of their listeners. We continue this lesson looking at the evidence of the Gospel creating a faith that answers the problem of "the love of sin" The evidence that creates such faith is found in eyewitness testimony concerning Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This evidence is an important foundation upon which faith in Christ is based! Jesus knew this was how people would come to believe on Him - Jn 17:20 "I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me." Therefore, in their preaching and teaching, the apostles appealed to this line of evidence.
Peter - Ac 2:32 "All of us can tell you that God has raised Jesus to life!"; 3:14-15 "You rejected Jesus, who was holy and good. You asked for a murderer to be set free, and you killed the one who leads people to life. But God raised him from death, and all of us can tell you what he has done."; 4:33 "In a powerful way the apostles told everyone that the Lord Jesus was now alive. God greatly blessed his followers,"; 10:39-41 "We all saw what Jesus did both in Israel and in the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was put to death on a cross. But three days later, God raised him to life and let him be seen. Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him."
John - Jn 20:30-31 "Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life."; 1 Jn 1:1-3 "The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen, and our hands touched this Word. The one who gives life appeared! We saw it happen, and we are witnesses to what we have seen. Now we are telling you about this eternal life that was with the Father and appeared to us. We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so that you may share in this life with us. And we share in it with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."
Paul - 1 Co 15:3-8 "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. Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time."
How strong is this evidence? Consider the number of witnesses. This affects the strength or weakness of any testimony. For example, the OT required at least two or three - Deu 17:5-6 "But you will need two or three witnesses--one witness isn't enough to prove a person guilty. Get rid of those who are guilty of such evil. Take them outside your town gates and have everyone stone them to death. But the witnesses must be the first to throw stones." In this regard, the strength is very strong - 1 Co 15:5-8 "Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time." (over 500 people!)
One needs to also consider the character of these witnesses. Some had not believed in Christ prior to His resurrection, like His brothers in the flesh - Jn 7:3-5 "and Jesus' brothers said to him, "Why don't you go to Judea? Then your disciples can see what you are doing. No one does anything in secret, if they want others to know about them. So let the world know what you are doing!" Even Jesus' own brothers had not yet become his followers."; Mk 3:21 "When Jesus' family heard what he was doing, they thought he was crazy and went to get him under control."
But after the resurrection, they too became disciples! - Ac 1:14 "The apostles often met together and prayed with a single purpose in mind. The women and Mary the mother of Jesus would meet with them, and so would his brothers." Some were disciples who had been skeptical after His death e.g., Thomas - Jn 20:24-25 "Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But Thomas said, "First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!"’ Only after hard, empirical evidence did he believe - Jn 20:26-28 "A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!" Thomas replied, "You are my Lord and my God!"’ Some were former enemies who had violently opposed Christ (e.g., Paul). They were not gullible people willing to believe anything!
Having examined the character of these witnesses we need to look at the nature of their testimony. We will make this examination as we continue our lesson in Part Three.
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Saturday, January 07, 2006
The Gospel's Answer To The "Love" Of Sin - Part One
The Gospel Of Christ And The Problem Of Sin
The Gospel's Answer To The "Love" Of Sin (Faith In Jesus) - Part One
In the previous lesson, we introduced "How The Gospel Addresses The Problem Of Sin" In this lesson we focus our attention to that part of the problem which is the "love" of sin. We saw that sin does have its pleasurable side - 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." This pleasure makes it easy for men to love sin. Such love often blinds men 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." Such love definitely alienates one from the love of the Father - 1 Jn 2:15 "Don't love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father."
The gospel of Jesus Christ answers the problem of the "love" of sin by commanding us to have "faith," in particular, to "believe in Christ", notice 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." Faith can be defined as "a strong conviction, assurance". When we come to have the right kind of faith, we will come to no longer love sin, but even to hate it! As the Psalmist expressed in Psa 119:104 "Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every false way." (ASV) In this study, I want to do two things:
1.) Define the kind of faith the gospel requires to really hate sin.
2.) Briefly consider the evidence the gospel presents to create that kind of faith.
A faith necessary to hate sin starts with faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. That the gospel requires such faith is clear - Jn 20:30-31 "Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life."; 1 Jn 5:13 "All of you have faith in the Son of God, and I have written to let you know that you have eternal life." A strong conviction that Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, was indeed the Messiah foretold by the Jewish prophets - Ac 2:36 "Everyone in Israel should then know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, even though you put him to death on a cross." A strong faith that He is more than just a good man, but the only begotten Son of God - Jn 1:14 "The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us."
A strong faith that Jesus died for our sins because God loves us. Believing that Jesus died for our sins is a necessary part of the gospel - 1 Co 15:1-3 "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." Understand...Jesus died for OUR sins! Just as the Scriptures foretold He would - Isa 53:4-6 "He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the LORD gave him the punishment we deserved." Why, because God loves us! - Jn 3:16 "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die."; Ro 5:8 "But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful."
A Faith that God raised Jesus from the dead. This fact is also an important part of the gospel
Consider 1 Co 15:3-4 "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."; Ro 10:9 "So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death."
How does such a faith cause us to hate sin? If we are strongly convicted that Jesus was truly the beloved Son of God, He was really the Christ, the promised Messiah, that God loved us so much (and hated sin so much) that He sent His Son to die for us, and that God raised Him from the dead to prove to us that His death was an acceptable sacrifice for sin... then how can we not hate sin? With such a faith, we now hold sin responsible for making the death of Christ necessary in the first place! The anguish God must have felt when He saw the separation between Him and us! Deemed it necessary to have His Son die for us! The pain and agony suffered by Jesus! In the garden of Gethsemane - Mt 26:39 "Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want."’ On the cross of Calvary - Mt 27:46 "Then about that time Jesus shouted, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?"’ When we understand and really believe these things, then we will say with the Psalmist: "Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I HATE every false way." - Psa 119:104
This is the kind of faith called for in obedience to the gospel, and the kind of faith which effectively deals with the love of sin! But how does one gain this kind of faith? Faith comes from the Word of God (Ro 10:17). Indeed, as the apostles of Christ proclaimed the gospel, they presented evidence designed to create faith in the hearts of their listeners. In the continuation of this we will look at the evidence that creates such a faith that answers the "love" of sin, in part two.
The Gospel's Answer To The "Love" Of Sin (Faith In Jesus) - Part One
In the previous lesson, we introduced "How The Gospel Addresses The Problem Of Sin" In this lesson we focus our attention to that part of the problem which is the "love" of sin. We saw that sin does have its pleasurable side - 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." This pleasure makes it easy for men to love sin. Such love often blinds men 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." Such love definitely alienates one from the love of the Father - 1 Jn 2:15 "Don't love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father."
The gospel of Jesus Christ answers the problem of the "love" of sin by commanding us to have "faith," in particular, to "believe in Christ", notice 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." Faith can be defined as "a strong conviction, assurance". When we come to have the right kind of faith, we will come to no longer love sin, but even to hate it! As the Psalmist expressed in Psa 119:104 "Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every false way." (ASV) In this study, I want to do two things:
1.) Define the kind of faith the gospel requires to really hate sin.
2.) Briefly consider the evidence the gospel presents to create that kind of faith.
A faith necessary to hate sin starts with faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. That the gospel requires such faith is clear - Jn 20:30-31 "Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life."; 1 Jn 5:13 "All of you have faith in the Son of God, and I have written to let you know that you have eternal life." A strong conviction that Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, was indeed the Messiah foretold by the Jewish prophets - Ac 2:36 "Everyone in Israel should then know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, even though you put him to death on a cross." A strong faith that He is more than just a good man, but the only begotten Son of God - Jn 1:14 "The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us."
A strong faith that Jesus died for our sins because God loves us. Believing that Jesus died for our sins is a necessary part of the gospel - 1 Co 15:1-3 "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." Understand...Jesus died for OUR sins! Just as the Scriptures foretold He would - Isa 53:4-6 "He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the LORD gave him the punishment we deserved." Why, because God loves us! - Jn 3:16 "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die."; Ro 5:8 "But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful."
A Faith that God raised Jesus from the dead. This fact is also an important part of the gospel
Consider 1 Co 15:3-4 "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."; Ro 10:9 "So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death."
How does such a faith cause us to hate sin? If we are strongly convicted that Jesus was truly the beloved Son of God, He was really the Christ, the promised Messiah, that God loved us so much (and hated sin so much) that He sent His Son to die for us, and that God raised Him from the dead to prove to us that His death was an acceptable sacrifice for sin... then how can we not hate sin? With such a faith, we now hold sin responsible for making the death of Christ necessary in the first place! The anguish God must have felt when He saw the separation between Him and us! Deemed it necessary to have His Son die for us! The pain and agony suffered by Jesus! In the garden of Gethsemane - Mt 26:39 "Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want."’ On the cross of Calvary - Mt 27:46 "Then about that time Jesus shouted, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?"’ When we understand and really believe these things, then we will say with the Psalmist: "Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I HATE every false way." - Psa 119:104
This is the kind of faith called for in obedience to the gospel, and the kind of faith which effectively deals with the love of sin! But how does one gain this kind of faith? Faith comes from the Word of God (Ro 10:17). Indeed, as the apostles of Christ proclaimed the gospel, they presented evidence designed to create faith in the hearts of their listeners. In the continuation of this we will look at the evidence that creates such a faith that answers the "love" of sin, in part two.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
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
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
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