The nature of Sin

The nature of Sin

   9:56:00 pm       Wisdom de Prince

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WHAT IS THE NATURE OF SIN?

Three Kinds of Sin Sin has been described as that which is opposed to the character and will of God. Sin is something which has permeated our entire being so that it is virtually impossible to understand who we are without knowing about sin. People sin both in action and attitude.
The apostle Paul described three basic kinds of sin in his epistles. To understand how sin makes us the kind of people we are, it is important to understand each of these three kinds of sin.

Personal Sin

The first kind of sin described in Scripture is personal sin. Comparing Jews and Gentiles, Paul concluded, “For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22-23). A personal sin may be a sin of commission (doing something wrong) or a sin of omission (failing to do something right). Personal sin may be expressed as an act or attitude. Sinful acts are produced by people with sinful attitudes (Mark 7:21). That is why Jesus equated sins like anger with murder (Matt. 5:21-22) and lust with fornication (Matt. 5:27-28).
When we practice personal sin, our fellowship with God is broken (Ps. 66:18). That broken fellowship can be restored as we confess our sins and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). If a person is not a Christian, he or she will not experience fellowship with God until he or she places saving faith in Jesus (Eph. 1:7).
Scripture uses various descriptions of personal sin.These include falling short (Rom. 3:23), going astray (Isa. 53:6), transgression (Ps. 51:1), and trespass (Eph. 2:1).

Sin Nature

The second kind of sin described in Scripture is our sin nature. The word sin occurs in both the singular and plural in the Bible. Usually, when the word occurs as a singular noun, it is referring to the sin nature of people. We all have a sin nature that has been a part of us since the moment we were conceived (Ps. 51:5). The apostle John noted, “If we say that we have no sin (nature), we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
The Bible describes sin as having a negative influence on our intellect (Rom. 1:28) and conscience (1 Tim. 4:2), two aspects of our personality. Therefore our sin nature negatively impacts our personality. Our sin nature influences us to sin (Rom. 5:12). But our sin nature has already been judged on the Cross (Rom. 6:6). While we still have the old nature, we cannot use it as an excuse for sinning because it has been crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:7).

Imputed Sin

The third way sin is described in Scripture is imputed sin. The word impute means “to ascribe to” or “reckon over.” “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). When we make a purchase with a credit card, the value of that purchase is “imputed” to our account. In the same way, the sin of Adam is imputed to the human race which sprang from heaven. This is done because Adam was both the seminal and representative head of the human race. Just as a child partakes in the consequences of the wise or unwise financial investments of a father, so we live with the consequence of the imputed sin of our father Adam.

Also, just as the citizens live with the consequences of decisions made by their representatives in government, so we live with the consequences of our representative’s decision in the Garden of Eden.
Some might view the imputation of Adam’s sin to the human race as somehow unfair or unjustified, but our willingness to so readily engage in sin like Adam suggests we would have done the same thing. Still, God not only imputes Adam’s sin to the human race, but He also offers to impute Christ’s righteousness to all who believe (Rom. 5:21). The biblical remedy for imputed sin is the imputed righteousness of Christ.

God’s Provision for Sin

God created people as the high point of His creation. Although sin has marred that creation, God still loves people and wants what is best for them. The greatest evidence of God’s love for these created beings is seen in what He has done to save them from the sin that threatens to destroy them. Christians who love people like God loves people will want to do their best to help them experience the salvation God has provided for their sin. Dr. Elmer Towns is a college

and seminary professor, an author of popular and scholarly works (the editor of two encyclopedias), a popular seminar lecturer, and dedicated worker in Sunday school, and has developed over 20 resource packets for leadership education.His personal education includes a B.S. from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a M.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary also in Dallas, a MRE from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.He is co-founder of Liberty University, with Jerry Falwell, in 1971, and was the only full-time teacher in the first year of Liberty’s existence. Today, the University has over 11,400 students on campus with 39,000 in the Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online), and he is the Dean of the School of Religion.Dr. Towns has given theological lectures and taught intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in America and abroad. He holds visiting professorship rank in five seminaries. He has written over 2,000 reference and/or popular articles and received six honorary doctoral degrees. Four doctoral dissertations have analyzed his contribution to religious education and evangelism. SEAR

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The nature of Sin

The nature of Sin

   9:56:00 pm       Wisdom de Prince

---

WHAT IS THE NATURE OF SIN?

Three Kinds of Sin Sin has been described as that which is opposed to the character and will of God. Sin is something which has permeated our entire being so that it is virtually impossible to understand who we are without knowing about sin. People sin both in action and attitude.
The apostle Paul described three basic kinds of sin in his epistles. To understand how sin makes us the kind of people we are, it is important to understand each of these three kinds of sin.

Personal Sin

The first kind of sin described in Scripture is personal sin. Comparing Jews and Gentiles, Paul concluded, “For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22-23). A personal sin may be a sin of commission (doing something wrong) or a sin of omission (failing to do something right). Personal sin may be expressed as an act or attitude. Sinful acts are produced by people with sinful attitudes (Mark 7:21). That is why Jesus equated sins like anger with murder (Matt. 5:21-22) and lust with fornication (Matt. 5:27-28).
When we practice personal sin, our fellowship with God is broken (Ps. 66:18). That broken fellowship can be restored as we confess our sins and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). If a person is not a Christian, he or she will not experience fellowship with God until he or she places saving faith in Jesus (Eph. 1:7).
Scripture uses various descriptions of personal sin.These include falling short (Rom. 3:23), going astray (Isa. 53:6), transgression (Ps. 51:1), and trespass (Eph. 2:1).

Sin Nature

The second kind of sin described in Scripture is our sin nature. The word sin occurs in both the singular and plural in the Bible. Usually, when the word occurs as a singular noun, it is referring to the sin nature of people. We all have a sin nature that has been a part of us since the moment we were conceived (Ps. 51:5). The apostle John noted, “If we say that we have no sin (nature), we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
The Bible describes sin as having a negative influence on our intellect (Rom. 1:28) and conscience (1 Tim. 4:2), two aspects of our personality. Therefore our sin nature negatively impacts our personality. Our sin nature influences us to sin (Rom. 5:12). But our sin nature has already been judged on the Cross (Rom. 6:6). While we still have the old nature, we cannot use it as an excuse for sinning because it has been crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:7).

Imputed Sin

The third way sin is described in Scripture is imputed sin. The word impute means “to ascribe to” or “reckon over.” “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). When we make a purchase with a credit card, the value of that purchase is “imputed” to our account. In the same way, the sin of Adam is imputed to the human race which sprang from heaven. This is done because Adam was both the seminal and representative head of the human race. Just as a child partakes in the consequences of the wise or unwise financial investments of a father, so we live with the consequence of the imputed sin of our father Adam.

Also, just as the citizens live with the consequences of decisions made by their representatives in government, so we live with the consequences of our representative’s decision in the Garden of Eden.
Some might view the imputation of Adam’s sin to the human race as somehow unfair or unjustified, but our willingness to so readily engage in sin like Adam suggests we would have done the same thing. Still, God not only imputes Adam’s sin to the human race, but He also offers to impute Christ’s righteousness to all who believe (Rom. 5:21). The biblical remedy for imputed sin is the imputed righteousness of Christ.

God’s Provision for Sin

God created people as the high point of His creation. Although sin has marred that creation, God still loves people and wants what is best for them. The greatest evidence of God’s love for these created beings is seen in what He has done to save them from the sin that threatens to destroy them. Christians who love people like God loves people will want to do their best to help them experience the salvation God has provided for their sin. Dr. Elmer Towns is a college

and seminary professor, an author of popular and scholarly works (the editor of two encyclopedias), a popular seminar lecturer, and dedicated worker in Sunday school, and has developed over 20 resource packets for leadership education.His personal education includes a B.S. from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a M.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary also in Dallas, a MRE from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.He is co-founder of Liberty University, with Jerry Falwell, in 1971, and was the only full-time teacher in the first year of Liberty’s existence. Today, the University has over 11,400 students on campus with 39,000 in the Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online), and he is the Dean of the School of Religion.Dr. Towns has given theological lectures and taught intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in America and abroad. He holds visiting professorship rank in five seminaries. He has written over 2,000 reference and/or popular articles and received six honorary doctoral degrees. Four doctoral dissertations have analyzed his contribution to religious education and evangelism. SEAR

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The almighty wrath of God

The almighty wrath of God

   8:01:00 am       Wisdom de Prince

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The Wrath of God Against Ungodliness and Unrighteousness

Scripture: Romans 1:18 Topic: The Wrath of God
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. "There Is None Righteous"
Today we take a major turn in the letter of Paul to the Romans. Romans 1:16-17 is the theme of the letter: the gospel is the power of God to save believers from the wrath to come. And this gospel - this good news of Jesus' death and resurrection - has that power to save believers from God's wrath, because in the gospel, day by day, week after week, year after year, God keeps on revealing his righteousness as a gift to be received by faith and for faith, so that those who have their righteousness from God (and not themselves) will not perish but have everlasting life.
Now having described the greatness of his theme, which he will come back to and unpack in wonderful and profound ways in future chapters, Paul enters on a description of human sin and God's wrath in Romans 1:18-3:19. In Romans 1:18 to 32 Paul speaks of the condition of the gentile world apart from the gospel and apart from saving grace. Then in Romans 2:1-3:8 Paul deals more or less directly with the Jewish condition. Then in Romans 3:9-10 he draws his summary conclusion like this: "What then? Are we [Jews] better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, 'THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE.'" That is the point of Romans 1:18-3:10. Then Paul piles Scripture upon Scripture in Romans 3:10-19 to support his point of universal sinfulness and guilt and rebellion against God in every human heart. He wraps up the section with this summary in Romans 3:19, "Now we know that whatever the Law [the Old Testament Word of God] says, it speaks to those who are under the Law [the Jewish people], so that every mouth [all the nations, all the Gentiles] may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God." We will talk later in this series about why God chose to silence the world by dealing mainly with the Jews. But that is the truth. Paul seems to mean if the Jews, with all their advantages of divine revelation, have not been righteous before God, but only sinful and guilty (3:9), how much less will the Gentiles be able to open their mouths and protest that they have been righteous before God.
Then Paul explains in verse 20: no matter how beneficial the Law of God should have been, when it is misused the way many in Israel misused it, it only compounds the problem of sin. He says, "[Jews and all the world are under silence in their guilt] because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." Neither Jewish Law nor Gentile idolatry gets anybody right with God.
Then in Romans 3:21 Paul returns to the theme of 1:17, "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested." You see how similar this is to Romans 1:17 - in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. And from here on Paul is unpacking the greatness of the gospel of God's gift of righteousness.
So what we have in Romans 1:18 to 3:20 is a demonstration of sin and guilt in the heart and life of every human being, both Jew and Gentile. The beginning of that section is what we are taking up this morning at Romans 1:18.

Why Several Sermons on Sin?

Now what should I respond if someone were to say, "Oh no! We are going to be slogging our way through sin and guilt for months. This is going to be really oppressive"? To that person I want to say three things:
1. Superficial diagnoses lead to false remedies.
Superficial diagnoses lead to false remedies and no cures. If you want to find true remedies for a disease, and if you want to bring a lasting cure to the people who are diseased, then you need more than a superficial grasp of the disease itself. Those who care most about a cure for AIDS or cancer, spend almost all their time studying the disease.
2. Understanding sin and wrath will make you wiser.
Profound understanding of sin and wrath will make you a far wiser person about human nature - your own and others. And if you are wiser about the nature of the human soul, you will be able to fight your own sin more successfully, and you will be able to bless others more deeply with your insight and counsel. I have pled with women and men in this church in recent months that what we need to nurture and cultivate here at Bethlehem over the next decades is sages -men and women who ripen with years into deeply sagacious people: wise, discerning, penetrating, deep lovers of people and deep knowers of human nature and God's nature, who can see deeply into the tangle of sin and sacredness that perplexes the saints and threatens to undo us. If you run away from the study of sinful human nature - if you say, I don't like to think about sin - then you run away from yourself, and you run away from wisdom, and, worst of all, you run away from the deepest kinds of love.
3. Knowing the nature of sin and wrath will cause you to cherish the gospel.
Probably the most important thing I would say, and the most firmly rooted in Romans 1:18, is that knowing the true condition of your heart and the nature of sin and the magnitude and justice of the wrath of God will cause you to understand the mighty gospel, and love it, and cherish it, and feast on it, and share it as never before. And this is crucial because this is the way the gospel saves believers. If you don't understand the gospel, if you don't cherish it and look to it and feed on it day after day, it won't save you (see 1 Cor. 15:1-3; Col. 1:23). Knowing sin and wrath will help you do that.

"For . . . "

Which brings now to the beginning of Romans 1:18. Look at the connection between verses 17 and 18 (which the NIV inexcusably omits), namely, "for" or "because" - Verse 17: "[In the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." Why does Paul introduce verse 18 with the word "for" or "because"?
He does this in order to show that everything he is going to say about sin is meant to support the gospel of verse 17. He does not mention the gospel for the sake of sin. He deals with sin for the sake of the gospel. Understanding sin is the foundation that upholds the preciousness of the gospel, not vice versa. His main aim is not to lead us from gospel to sin, but from sin to gospel. If you have been caught in a crime and are facing trial, and I say to you, "I have a letter here from the Hennepin County Court that they have dropped the charges against you, because you were guilty and liable to severe punishment," what's the point? The point of saying that you were guilty is to help you understand and cherish the good news that the charges are dropped. That's the point of "for" at the beginning of verse 18.
So the way I hope to deal with all the sin in Romans 1:18-3:20 is to let it point us back again and again to the preciousness and the glory and the necessity and the freeness and the joy of the gospel of the gift of God's righteousness. My prayer is that we would escape superficial diagnoses, and that we would cultivate a profound understanding of fallen human nature (which we all struggle with), and that we would come back again and again to the necessity and beauty and freeness of the gospel of justification by faith alone. If these three things can happen, I don't think our time in these chapters will be oppressive, but rather gospel-exalting, hope-giving, and love-producing, as we grow to know ourselves and our God and our gospel more and more deeply.

We Need the Gospel Because the Wrath of God Is Being Revealed

Now how does Paul begin this section in verse 18? He begins it by giving the reason that gospel and a gift of God's righteousness is necessary. It's necessary "because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." We need the gospel of Romans 1:16-17, we need the gift of God's righteousness, because God's wrath is right now being poured out on the whole world of ungodliness and unrighteousness. Notice the double use of the word "unrighteousness" in verse 18. God's wrath is being revealed against "unrighteousness" and the truth is being held down in "unrighteousness." Surely Paul means for us to see that in relation to the revelation of the righteousness in verse 17.
In other words, the reason we need God to reveal HIS righteousness to us in the gospel and give it to us as a gift through faith is because we are unrighteous and resist the truth in unrighteousness and, therefore, God's wrath is against us. We need righteousness. We don't have it. God's wrath is being poured out on us in our unrighteousness. Is there any hope? Yes, the gospel is the power of God to save because in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. We can have a righteousness that is not our own, namely, God's.

Three Ways the Wrath of God Is Being Revealed

Now we should ask, "How is the wrath of God being revealed?" The first thing to notice is that the word "is revealed" is the very same word and tense as in verse 17. There "the righteousness of God is being revealed." Here "the wrath of God is being revealed." In both cases it is a present tense, continuous action. In other words it is happening now, not just in the future. There is a day of wrath coming (Romans 2:5, 8-9; 5:9). But in advance of that final outpouring of wrath, God's wrath is also present.
How? In three ways at least that we learn about in Romans.
1. Universal human death is revealing the wrath of God.
From Romans 5 we see that universal human death is a revealing or a manifestation of the wrath of God. Death is the judgement of God on the ungodliness and unrighteousness of the human race rooted in Adam. In the middle of Romans 5:15 we read, "by the transgression of the one [namely Adam] the many died." Then in the middle of verse 16 death is called a judgment and a condemnation: "For on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation." So you can see that death is seen as a judgment and a condemnation, that is, as an expression of God's wrath against sin. Then in the middle of verse 18 you see it again: "Through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men." So the first answer is that the wrath of God is being revealed against human sin in universal human death.
2. Universal futility and misery are evidence of God's wrath.
From Romans 8 we see that universal futility and misery are evidence of God's wrath against human sin. Start at Romans 8:18: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (19) For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility." Stop there and consider what that means before we read on. I think it means that the sufferings he speaks of in verse 18 are inevitable in this fallen world. And specifically it means that you may plan well for retirement, and the year before you plan to enjoy it you have a stroke, and all the planning seems futile. You work with your own hands for years to build a simple home, and the week before you move in, lightning strikes, and it burns to the ground. You labor all during the spring to plant your crops and when the grain is just ready to sprout, a flood takes it all away. The creation was subjected to futility. In verse 21 it's called "slavery to corruption."
Now read on in Romans 8:20 to see where that subjection to futility came from: "The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope." This means that God subjected the creation to futility. Satan and Adam could not be the one who did this, because Paul said it was done "in hope." Neither Satan nor Adam in the Garden of Eden was planning for the hope of the human race. They simply sinned. But God showed his wrath against sin and subjected creation to futility, not as the last word, but in hope. There would come a day when the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). But the misery and futility of the world we live in is owing to God's subjecting creation to futility, and is a testimony to his wrath against sin.
3. The sinking degradation of human behavior reveals the wrath of God.
So the first way God's wrath is revealed against ungodliness and unrighteousness is in universal human death. The second way is in the futility and misery and suffering of creation. The third is the one most immediately in Paul's mind here in Romans 1, namely, the sinking degradation of human thinking and behavior. You see this three times in Romans 1:24-28.
After describing the ungodliness and unrighteousness of man in Romans 1:19-23 Paul says in verse 24, "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them." In other words, God reveals his wrath against sin by giving people up to be more sinful. Again in verse 26: "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions." And again in verse 28: "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."
So these are three of the ways that the wrath of God is being revealed now in this age against the universal (3:9) ungodliness and unrighteousness of man. He has consigned all to death, he has subjected all to futility, and he has given many over to the degradation of their own minds and hearts.

Wrath Mingled with Mercy

There remains time perhaps for one burning question: Is that God's only response to the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men? The answer to that question is No - neither in the case of unbelievers or believers.
Take the case of unbelievers. Wrath is always mingled with mercy in this age of hope. Look at Romans 2:4-5. Here he speaks to those who are missing this great truth: "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? (5) But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."
Yes there is kindness in the midst of wrath. God is always doing more than one thing. Jesus said, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). Paul said to the pagans of Lystra, "[God] did not leave Himself without a witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). He said this to people who were dying and suffering and sinning under the wrath of God.
God warns with his wrath and he woos with his kindness. He speaks both languages: severity and tenderness. Do you recall how Jesus interpreted the coming of John the Baptist as a severe, leather-girded, locus-eating, desert-living, adultery-condemning prophet, on the one hand, and his own coming as a party-going, wine-making, child-healing, sin-forgiving savior, on the other hand? He said, "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn." Instead, you said, "John has a demon and Jesus is a glutton" (Matthew 11:17). The gospel came with both languages, but they would not hear.
O, unbeliever, God is speaking to you in your pain to warn you, and God is speaking to you in your pleasure to woo you. Don't misread the voice of God.

Death and Suffering and Sin in the Life of a Believer

And to believers, what is our case? According to Romans 1:17 we have the gift of God's righteousness by faith. God's punishment of us was poured out on Jesus who died in our place (Romans 8:3). Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says, "God has not destined us for wrath." What then are our death and our suffering and our sin? Are they still the wrath of God against us? If not what are they? The answer is that death and suffering and sin are not the wrath and condemnation and punishment of our heavenly Father. Each one is fundamentally altered by the gospel of Christ crucified in our place.
1. Death is a gateway into paradise.
For believers, the sting and victory of death have been removed. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). For believers, death is not the wrath of God toward them; it is the last gasp of a defeated enemy who unwittingly opens a door to paradise.
2. Futility and suffering are pathways to holiness.
For believers, futility is removed from suffering. For those who love God and are called according to his purpose "all things work together for our good" (Romans 8:28). Punishment is transformed into purification. Destructive forces become disciplinary forces. And the seeming chaos and futility of life's calamities become the severe, but loving, hand of our Father in heaven, as we learned last year from Hebrews 12.
3. The power of sin is replaced with a love of righteousness.
Finally, not only is the sting of death replaced with hope; and the futility of suffering replaced with meaning; but the dominion and degrading power of sin is replaced with a love of righteousness (the point of Romans 6). God does not give us over to a depraved mind, he gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore let us awaken to the truth of Romans 1:18 that the wrath of God is being revealed now in this age against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of man. We can't understand the world or the gospel without that truth. But let us also awaken to the truth that God is revealing something else at the same time. He is revealing the gift of righteousness for all who will believe on Christ. And with that righteousness there is no wrath or condemnation on us any more. For you (whoever you are!), who believe, death becomes a gateway to paradise; suffering becomes a pathway to holiness; and sin becomes a dethroned enemy that we fight by the power of God's Spirit.
So let us flee the wrath of God, and take refuge in the precious power of the gospel of God. Amen.

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Sin is a Nature:: Facts about the nature of Sin

Sin is a Nature:: Facts about the nature of Sin

   2:00:00 pm       Wisdom de Prince

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WHAT IS THE NATURE OF SIN?

Three Kinds of Sin

Sin has been described as that which is opposed to the character and will of God. Sin is something which has permeated our entire being so that it is virtually impossible to understand who we are without knowing about sin. People sin both in action and attitude.
The apostle Paul described three basic kinds of sin in his epistles. To understand how sin makes us the kind of people we are, it is important to understand each of these three kinds of sin.

Personal Sin

The first kind of sin described in Scripture is personal sin. Comparing Jews and Gentiles, Paul concluded, “For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22-23). A personal sin may be a sin of commission (doing something wrong) or a sin of omission (failing to do something right). Personal sin may be expressed as an act or attitude. Sinful acts are produced by people with sinful attitudes (Mark 7:21). That is why Jesus equated sins like anger with murder (Matt. 5:21-22) and lust with fornication (Matt. 5:27-28).
When we practice personal sin, our fellowship with God is broken (Ps. 66:18). That broken fellowship can be restored as we confess our sins and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). If a person is not a Christian, he or she will not experience fellowship with God until he or she places saving faith in Jesus (Eph. 1:7).
Scripture uses various descriptions of personal sin.These include falling short (Rom. 3:23), going astray (Isa. 53:6), transgression (Ps. 51:1), and trespass (Eph. 2:1).

Sin Nature

The second kind of sin described in Scripture is our sin nature. The word sin occurs in both the singular and plural in the Bible. Usually, when the word occurs as a singular noun, it is referring to the sin nature of people. We all have a sin nature that has been a part of us since the moment we were conceived (Ps. 51:5). The apostle John noted, “If we say that we have no sin (nature), we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
The Bible describes sin as having a negative influence on our intellect (Rom. 1:28) and conscience (1 Tim. 4:2), two aspects of our personality. Therefore our sin nature negatively impacts our personality. Our sin nature influences us to sin (Rom. 5:12). But our sin nature has already been judged on the Cross (Rom. 6:6). While we still have the old nature, we cannot use it as an excuse for sinning because it has been crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:7).

Imputed Sin

The third way sin is described in Scripture is imputed sin. The word impute means “to ascribe to” or “reckon over.” “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). When we make a purchase with a credit card, the value of that purchase is “imputed” to our account. In the same way, the sin of Adam is imputed to the human race which sprang from heaven. This is done because Adam was both the seminal and representative head of the human race. Just as a child partakes in the consequences of the wise or unwise financial investments of a father, so we live with the consequence of the imputed sin of our father Adam.
Also, just as the citizens live with the consequences of decisions made by their representatives in government, so we live with the consequences of our representative’s decision in the Garden of Eden.
Some might view the imputation of Adam’s sin to the human race as somehow unfair or unjustified, but our willingness to so readily engage in sin like Adam suggests we would have done the same thing. Still, God not only imputes Adam’s sin to the human race, but He also offers to impute Christ’s righteousness to all who believe (Rom. 5:21). The biblical remedy for imputed sin is the imputed righteousness of Christ.
n the beginning there was man and there was simplicity. With the ending of that simplicity came sin. Sin can be defined as a “transgression against God’s will” (Knight, 2009) and the first documented transgression against God was Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:6. (Tyndale, 2005) The short comings of Adam and Eve began a world wind of sin as discussed in Genesis chapters 3-11
After God made man (Adam) He put him into a deep slumber and removed from a rib from his body and made Eve. Their lives began honest and sin free within the Garden of Eden. They violated the laws of God when they ate from the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree. They “transgressed” away from God. This first ever act of sin by Adam and Eve …show more content… As Cain cries out to God about the severity of his punishment, God promises to safeguard his life where no harm or revenge for his actions will come to him. Cain is still punished for his acts but God’s love promises to protect him for the rest of his days.
Adam, Eve and Cain all begin the true natural acts of sin. They were thoughtless acts that disobeyed God and made them to turn away from God’s laws if only for a moment. The nature of sin passed along in their lineage to the point of destruction. “The first act of human sinfulness describes the experience of all people”. (Fahlbusch, 2008) This statement is very true in describing how people naturally and carelessly sin without giving it a second thought. Lying, cheating and stealing have become daily occurrences in today’s society. Though no sin is greater than another and judged equally, murderers or judged more heavily and harsher by their peers. Since humans have put a level rating on sin, lies and deceit are more accepted and used because it’s not rated as high as murder or rape.
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Tyndale, 2005) In Genesis 6:5, the heavy amount of sin that is taking place on earth is acknowledged. From this point God begins to implement a plan to erase all sin from the earth. He uses Noah as a vessel to save not only the animals…

God’s Provision for Sin

God created people as the high point of His creation. Although sin has marred that creation, God still loves people and wants what is best for them. The greatest evidence of God’s love for these created beings is seen in what He has done to save them from the sin that threatens to destroy them. Christians who love people like God loves people will want to do their best to help them experience the salvation God has provided for their sin.

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The fallen Christianity:: Bad Leadership in the Church of God

The fallen Christianity:: Bad Leadership in the Church of God

   1:44:00 pm       Wisdom de Prince

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A Lack of Leadership – Bad Leaders”

Leadership is such a vital role to be taken in the Church. We have elders, deacons and in places where there are none able to fill those positions the men of those congregations take the oversight. Leaders need to be considerably careful, as they are the men that will lead us down one path or the other (the straight or broad & wide Matthew 7:13-14).
One problem that seems to plague the Church of Christ is leadership. There are many that I have found in the position of elders that do not meet the Scriptural guidelines of the New Testament. Many are not apt to teach for they have not the knowledge; some have been victims of divorce and broken homes. There are guidelines listed for elders in (Titus 1:5-9, and I Timothy 3:1-11). Paul urged the Ephesian elders with these words. (Acts 20:28) “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Elders need to be leaders that will protect the Church! That is their God given responsibility. There are congregations that want to have an eldership so badly that they appoint unqualified men to hold that office. This is not a cure; it is the exact opposite. It causes the men who take that office to sin, and those who worship with them to sin. Elders need to recognize that they will answer for the actions of the flock. (Hebrews 13:17) “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” October’s issue will deal more with elders and leadership in the Church and should be read by those having or considering a scriptural eldership.
Bad leadership hinders growth because the Church ceases to be biblically centered. We have seen it happen many times. A good elder or even in more cases preachers begin to fall and boy do the followers follow. A preacher will get up and make a statement that is inaccurate to the New Testament, and being ignorant to the word people will follow. The Church needs to be about the truth and teach the truth (I John 1:6-7 and I Timothy 3:15). A way to prevent these things from happening is for the members of each congregation to take it upon themselves to study and note all that is said from the pulpit, as did the Bereans. (Acts 17:10-11) “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” They received the word then examined it in the light of the scriptures to see that it was truth. It was a joy for me in July when a male member of the Church, who has been growing considerably, noticed and mentioned to me that I misquoted the place where a scripture appeared. I was accurate in quoting II Thessalonians 1:8-9, but stated that it was found in I Thessalonians 1:8-9. Not only did he observe the error, but brought the proper placement of the verse to my attention. It was an honest mistake on my part, but a good deed on his. What if that had been a serious error, and I would have taught false doctrine? I would want to know that I did, and it would be the members of the Church jobs to tell me. Elders, Deacons, Preachers, and Teachers are not the only ones that need to study. (II Timothy 2:15) “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Good Christians can detect bad leaders if they know the word of God and are wearing the armor (Ephesians 6:11-17).

How can we identify bad leadership?

First of all leaders are followers just as non-leaders are. We are all subject unto Christ whom is the head of the Body the Church (Ephesians 1:22-23 and Matthew 28:18). Therefore, one sure way to identify bad leadership is to know that they are not following the head of the Church. We can know bad leaders because they do not heed to Christ therefore they become blind and lead the sheep into the ditch. (Matthew 15:12-14) “Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” The last thing that Christ wants is His people being lead astray. We need to be sure that the leaders of the Church are not hindering spiritual growth. If they are, we need to apply the scriptures and do that which is right before God.
It is the word of God that is our guide (Psalms 119:105), without the light of the Gospel we would fall into darkness. (II Corinthians 4:4) “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Regardless of whether or not we have elders, let’s let Christ lead us in the paths of righteousness. After all, it will be his words that we are going to be judged by (John 12:48).
Let us all study, continue to grow in knowledge, and we will prevent the Church from having bad leadership. Bad leadership will hinder spiritual growth! We need to change our lack of leaders into men whom desire the office of an elder, and study their way to the knowledge required living their lives as a light unto this presently dark world.

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The path ways of the Grace of God

The path ways of the Grace of God

   12:31:00 pm       Wisdom de Prince

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The path ways of the Grace of God

I can flip a switch, but I don’t provide the electricity. I can turn on a faucet, but I can’t make the water flow.
There will be no light and no liquid refreshment without someone else providing it.
And so it is, in a limited sense, for the Christian with the ongoing grace of God. His grace is essential for our spiritual lives, but we don’t control the supply. We can’t make the grace flow, but God has given us circuits to connect and pipes to open in case it’s there.
Our God is lavish in his grace, often liberally dispensing his favor without even the least bit of cooperation and preparation on our part. But he also has his regular channels. And we can routinely avail ourselves of these revealed paths of blessing, or neglect them to our detriment.

The Places Where the Grace Keeps Passing

“The essence of the Christian life,” says one seasoned saint, “is learning to fight for joy in a way that does not replace grace.” We cannot earn God’s grace or make it flow apart from his free gift. But we can position ourselves to go on getting should he keep giving. We can “fight to walk in the paths where he has promised his blessings” (John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, 43–44). We can ready ourselves for receiving along his regular route sometimes called “the spiritual disciplines.”
Such practices are not fancy or highfalutin. They are the stuff of everyday, basic Christianity — unimpressively mundane, but spectacularly potent by the Spirit. While there’s no final and complete list of such spiritual disciplines, the long tally of helpful habits can be clustered into three big groups: hearing God’s voice, having God’s ear, and being with God’s people. Or simply: word, prayer, and fellowship. These were called “the means of grace” by previous generations. “The doctrine of the disciplines,” says J.I. Packer, “is really a restatement and extension of classical Protestant teaching on the means of grace” (Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 9). Whatever the term, the key is that God has revealed certain channels through which he regularly pours out his favor. And we’re foolish not to take his word on it. What “Means of Grace” Means To put means with grace might endanger the free nature of grace. But it need not do so — not if the means are coordinate with receiving and the exertions of effort are graciously supplied. Which is emphatically the case for the Christian. Here there is no ground for boasting.
“All our exertions toward the goal of Christlikeness are gifts of grace.” Tweet Share on Facebook The one on whom we lean is “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10). He not only elects the undeserving without condition, and works in them the miracle of new birth and the gift of faith, but he also freely declares them righteous by that faith, and begins supplying the flow of spiritual life and energy to experience the joy of increasing Christlikeness. God’s immense flood of grace not only sees us as holy in Christ, but also progressively produces holy desires in us. It is grace to be forgiven of sinful acts, and grace to be supplied the heart for righteous ones. It is grace that we are increasingly “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29), and grace that he doesn’t leave us in the misery of our sin but pledges to bring to completion the good work he has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). For the glory of God, the good of others, and the satisfaction of our souls, the goal of the Christian life is such Christlikeness, or godliness, or holiness rightly understood. And all our exertions of effort toward that goal are gifts of grace.

Train Yourself for Godliness

Yes, it is grace, and yes, we expend effort. And so Paul says to his protégé, “Train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). Discipline yourself for growth. Take regular action to get more of God in your mind and your heart, and echo him in your life — this is “godliness.” It’s a gift, and we receive it as we become it.
Paul’s own reliance on God for ongoing grace is a powerful testimony to this means-of-grace dynamic. He says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “by the grace of God I am what I am . . . . I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” God’s grace didn’t make Paul passive, but supplied the energy for discipline, and every ounce of energy expended was all of grace.
Or Romans 15:18, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.” Jesus’s grace didn’t mean accomplishing this purpose despite Paul, or apart from him, but through him. Where does Paul get the power to labor and expend such spiritual effort? “I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29).

How to Receive the Gift of Effort

This dynamic is true not because Paul is an apostle, but because he is a Christian. So, he says to every believer, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” because of this great promise: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). And so, the author of Hebrews closes his magisterial epistle with a prayer for God’s “working in us that which is pleasing in his sight” (Hebrews 13:20–21). The way to receive the gift of God’s empowering our actions is to do the actions. If he gives the gift of effort, we receive that gift by expending the effort. When he gives the grace of growing in holiness, we don’t receive that gift apart from becoming more holy. When he gives us the desire to get more of him in his word, or in prayer, or among his people, we don’t receive that gift without experiencing the desire and living the pursuits which flow from it.

Lay Yourself in the Way of Allurement

Zacchaeus may have been a wee little man, but he modeled this big reality by positioning himself along the path of grace. He couldn’t force Jesus’s hand, he couldn’t make grace flow, but he could put himself along the path where Grace was coming (Luke 19:1–10). The same was true of blind Bartimaeus (Luke 18:35–43). He couldn’t earn the restoration of his sight, but he could position himself along the route of grace where Jesus might give the gift as he passed that way.
“Typically, the grace that sends our roots deepest streams from ordinary and unspectacular paths.” Tweet Share on Facebook “Think of the Spiritual Disciplines,” says Don Whitney, “as ways we can place ourselves in the path of God’s grace and seek him as Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus placed themselves in Jesus’s path and sought him” (Spiritual Disciplines, 19). Or, as Jonathan Edwards puts it, we can “endeavor to promote spiritual appetites by laying yourself in the way of allurement.”
God’s regular channels of grace are his word, his ear, and his people. So often, he showers his people with unexpected favor. But typically the grace that sends our roots deepest, truly grows us up in Christ, and produces lasting spiritual maturity, streams from the ordinary and unspectacular paths of fellowship, prayer, and Bible intake in its many forms.
While these simple “means of grace” may seem as unimpressive as everyday switches and faucets, through them God regularly stands ready to give his true light and the water of life.

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Holiness by the Grace of God

Holiness by the Grace of God

   9:01:00 am       Wisdom de Prince

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Holiness by Grace: Delighting in the Joy That Is Our Strength

"Be Holy, because I am holy." –1 Peter 1:16

How can God expect us to be as holy as he is? Isn't it unrealistic, given that he is infinitely pure and we are clearly imperfect? Such a standard seems either to ignore our frailty or to impose certain failure–until we understand how God views us. Then we are reminded that, thanks to what Christ accomplished on our behalf, our perfection is not the requirement for entering his kingdom. Yet that very grace still calls us to live righteously–for the sake of our well-being, yes, but most of all, because it glorifies God.
In this challenging yet heartwarming work, Bryan Chapell illustrates the principles of grace, the practices of faith, and the motives of love in living a life of holiness. You will journey through reassuring Scripture passages that show good works and obedience to be, not a means of establishing or maintaining salvation, but a grateful response to God's mercy. And in Bryan Chapell's encouraging words–drawn straight from the heart of God–you will understand that your holiness is not so much a matter of what you achieve as it is the grace that God provides. A grace so rich as to make the pursuit of his holiness your soul's deepest delight.

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