The Diagnosis and the Cure

We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We are broken people. But why are we broken? We where born that way. All humans are born sinful. We are dying from the moment we are born, that is such a pleasant thought, isn’t it.

No one can escape the negative effects of this world. We all face temptation and we all do things that are wrong in the eyes of God. For some of us, our attitudes could be a little better. Some of us, could eat better, work harder, and complain less. Some of us gossip and lie, but think that our words are hurting any body if the one we are talking about can’t hear us. For many of us, our sins are on the inside, and since no way can see them, we think we are okay. Some of us hide behind closed doors and closed minds.

If we have given ourselves over to Christ, then we should know better, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This still doesn’t make us perfect. We still fall. We can thank Adam and Eve for this. They chose for themselves and all that would come after them, to make their own decisions apart from our Creator God. So God gave them, and us, the ability to make our own choices. We all have Free Will, and it is a gift. We have personalities and abilities to do things that make us unique. We can learn what is good and we can learn what is wrong.

As a parent, John and I push our kids to be independent and make decisions. However, it is a double edged sword. As I cheer them on to decide what to wear and what activities they want to do, I also have to teach them what is the better choice, protect them from things that can cause them physical, mental, and spiritual harm. I have to try to teach them about the evil in the world that wants to cause them such harm and hope and pray they understand. This became the parenting job of God once Eve and Adam went against His order. Ever since then, there have been consequences and blessings for all of humanity.

Pray and Read Romans 3:9-20

Romans 3:9–20 NRSV

9 What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, 10 as it is written: “There is no one who is righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one.” 13 “Their throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of vipers is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery are in their paths, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For “no human being will be justified in his sight” by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Adam and Eve didn’t just go against God, but they chose to follow the advise of the evil one. Satan has had it out for humanity since our creation. Lucifer got what he wanted when he corrupted humanity. Overall things their are two sides. One side created the World and all that is in it, and the other seeks to destroy the other side by destroying all that was created. After the Garden, humanity can now chose with side we want to go with. But it is still not a one and done kind of choice, Satan never stops. On the wrong side of the universe sits Satan with his tools of sin, death, and shame.

Satan is the Hebrew word for “the Accuser”. He led Eve to take a bite of the fruit, and he tempts us with the same kind of sins. If we give into to his temptation, then he knows that we will pay the consequences for our actions. That is God’s parental right. We go against His laws and standards, we face the consequences for our sins.

What is sin? We should all know what constitutes a sin. It is anything that causes harm to oneself and others, and therefore goes against God’s created order. These are thoughts and actions that are contrary to God’s will and God’s commands. We can go back to the Fall of Humanity, which we will explore a little more next week, and see where Sin crept into humanities existence. Eve and Adam ate from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil! The knowledge of what is evil, leads to the temptation of evil, and then we sin.

What is death? Thanks to Adam and Eve, we are all going to face death. God’s perfect creation was tainted, and the Evil One is able to corrupt all of God’s creation. However, there are two kinds of death. Jesus gave us reconciliation to God, through the relationship with God, an guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can avoid our spiritual death. Spiritual death can simply be defined as total separation from God. Remember, God is Light, Love, Peace, Hope, Goodness, and Joy. We should not want to be separated from our Creator, however, people make that choice everyday.

What is shame? Shame is actually different for different people. For some, they blame their feelings of shame on other people. They allow the judgements of others to dictate how they feel about themselves. Some people have allowed their past sins to still take up space in their mind, and even if they have moved on and doing the best they can, they feel that they are terrible people and do not deserve grace. This is also what keeps some from attending church. Maybe a past judgement hurt them, or maybe they fear being judged. Shame is a mental pain that can be tragic for even those who love Jesus. Shame can keep us from feeling worthy to have a relationship with Jesus.

What tools do God have? Covenant blessings and promises, Jesus the Savior, and the Holy Spirit the Counselor.

So God made a plan. He made a promise that we would have free will. We can make our own choices. So that every promise God made was a covenant, agreed upon with His people. God continued to draw humanity back to Him in ways that we would understand and agree to. Think of a beautiful love story in which someone is pursued by their crush. Not in a stalker situation, quite the opposite. Instead, simply moves are made to reveal the care, love, and personality of the one doing the pursueing. The one being pursued was at all times able to respond in whatever way they saw fit. This is God’splan for our salvation. One step at a time. until the right time, in which Jesus Christ came face to face, and showed the ultimate act of love, sacrificing Himself for humanity. Now, we have His Spirit, if we want Him, to guide us and keep us close to God.

What separates you from God? Is it your sin, temptations from the Satan, or your shame? Paul says that nothing can keep us from the love of God, except ourselves. God’s love for you is unlike anything else in all of Creation, from this world or all that is in the Spiritual realm. God is love and that is all He has for you. You chose your relationship with Him.

In the name of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.