by hope14me

The Impact of Sin and God’s Grace

since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] [c]grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ JesusRomans 3:23-24AMP

The Gospel: Sin

The Gospel speaks directly to the cause, ramifications, and cure for sin. As Christians, we don’t talk much about sin. It’s almost as if we talk about it, we’ll be more inclined to actually sin. Trust me, sin really isn’t contagious. It’s dormant in us already. Like a dormant virus under the surface of our lives, sin is alive and well just looking for a chance to creep up and distort everything that God has for us.

Sin is like that mysterious bug. It often begins with a small, tempting action that is easily dismissed, much like a single bug getting into the house.It creeps by and causes lasting havoc. It takes a proactive and sometimes painful process to identify and deal with sin.  If ignored, one sin can lead to others, spreading and multiplying like an infestation throughout your life.

The Gospel shows us what sin is. Sometimes it’s hard to hear, but we need to hear it.  The Gospel invites us to ponder the consequences of sinful behavior. We need this perspective to really understand the lasting cost of sin.
The Gospel points us to a cure. You can’t fix yourself. You need rescue. You need someone unaffected, pure and able to rescue you.

This is the Gospel: God, limitless in authority and power was determined to provide an adequate solution to the disastrous pain of sin.
The separation that sin has caused between humanity and God needed resolve. Jesus came to be the perfect and full payment for sin. We can enter back into harmonious relationship with God through faith in Jesus and true repentance. 

There is still one who is able to put himself completely in your place, the Lord JesusChrist, who ‘because he has suffered and himself been tempted is able to help those who are tempted.’”— Three Discourses at Friday Communion

Reflections:

  • Why Owning Our Sin Opens the Door to Growth-
  • Our Universal Condition (Romans 3:23).
    Recognizing this truth keeps us from excusing ourselves or elevating ourselves above others.
  • In what ways can acknowledging sinfulness lead to spiritual growth and humility?-• It drives us to grace: “and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24)
  • It ends self-deception: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
  • It invites cleansing: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Prayer: Help me be more aware and mindful of the damage that sin causes. Help me be proactive about ridding my life of sin and sinful tendencies. Empower me to live in freedom and not bondage to sin.

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