We have allowed the subtle idols to hold places in our hearts and experienced the consequences of our sinful idolatry in our life. For those of the faith, we must be willing to delve into the sources of our idolatry and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ throughout our lives.
Mankind makes terrible gods, but God makes the perfect man. He provides the example for a failed humanity while redeeming their very existence. We worship God by submitting to Him with all that we are while rejecting the idolatry of the flesh that elevates anything above perfect God who bore flesh.
Mankind makes terrible gods, but God makes the perfect man. He provides the example for a failed humanity while redeeming their very existence. We worship God by submitting to Him with all that we are while rejecting the idolatry of the flesh that elevates anything above perfect God who bore flesh.
Whenever one brings up the issue of “worship” immediately, it seems that everyone garners a preconceived notion of what worship is, how everyone should do it, and ultimately, how the way do it is far superior to everyone else’s. People have left churches over issues of worship style. Arguments have stirred up controversy as to…
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We like to believe that Jesus and Satan actively battle for the souls and lives of mankind., each trying to beat the other in some divine spiritual competition. We share images of Jesus and Satan standing face to face as if they are preparing for a boxing match with the outcome largely unknown. Nothing could be further from the truth. For Jesus, there is no contest between the defunct fallen angel and the Son of God and ruler of all creation. Maintaining Divine rule over all creation requires nothing beyond the instrinsic personhood that He naturally exerts. Bringing salvation to mankind by becoming incarnate had been the plan from the beginning, not a plan B in response to sin. Rather, the work of Christ paved the only path for our return. While hugely momentous and the turning point of creation, for Jesus Christ, this event displayed the ordinary activities for a God incarnate who does the extraordinary for the unworthy.
A Christian cannot have a reasonable discussion of sin and the consequences of sin without mentioning the crux of the Gospel; Jesus Christ died for sinners and offers forgiveness for their sins. Discussions of sin often become bogged down in either the acts of sin themselves or bypass any mention of sin, allowing people to continue in their sin. As we discussed in our previous post, the sin separated us from the fullness of God’s presence and made us deserving of death and separation from God. Yet, in God’s gracious mercy, by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we have the opportunity to not only be forgiven from our sins but also enter into the fullness of God’s presence. We have been forgiven from our sins. We lay before the cross of Jesus Christ, pouring our sin out on Christ, knowing that he sustains us and forgives us. Furthermore, we have the opportunity to forgive ourselves and forgive one another. No matter the sin that we have done or the distance that we have traveled from God, everyone is offered the forgiveness in Jesus Christ and can extend the same forgiveness to one another.
At the beginning of time, God created everything and it declared it good, with everything how God intended it to exist. For a brief period of time, mankind lived in paradise, walking with God in intimate relationship and communion with the High King of heaven. Then, through the introduction of sin, the paradise created for the glory of God and the enjoyment of mankind became tainted by the corruptions of sin. We live in this world, where the effects of sin affect our daily life. To understand the problem of sin, we must go back to the beginning, to the moment where man introduced sin to the perfect paradise of creation. God had set mankind free in the garden of Eden to enjoy and gave one restriction; one tree they cannot eat its fruit. The serpent deceived Adam and Eve, enticing them to doubt the goodness and righteousness of God by eating the forbidden fruit. In that moment, Adam and Eve chose the promise that they would die for their actions, rather than enjoy the paradise God prepared for them. The sin of Adam is the sin of mankind who routinely chooses in false god’s and false promises. Yet, despite sin, God gives hope to mankind despite the rebellion of standing against God.
Whenever tragedy strikes, people move very quickly to determine the cause of the problem. These debate quickly devolve into name calling, finger pointing, and the useless jabbering of politicians and pundits all ignoring the root cause of pain and suffering. The issue has always been sin, the issue is still sin, and the issue will continue to be sin until we arrive on the other side of eternity by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. In more recent history, there has been an increase in calls to diminish the problem of issue and the response of prayer. Some, even from those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. In doing so, they neglect the grip of sin on the lives of mankind, and, even more dangerous, they diminish the message and power of the Gospel that Jesus saves mankind from our sins but His glorious grace. It seems, in our effort to be non-offensive and seeker friendly, we have forgotten what sin is and what it does to everyone sin encounters. Understanding the nature of sin does not seek to heap on condemnation on a person, but rather to make much of the Gospel of that Jesus Christ came to save us. It is only when we understand the depths of our depravity that we can begin to grasp great richness of grace.
The angel sat on the stone and informed the women of Jesus’ resurrection. The women ran and told the disciples who investigated and reported that Jesus no longer resided in the grave. The word spread throughout the country for all to hear; Jesus rose from the grave. He had returned. Over the next few days he appeared to His disciples and various other persons and they experienced the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Where once the King died, now He reigns victorious over heaven and earth, over death and life.
I like to believe that everyone held out hope until the very end. Surely, this was not how the Savior would die. This was not the death befitting a King, let alone the Savior of mankind. Had Jesus’ mission failed? Was this a sign that the reasons Christ came had not been accomplished? For us today, we are able to review scripture and see that the death of Jesus Christ did not indicate that the mission had failed but rather that the consequences of our sins had been fulfilled. Christ died a grueling death, arduous and straining for His last breaths until the end. This was the moment, the crescendo of all human history coming to an apex here. The world would be forever changed by the events of today and the spiritual fates of mankind would awaken to the fullness of a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Yet, in this moment, there was the pain of the people standing by watching friend, son, teacher, and prophet’s life come to a brutal close. Even worse, Jesus died on the cross, a sinners death, trusting in the fullness of God.
