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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Saved From Sin


“Saved from sin” is a biblical term that is used in Romans 6 and Matthew 1:21 and is often misunderstood.  Sin is the enemy of God.  The idea of the term “transgression” is to rebel, “turn the back” to God.  Sin involves the element of rejection of God’s control and God’s will for our lives in a willful act of defiance.  God says left and we say right.  This is the nature of sin.  When I say that I am saved from sin, I mean that I am delivered, from the heart, from that power that would turn me away from God and his will.  Sin has no more power over me to force me into its submission. 

 My Jesus is not a weak Savior.  When He delivers, he not only delivers from the penalty of sin and forgives, he delivers from the power of sin and saves.  Romans 6:14 tells us that sin "shall not have dominion over you".  Unbelief will keep us from accepting that the blood of Christ can have this power to keep a person free from committing willful sin.   God foretold in Ezekiel 36:26 that he would give us a new heart, a changed heart.   I cannot live free from sin without this new heart.  That is like trying to drive a car with no motor.  Impossible.   I believe many professed Christians simply grow up with religion and have never stopped to check their engine.  So they come to the conclusion that it just cannot be done because they have been so unsuccessful.   They begin to believe that no one can truly live right all the time, 24/7.  But this is what Jesus truly died for.  Read Romans 8:1, I John 3:8-10.

 What sin is it that I am forced to commit?  Is there one that I just have to do?  If so, how can God hold me accountable for any of it?  If I am saved or delivered, what am I delivered from?

               If there is anything that separates man from God, it’s sin.  Today, in our feel good world, the emphasis in life is do whatever feels right to you.  In other words, the only Law we have to worry about is our own personal laws of right and wrong.  However, God’s law is the standard for morality.  Mankind, who came from God’s design, contains within his soul the seed of moral law  but that moral understanding was corrupted  and blinded by sin.  The bible tells us what sin will do to any human.  It will blind them.  It will bind them.  It will separate them from peace with God.  It will make them feel comfortable and right when their relationship with God can be going very wrong.  The very nature of sin is deception.

Sin will keep your soul, mind and heart blinded to the truth until it has taken you for all you are worth. Sin will rob you of relationships, time, money, opportunities, strength of conviction, reputation, character,   and peace of mind.   This is why one iota of sin should not be tolerated in our lives.  It is as dangerous as gas and sparks.  It will quickly do its work and we will have little power over it.  “when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin when it is finished brings forth death”.   It  will convince us that we are doing the right thing when we know that we are floundering in a sea of wrongdoings.  Sin will get us to ignore all of the stop signs, warning signals and flares, and feel as if everything will turn out ok.   The only problem is that the end result  of  a sinful life is eternal separation from God.
              Although all men may not admit it, but our soul, when we die desires to have peace with God. However,  sin will bind me to stay just as I am, with no change or move toward the solution of the Blood of Christ.  What does it take for God to get us to move or change?  We are often so involved in life or the imitation of it, that God has to get our attention and cause us to look up somehow.  Sometimes this is done through adversity.  Troubles can be  good for us, because they cause us to look for solutions outside of ourselves.  This is often the hand of God.  Anything that causes me to seek God is a blessing, even when it might seem like a curse.  Ultimately God wants my soul to be saved from the power of sin.  He wants to release me from the bondage that sin carries with it. 

               If a con artist wants your money, he is not going to get it by making you feel suspicious of what he is doing.  He will try to make you feel as comfortable about your decision you as you could possibly feel.  He will tell you anything that will make you release your money to him, or let down your guard.  He will give you any assurance necessary.  Whatever you are worried about, he has an answer for it.  Whatever your concerns, they are unfounded because of any number of “on the spot” , “off the cuff” reasons he can think of.  This is the nature of the con.  Think about it.  How did Bernie Madoff get so many intelligent people to hand him their life savings and feel great doing it. He convinced them they were doing, not only the right thing, but the best thing. He convinced them that they were smarter or luckier than the other guy out there who did not know about this opportunity, and that life had bestowed a seed of knowledge upon them. They were smarter than their peers were.  They were special.

               Sadly, those investors found out that they had been bamboozled. This is exactly what sin will do for you.   Disobedience to God’s law is no joke.  The negative effect on our souls is devastating.  We should never treat sin lightly.  Any saved person that treats sin casually, has lost their vision.  God is so adamant about staying free from sin and its influences that he tells us in Ephesians to not partake of other men’s sins, keep ourselves pure.  He encourages us to reprove sin and not go along with wrongdoing in other people.   This is the mark of spiritual heat and a Spirit filled life.  The Holy Spirit will not let us go along with wrongdoing in ourselves or anyone else.  He will keep us free and clear from all sin and it is only his grace and power that does this miracle.