Post by Unmerited on Apr 4, 2023 10:51:27 GMT -8
Do we need to explain what God has done (and will never do) with our sin through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus when we share the Gospel? I think we do. Here is an example that I like to use.
“Jesus died in your place to suffer the penalty your sin required. And when you trusted him as Lord and Savior, you were instantly and forever forgiven. All the guilt and shame of every sin you’ve ever committed or ever will commit is gone.”
I believe that statement gets right to the heart of the matter.
So what exactly is sin?
I'm sure we've all heard the definition “Sin is missing the mark.” In the Bible, the word sin – whether it is in the Hebrew or the Greek – actually does means to miss the mark. The reason this definition is so important is because it points to two things. First, there is a target we are aiming at, and second it speaks to our intention. Once we know there is a target, then we can choose to hit it or to miss it.
The target is God’s word or commands and when we miss this target, we have committed sin. What makes something sinful is when we know what we are supposed to do and we choose not to do it, then we are engaging in sin. For something to be sinful, we must be aware that it violates what God desires us to do. This is not always determined by a written code, but is also evident by the moral code that God has placed in every man’s heart. For example, when Cain killed Abel, there was no written law that said you should not murder, but the moral code of not committing murder was written in Cain’s heart.
The Gospel
The Gospel is what God, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, has done with our sin. Of course, everyone who is a Christian ought to know what the Gospel is. But we can't just assume they do. The Times are Changing, and in many ways, for the worse. We are in an odd season when the very foundations of the Christian faith are being challenged and reconfigured.
As much as we might like to think that everyone knows what the gospel is, they don’t. And many of those who think they do have actually embraced a concept of the gospel that is shaped and governed more by the culture or the political climate than it is by the word of God.
Lets Share The Good News.
“Jesus died in your place to suffer the penalty your sin required. And when you trusted him as Lord and Savior, you were instantly and forever forgiven. All the guilt and shame of every sin you’ve ever committed or ever will commit is gone.”
I believe that statement gets right to the heart of the matter.
So what exactly is sin?
I'm sure we've all heard the definition “Sin is missing the mark.” In the Bible, the word sin – whether it is in the Hebrew or the Greek – actually does means to miss the mark. The reason this definition is so important is because it points to two things. First, there is a target we are aiming at, and second it speaks to our intention. Once we know there is a target, then we can choose to hit it or to miss it.
The target is God’s word or commands and when we miss this target, we have committed sin. What makes something sinful is when we know what we are supposed to do and we choose not to do it, then we are engaging in sin. For something to be sinful, we must be aware that it violates what God desires us to do. This is not always determined by a written code, but is also evident by the moral code that God has placed in every man’s heart. For example, when Cain killed Abel, there was no written law that said you should not murder, but the moral code of not committing murder was written in Cain’s heart.
The Gospel
The Gospel is what God, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, has done with our sin. Of course, everyone who is a Christian ought to know what the Gospel is. But we can't just assume they do. The Times are Changing, and in many ways, for the worse. We are in an odd season when the very foundations of the Christian faith are being challenged and reconfigured.
As much as we might like to think that everyone knows what the gospel is, they don’t. And many of those who think they do have actually embraced a concept of the gospel that is shaped and governed more by the culture or the political climate than it is by the word of God.
Lets Share The Good News.
