The Old Testament contains the Law of God. It is our
example of a perfect life. God’s Law contains all of the elements of moral
purity, which God expects in our life. However, the main point of this matter
is that no human being can live up to this standard. No one can keep every
single command of the law. When we transgress the law, we commit sin (Isaiah
59:2). God cannot live in the presence of unholiness (Romans
3:26); therefore, sin separates us from our Holy God (Isaiah 59:2).
Good people do not automatically go to heaven; and bad
people do not automatically go to hell. To God, sin is based more on our belief
or lack of belief than it is on our behavior (Mark 16:16; Hebrews 3:19). In the
Bible, there are no mortal and venial sins. To God, hate is equivalent to
murder and lust to fornication (1 John 3:15; Matthew 5:22-28). We are
the one, who actually condemn our self to hell forever, because of our sin of
unbelief (John 3:18).
The way of the sinner
is hard (Proverbs 13:15). Since we deserve to live in hell for eternity, because of
our unbelief, Jesus paid our sin debt and died in our place (Romans
6:23; 1 Peter 2:24). If we trust in His sacrifice, He freely removes
our sins and gives us His righteousness in its place (Romans
5:10; Romans 3:25; Colossians 1:20; 1 John 2:2, 4:10). God
remembers our sin no more (Hebrews 8:12), and He casts them as far away
from us as the east is from the west (Psalm 102:12).
When people refuse to listen to God and they walk away from
Him instead, they are sinning (Leviticus 26:27). Many people consider evil to be
a good thing, and they see good as an evil restriction to our personal freedoms
(Isaiah
5:20). If we say we are not sinners, we are actually lying, and the truth
does not reside within us (1 John 1:8). However, if we confess our sins,
God faithfully forgives us (1 John 1:9), and we will dwell in His House forever
(Psalm
23:6).
Prayer:
Father God, Your hand is long enough and Your ear is compassionate enough to hear the repentant and to save us all (Isaiah 59:1-2). Remind us that if we know the right thing to do, and yet do not do it, then we are sinning (James 4:17). Satan, the world and the fleshly nature tempt every living person to sin (James 1:14-15). However, authentic, Born Again Believers do not live in habitual sin. We may fall into temptation now and again, but we do not practice sin as a lifestyle (1 John 3:4, 9). As we walk in Your light, You cleanse us from our sins and restore our fellowship with You and with one another (1 John 1:7). Respect and love for You keep us from sinning (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Thought for the Day:
According to His
foreknowledge of our life, God predestined that His Spirit would conform His
Saints into the likeness of His Son. – Romans 8:29
