December 15 Sin
“World of sin”
Pray
Holy God, save me from presuming upon Your mercy, and from deliberately minimizing my offences. Open my eyes to the truth about myself, so that I may know the wonder of salvation, in Christ my Lord. Amen.
Read – John 16:8
“When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment”.
Reflect
No-one talks about sin any more, or so we are led to believe. “Sin” sounds too much like Victorian moralism, the disapproving glare of a maiden aunt. “Judge not” they remind us, “lest you also be judged,” missing the point that God requires us to know the difference between good and evil, even though we leave the final judgment up to Him. Sin has been replaced by complaints about poor environment or inadequate education. We bend over backwards to excuse bad behavior. We don’t want to be the ones who accuse. Even preachers fall into the habit. “Accentuate the positive,” we hear. “Don’t upset people. Don’t mention sin.”
The Bible is clear about sin: it is the inclination of the heart to choose that which is contrary to God’s Law. Ever since Adam’s Fall human beings have had a propensity for sin. We are rebellious creatures. Worse still, our choices alienate us from our holy God. We are lost, without hope, unless God comes to our rescue.
In Bethlehem, God came to our rescue. Jesus was God’s answer to the alienation caused by sin. Into a rebellious world, God sent His Son to overcome the power and penalty of sin, and to reconcile us to Himself. That’s the Gospel. When we fail to warn those who do not believe of the dangers they face without Christ; when our presentation of the Christian message is saccharine sweet, avoiding both the condemnation of sin and the call to righteousness, then the gospel we proclaim is false. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Nothing less will do.
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