Do you picture God as an angry tyrant on His throne judging a corrupt and sinful world? Ever imagine He makes up rules because He enjoys taking away your fun? Some see Him this way because they believe He is angry with them for the mistakes they made, or because they do not know He offers us freedom from sin.
The Bible reveals that He is an all-knowing and all-powerful, loving God and just judge of man. He is the Father of the righteous and He is the friend of sinners. He tells us not to do things because they are destructive. Sin kills. Sin destroys. Sin will wreck your marriage, your mind, your body and your life.
As Ravi Zaccharias is often quoted, “sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay. It will cost you more than you want to pay.”
Why would God be hard on sin? Because of what sin does to people. It destroys people. God hates sin because it keeps you from knowing Him or seeing Him. It puts you under the control of the devil. It separates you from God before you come to Christ. The moment you are aware that you have done wrong, and know the difference between good and evil, you come alive to sin and dead to God. God hates this. This is the very reason Christ came to earth according to John.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 1 John 3:8-10 ESV
Jesus came to destroy sin, which is a work of Satan. Satan came up with it. Satan started it and spread it to mankind who, by exercising their free will, chose to side with the evil one. The result is destruction and death. The Bible never says God cursed the earth. The Bible says, “the earth will be cursed because of you,” (Genesis 3:17). God did not bring the curse of sickness, death, harsh work, difficulties and destruction as a punishment. The natural result of sin is death. It cost Satan his position in heaven. It cost man his power on earth.
Jesus came to restore mankind. He healed our spirit, soul and body at the cross. When we believe upon Him, because of hearing the word of His atoning work on the cross and the power of His resurrection, we are saved. That word saved comes from the Greek word sozo, (4982 Strong’s), and also means healed, delivered, and made totally whole in every way.
Many do not hear the gospel preached fully, so they do not receive total wholeness in spirit, soul and body. Paul recognized this and prayed people would come to total wholeness and be “sozo’d” in their entire spirit, soul (mind, will and emotions) and their physical body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Today, our prayer is that you will come to believe that Jesus made you whole 2,000 years ago. We hope you will believe it, accept it, thank God for it, and walk it! Sin (and all the destruction that comes with sin) does not have to control you, because you are free from the Old Testament commands (the law) and are now under the empowerment that the grace of God has given to you (Romans 6:14).
Think of sin like a destructive fire and God’s loving grace as a fire escape. Grace is the fulfillment of God’s promise of a way out in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Grace frees you from the eternal damnation and separation that sin has brought. Grace gives you opportunity to change now on earth. Grace gives you power to stop doing destructive things. However, you must choose to use it, because grace does not free you from the natural earthly consequences of sin if you continue in it.
May you grow in grace! In Jesus name.
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President, Agape International
Until Every Tribe Has Heard