The problem of sin
"All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." Psalm 14:3
Why is this the case? Has God set impossibly high standards that no human can achieve? Many people look at the law in the Bible and would say that God's standard is too high. How can he expect us not to bend the truth slightly or lust after women or to enjoy the power we've gained from years of hard work.
As ever the answer is Jesus. He died to cancel out all of our past failings, the years in which we never could meet God's standard and he rose again to provide us who are in him the opportunity to share in his risen, eternal life. The key turning point for us is when we want to be with Jesus because being with him means sharing in his death, sharing in his death means we die to the old godless way of living and rising with him means we are reborn to live a life with God firmly at the centre.
This new life begins with receiving God's holy spirit which comes to live within us. This is how God assists us in keeping his law because by coming to live inside us he has promised to write the law on our hearts. We can know this to be true because firstly it is written about in Jeremiah:
The Church has a reputation for judging people too strongly and condemning where the world sees nothing to condemn. I could go into all the issues but I'm sure you are already aware of them, issues of sexuality, power and greed. Many churches judge those who are sexually active, those who abuse power and those who are greedy for material things. However Jesus makes it clear that it is not our place to judge it is his.
We all want to say that we are good people that we hold true to the ten commandments and maybe give a bit to charity but the Bible is clear that without God we cannot be good. It's staggering to think that so many of the people we know, who are lovely, are not viewed as good in God's eyes.
We all want to say that we are good people that we hold true to the ten commandments and maybe give a bit to charity but the Bible is clear that without God we cannot be good. It's staggering to think that so many of the people we know, who are lovely, are not viewed as good in God's eyes.
Why is this the case? Has God set impossibly high standards that no human can achieve? Many people look at the law in the Bible and would say that God's standard is too high. How can he expect us not to bend the truth slightly or lust after women or to enjoy the power we've gained from years of hard work.
God's law was not put in place to imprison it was actually a means to set us free. Think of it as a light illuminating the path ahead on a dark night. By the light of the law you can see the pot holes and ditches along the way. It's purpose is to show us what is harmful to us as human beings and what will come in the way of our relationship with God.
Even for those who look at God's law and do want to keep every syllable of it could be in danger of going the other way and becoming like the Pharisees, who set out with the best intentions of pleasing God by perfectly upholding his law in all areas of their lives but ended up weighing themselves down with rules upon rules. To fight against temptation and do the right thing our own will power is not enough.
So by avoiding the law we lose sight of God and we hurt ourselves and others but by aiming to keep the law without God, we turn our backs on God again because we would then be seeking to keep God's commandments without God's help. So the question becomes how do we become good? How do we succeed in becoming morally excellent or virtuous? (That's the dictionary definition of goodness)
Even for those who look at God's law and do want to keep every syllable of it could be in danger of going the other way and becoming like the Pharisees, who set out with the best intentions of pleasing God by perfectly upholding his law in all areas of their lives but ended up weighing themselves down with rules upon rules. To fight against temptation and do the right thing our own will power is not enough.
So by avoiding the law we lose sight of God and we hurt ourselves and others but by aiming to keep the law without God, we turn our backs on God again because we would then be seeking to keep God's commandments without God's help. So the question becomes how do we become good? How do we succeed in becoming morally excellent or virtuous? (That's the dictionary definition of goodness)
The solution
As ever the answer is Jesus. He died to cancel out all of our past failings, the years in which we never could meet God's standard and he rose again to provide us who are in him the opportunity to share in his risen, eternal life. The key turning point for us is when we want to be with Jesus because being with him means sharing in his death, sharing in his death means we die to the old godless way of living and rising with him means we are reborn to live a life with God firmly at the centre.
This new life begins with receiving God's holy spirit which comes to live within us. This is how God assists us in keeping his law because by coming to live inside us he has promised to write the law on our hearts. We can know this to be true because firstly it is written about in Jeremiah:
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:33
We know that we live in the time of the covenant Jeremiah refers to because there are 3 references to it in the new testament that I have found and they are specifically to the writing of the law on our hearts. There are more references to our being in the time of the new covenant; One such reference to what God does within us is found in Romans,
We know that we live in the time of the covenant Jeremiah refers to because there are 3 references to it in the new testament that I have found and they are specifically to the writing of the law on our hearts. There are more references to our being in the time of the new covenant; One such reference to what God does within us is found in Romans,
"Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them." Romans 2:14-15
Paul makes these points very clear within Romans. Israel was dictated the law but the rest of the world hadn't heard it at that time thousands of years ago but God made a promise at that time that he would bless the world and the Old testament (All the Bible writings before Jesus) Is full of promises of restoration and redemption. The promise was given before the law and is finally fulfilled by the pouring out of God's spirit. By this action we do not just have a knowledge and understanding of the law but a means of keeping it.
How does God enable us to keep his law when we are imperfect and he is perfect? Well that's another work of his Spirit. The spirit sheds light on the areas of our lives which are hurting us and others and then brings healing to those areas. It is something that I noticed when I became a Christian all the pain I carried about in me was significantly lessened. I was comforted in my loneliness, encouraged when I was tempted to despair, I learned that a self involved existence was a very sad and narrow one, I learnt to stop worrying about so many things that I have no control over.
The spirit does not make those things vanish and make us become perfect overnight. We'll spend the rest of our time on earth working with him through our own particular issues. It will be hard but so rewarding when we can look back and see the progress we have made but the further we go with God the less we care about what is behind and the more we anticipate what is to come. The prospects for his Kingdom taking hold in our lives further and the time when his Kingdom truly comes on earth.
So take heart that though we were born sinful and we still sin God wants us to be good and he will enable us to be good.
Paul makes these points very clear within Romans. Israel was dictated the law but the rest of the world hadn't heard it at that time thousands of years ago but God made a promise at that time that he would bless the world and the Old testament (All the Bible writings before Jesus) Is full of promises of restoration and redemption. The promise was given before the law and is finally fulfilled by the pouring out of God's spirit. By this action we do not just have a knowledge and understanding of the law but a means of keeping it.
How does God enable us to keep his law when we are imperfect and he is perfect? Well that's another work of his Spirit. The spirit sheds light on the areas of our lives which are hurting us and others and then brings healing to those areas. It is something that I noticed when I became a Christian all the pain I carried about in me was significantly lessened. I was comforted in my loneliness, encouraged when I was tempted to despair, I learned that a self involved existence was a very sad and narrow one, I learnt to stop worrying about so many things that I have no control over.
The spirit does not make those things vanish and make us become perfect overnight. We'll spend the rest of our time on earth working with him through our own particular issues. It will be hard but so rewarding when we can look back and see the progress we have made but the further we go with God the less we care about what is behind and the more we anticipate what is to come. The prospects for his Kingdom taking hold in our lives further and the time when his Kingdom truly comes on earth.
So take heart that though we were born sinful and we still sin God wants us to be good and he will enable us to be good.
