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Faith Dimensions invites you to understand more fully the subject
of Righteousness by Faith
This is a series of twenty Christ-centered messages from the dynamic new book
and Study Guide
entitled 95 THESES, by Morris Venden.
Now with today's message on Sin here is pastor Morris Venden.
One day, my aunt came to me when I was a boy and she said: "Son, I have a heavy duty question
for you". "I'd like you to tell me when a man jumps off a bridge where is he when he
jumps"? "Well,"— I said, "that's no problem, he is in the air when he jumps". "No,"—
she said, "that after he jumps. I want you to tell me where he is when he jumps". "Well,"—
I said, "that still isn't a problem, because if he's not in the air when he jumps then
he's on the bridge when he jumps". "No,"— she said, "that's before he jumps. Where is
he when he jumps"? Well, I'll lay awake at night over that one and maybe you will too.
But there's a more practical question, that sounds a little similar. It goes right back
to the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. When did Eve sin? When she ate the apple or before
she ate the apple? I'd like to remind you, that she ate the apple after she sinned. And
there is something that went before. And that's one of our purposes in studying
this question today. The question of sin — is a heavy duty question.
We can't escape it. None of us have escaped it. We are painfully aware that we were born
in a world of sin. And as a result in all kinds of trouble and pain and heartache. So,
let's take a look today at what the Bible has to say on the question of sin.
There are two approaches to it that we could use. Looking at it through two different sets
of glasses. First of all, through the behavior glasses. And secondly, through relationship
glasses. At first, the difference between these two
schools of thought could look like a mirror crack in the sidewalk. But if we're not careful,
that crack in the sidewalk will become the Grand Canyon later on. So, how you come down
on the answer to this question — is extremely crucial. And it has a great deal of bearing
on the whole theme of righteousness by faith. Alright, how does the behaviorist defined
sin? There's a well-known text, in 1John the 3rd chapter, verse 4. It says:
"Sin is the transgression of the law". For a long time people who look at sin primarily
as behavior, or performance, or doing bad things, bad deeds, have looked at this text
and use this text. And it's true, that legalistically speaking, forensically speaking, this is the
only definition for sin, in Scripture. But there's a far deeper issue than simply doing
bad things. If sin was nothing more than doing bad things, then all we'd have to do to become
righteous will be to stop doing bad things. Stop doing wrong. And this would lead to an
external kind of religion that the Pharisees the days of Christ were victims of. And Jesus
gave them bad march. Well, what is a deeper issue in sin? It's
the issue that the relationist looks at. As we look at it through relativist's glasses,
that his relationship with God, then the real issue in sin is separation from God. And this
is where you read in John the 16th chapter, verses 8 and 9 about the deeper cause.
There Jesus describes the Holy Spirit. Now, that when the Holy Spirit comes he will convict
the world of sin. And then he said: "Of sin, because they believe not on me".
Another word for believe is trust. Or of sin, because they trust not on Me. So, the real
issue is whether or not we're trusting in God, trusting in Jesus.
Go way back to before the beginning as far as we know it. Let's go back to Lucifer in
Heaven. That's where sin began, as you know. Now, Lucifer did not become a sinner by stealing
apples off of the tree life. There was something have been going on long before this. He had
begun to think that he was big enough to be his own god. He was big enough to separate
from his allegiance and trust and dependence on God and to go on alone. In other words,
he was a victim of the deeper issue in sin, which is separation from God. Anyone, who
lives a life apart from God is a victim of sin, regardless of what he does, right or
wrong. That's beside the point. And then the sins that follow, are simply an automatic
result for the person who chooses to live life apart from God.
So, when did Eve sin? Well, she sinned when she distrusted God's Word, distrusted God's
warning. Decided that she was smart enough and wise enough to depend on herself, to trust
in herself, to leave Adam's side and to wander away from God unto forbidden ground. And the
eating of the apple or a bad deed was simply the result of her sin.
We might call then the deeper issue of sin — sin singular. Sin singular is mankind
minus God. That's what results in sin singular. And this results in sins plural. Doing bad
things. Doing wrong things. Well, as we consider this then we understand
better a text has found in Romans the fourteenth chapter, verse 23. There the Apostle Paul
says: "... whatsoever is not of faith is sin".
So, anything we do, but is not done through faith, faith in God, trust in God, trust in
Christ — is sin. It makes no difference whether it is good or bad.
Well, why is it sin? Because we have a problem. We were born in this world sinful. And the
first symptom of being born sinful is self-centeredness. Which means that apart from God we can only
do even good deeds for bad reasons. For instance, let's illustrate. Take a widow
across a street. She needs her lawn mowed. So, I go over there and I mow her lawn. I
do a good deed. But I can do it for a number of reasons. If I'm a genuine Christian and
know God and His love, I can do it out of pure love. Or if I'm living life apart from
God, have no time for Him, then I'm invariably going to do it for selfish reasons. We can
list a number of possibilities. I'm going to go on vacation I need the widow to water
my lawn while I'm gone, so I'll be sure and mow her lawn ahead of time. So, that she will
scratch my back when I'm gone. Or, I want to have a good reputation in the eyes of the
neighbors and so, I'm thinking of myself in that regard. Or, I've heard that the widow
has a good deal put away somewhere and she's teetering on the edge and I'm hoping she'll
remember me in her will. There are all kinds a bad reasons for doing good deeds.
So, whatever I do that is not done through faith is sin. And we should stop thinking
of it simply in terms of a bad behavior. Some of the worst people around in the days of
Christ where the good people. They were good people that crucified Jesus. They weren't
the bad people. The bad people came in flocked around Jesus: the sinners, the harlots and
the thieves. But the good people put Him to death. Why? Because they were secure and smug
in their own goodness. And they were victims of the worst kind of badness. They were so
busy depending upon themselves and their own track record, and their good deeds, and their
external morality, that they have no time to recognize Jesus when He was here.
Well, how did sin enter this world? We know how it began in Heaven. How did it enter this
world? Romans the fifth chapter tells us about this. Verse 12 and verse 19:
"... by one man's sin many were made sinners". How many? The Bible says — ALL. By one man's
sin. That's a sad story. And some people don't like that. Like the man who came to repair
my washing machine, there on the back porch. He didn't believe in God because he couldn't
accept any being that would allow millions to suffer because of one man's sin. But there's
something good in that text that balances the score. Even though one man sinned and
many were made sinners, because of One Man — Jesus, many are made righteous. How many?
As many as will receive Him, and accept of His Great Salvation. But Romans 5 is very
clear that because of our inheritance, our forefathers, we are all born sinful.
What does that mean — we are born sinful or we are born separated from God? Now, the
Bible is clear that we are born that way from the very beginning. For instance, the fifty-eighth
Psalm, verse 3. David said it: "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they
go astray as soon as they are born". Or someone says: "That's the wicked". Well,
how many do we have in this world who are righteous? Romans, the third chapter is very
clear on that: "As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one". So, everyone is born estranged, or separated
from God, from the womb. We go astray, as soon as we are born. And the first symptom,
as we've noticed, is self-centeredness. So, all you have to do to be a sinner is to get
yourself born. And most of us have succeeded on that one!
There are some however among the behaviorists, who think of sin only in terms of performance
and deeds, outward actions. They claim that the only way that we become sinners is by
doing some sinning. "You have to do some sinning",— they say, "to become a sinner". That's based
upon a little slip of logic which goes something like this: in order to be a skier you have
to do some skiing. You don't become a skier by buying in the skis, or by having a lift
ticket, or by traveling to the slopes in the winter. You have to get on the skis and go
down the hill. You have to do some skiing to be a skier. And they say about swimming:
"You have to do some swimming to be a swimmer". You can't be a swimmer just because you read
a book about it, or because you own the lake, or have a swimming suit. You have to do some
swimming to be a swimmer. Therefore, their conclusion is: in order to be a sinner you
have to do some sinning. Well, there's a little part that's left out
that kind of a logic. The Bible makes it clear — that we are sinners
by inheritance. I happen to be a Norwegian, but I didn't have to do any Norwegian in order
to be a Norwegian. All I had to do was get born of Norwegian parents and I was a Norwegian.
I had no choice in the matter. And that's the ballpark that we're talking about, when
we talk about the inheritance of sin. There something wrong with our first births.
And there are a long list of texts that we could use to try and prove from the Bible
that we are sinful by nature, children of wrath and so forth. But we don't have to read
all those texts. All we have to do is consider John the third chapter. John 3.
John 3 tells us that: "... no one can see the kingdom of God, unless
he's born again". That was that dialogue that Jesus had with
Nicodemus. He said: "Truly",— he said, "truly I say to you,
no one can see the Kingdom of God, unless they're born again".
That means that there's something wrong with our first birth. What is it that wrong with
our first birth? We're born sinful. Again, the issue is — we are born a strange or
separated from God. And the painful fact is — we would have remained so for ever if
it hadn't been for the Friendly Arms, of a Cross, on the public hill. Now, one of the
major questions that come up we talk about sin is this: Does God hold us accountable
for being born sinful? There was a Catholic father by the name of
Augustine, that some people thought was a saint. Who came along with quite a foundation
for Catholic teaching. He came up with what he called his "doctrine of original sin".
Really, it isn't quite labeled right. It should have been called — "the doctrine of original
gilt". His doctrine is this that mankind is born sinful. Yes. But he is also held accountable
for it. Therefore, he is not only born sinful but born guilty. And because of his teaching
the people that follow him had to come up with a some other teachings that are not Biblical,
in order for people to be saved. For instance, infant baptism.
And in order to try explain how Jesus could be born sinless of human parentage, the doctrine
the immaculate conception followed. This based upon this idea that we are born sinful held
accountable for it. Now I believe in 1/2 over Augustine's doctrine of original sin. I believe
that the Bible teach us "original sin", if you want to call it that, but the bible does
not teach that we're held accountable for it. Ezekiel 18 verse 20 says:
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not be held responsible or accountable
for the sin of his father but for his own". So, people don't die in this world because
of inherited sin — they die because they are sinful themselves, as far as the first
death is concerned. But that's not the one that matters. It's the other death — the
second death that matters. And God has never held us accountable for being born sinful
when it comes to His offer of Eternal Life. If He was holding us accountable, then He
could not be the God of Love. Follow with me a little bit of logic: point
1, 2, 3. Number 1. God is a God of Love. Do you believe
that? God is a God of Love. Most everyone is familiar with the Bible or christian at
all. I would have a hard time denying that. Although some people question that deep down
inside, because of some experiences they've had. But if God is a God of Love — Number
1, then there follows another statement that you may or may not agree with — God is responsible
for us being born in the world of sin. Oh, you say: "No, no, no. Satan is responsible
for the world of sin. That's true, but that isn't what we said.
Number 2 is — God is responsible for us being born here. It wasn't the devil who was
responsible for us being born here. He has never been in charge of life. Not even father
or mother. They're only sort of "go-betweens". God has always been the Author of Life. And
He is the One responsible for you being born in the world of sin. Even though the devil
is responsible for the world of sin. Now, if these first two premises are correct,
then premise number 3 is inevitable. God would have to give everyone born in this world and
adequate opportunity for something better, for salvation. Or He wouldn't be a God of
Love. And that's why the friendly Cross arose on the public hill, even though it was a lonely
place for the Lord Jesus. There's good news, the good news of the Gospel
— that there's been provisioned made for sin.
Sometimes, you don't like to talk about sin, but I like to talk about sin for one main
reason: it makes Jesus look so good! 1 Corinthians 15 tells us (this is the good news of the
Gospel): "Christ died for our sins according to the
Scripture". There's a story that was told about the troops
over there in Europe after World War I. The armistice had been signed, and the american
soldiers were restless in camp anxious to get home, to their own country. But there's
no way to get home early. There's lot of red tape, and processing, and transporting. So,
they waited restlessly in camp until one day an important messenger came to camp. It was
a fantastic news! That everyone who was so many meters and so many centimeters tall was
one in to march in a Victory parade. Down the streets of Paris, and down the streets
over Rome, and London, and New York! A chance to get home early. Well, the measurement was
in the European metric system and they didn't know how tall I was, they had forgotten how
to convert it, and so they were frantic trying to find out how tall this exact height was,
so they could march in the Victory parade. Well, the commanding officer was gone and
the meter stick was locked up in his office. So, the troop spent their day measuring themselves
against each other to see who was the tallest, and to try and guess who would be able to
go on the Victory parades. Well, by the end of the day they all knew
how tall they were in comparison with Slim. Slim, he was a tall lanky soldier from Texas.
They all measured against Slim, except for Shorty. He was a little pudgy guy that didn't
even try. He knew he never make it in the Victory parade. At the close of the day the
commanding officer got back, and they rushed to him with the news on the message. He went
to his office he took out a meter stick. And he made a mark against the wall. "Now",—
he said, "we'll see who's going to march on the Victory parade".
One by one the soldiers backed up against that mark. And one by one they went away disappointed
— they did not measure up. Finally it came Slim's turn. And Slim stood against the mark
as straight and tall as he could. But he was just a couple centimeters too short. Slim
didn't get to go either. And of course Shorty didn't even try.
When I heard that story, I remember the Bible text:
"... for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God".
There are some people that stand taller than others in this world. There are some who have
more backbone and self-discipline, who look better. Who can perform nicer than the weak
people. There are Shorties and there are Slims, but no one gets to march in the victory parade
down the streets of the City of God, because all have sinned and come short.
There's only one chance because of a Man Who came from a far Country. He understands our
dilemma, He knows our plight. And He comes with His Hands raised to Heaven. In those
Hands are the marks of nails. And He says: "I've come to take the sinner's place. To
die for him and to give him power to become a son of God, and to enable him to someday
March in the Victory parade". That's the good news that comes after we've
taken a look at the bad news of sin. So, I have bad news and good news for you
today. I've given you the bad news first, and finally the good news.
Here it is, once more, in Roland the eighth chapter, the first two verses:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of life in Christ Jesus has made me
free from the law of sin and death". Don't forget it neighbor,
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life".
Shall we pray. Dear Father in Heaven, we're thankful for
the good news of Jesus! That He came to save sinners! We're thankful we don't have to look
to only a few short years here on this planet Earth! But that Eternal life has been provided
and promised! Please help us today as we look away from ourselves to You. Help us to understand
the deeper issue in the coming a close relationship with Heaven. Through prayer in the study of
Your Word! We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen. Well, that's the good news for the planet
Earth, where there are four things that God does not know:
God does not know a sin He does not hate; God does not know a sinner He does not love;
God does not know a sin He won't forgive; and God does not know a better time than now.