Category Archives: Sin
We’re Only Sinners Who’ve Been Saved By The Grace Of God.
1 Chronicles 24:1-25:31
The work of God was to be done ‘as the Lord God of Israel had commanded’ (24:19). The Lord is our Commander-in-Chief. No-one else can take His place. Never imagine you’re ‘the king of the castle’. We’re only sinners who’ve been saved by the grace of God. We’re ‘the dirty wee rascals’-’all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’(Isaiah 64:6). That’s what we are in ourselves – nothing more than ‘dirty wee rascals’. The Lord has done something wonderful for us. He has given us new clothes – ‘the clothes of salvation’(Isaiah 61:10). Let’s never ‘get too big for our boots’. There’s only one ‘King of the Castle’. Let us ‘exalt Him’- ‘You, O Lord are exalted for ever’(25:5; Psalm 92:8). ‘The Lord reigns…’. Let’s be content to be ‘Castle Kids’- ‘children of the living God’(Psalm 93:1; Romans 9:26).
Christ sets us free.
By choosing the way of sin, we show that we are in bondage. We are the captives of sin, and we need to be set free – by Christ (John 8:32,36).
‘Where sin increased, grace increased all the more’ (Romans 5:20).
The birth of Christ is the continuation of the history of salvation, recorded in the Old Testament. Matthew takes us back to Abraham (Matthew 1:1-2; Genesis 12:1-3). Recalling the great events of the Old Testament, he takes us through forty-two generations. This history is the story of God’s grace. We may illustrate this with two striking examples. Rahab (Matthew 1:5) was a ‘prostitute’, yet, by the grace of God, through faith, she also takes her place with the people of God (Hebrews 11:31; Ephesians 2:8). The story of David and Uriah’s wife (6) is a story of deceit (2 Samuel 11) – ‘where sin increased, grace increased all the more’ (Romans 5:20)!
The sin is ours. The guilt is ours. The salvation comes from God. The glory belongs to God.
* May God give us grace to be “right with God” without taking any glory to ourselves. All the glory belongs to Him. Every sign of spiritual growth is always His doing. It has nothing to do with our being “pretty good people.”
* May God, through His Word and His Spirit, bring us each day to the Cross where we learn that our very “best” is never good enough. We look at our Saviour. He is God’s Very Best – “there is no other good enough.” . May God give us grace to look away from ourselves to Him. Deeply moved by His love – the greatest love of all, may we say, “God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).
* May God help us, in the light of Christ’s Cross, to see ourselves as sinners – under God’s judgment. It was our sin that sent Christ to the Cross. As we see ourselves in the light of the Cross, we will be less concerned with comparing ourselves (favourably!) to other people. We will learn to pray that each of us will know, in ever- deepening love and power, the truth of the words, “The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, keeps on cleansing from every sin” (1 John 1:7).
* When we read Christ’s words to the Church of Laodicea, may we be moved to ask the question, “who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). Let us be encouraged in knowing that the Lord has given us His answer, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Glorying in His grace, may we echo the words of Ephesians 2:8 – “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
* When we are tempted to look down on others, may we be reminded of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector – “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others … The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are” May we, throughout our life, pray the prayer of the tax collector – “God be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke 18:9-14).
* To every one of us, God’s Word says, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things” (Romans 2:1). If we imagine that these words are always addressed to other people and never to ourselves, we need to be brought by the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of our sin, to the universal truth of the words of Romans 3:23 – “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Thank God that the Holy Spirit does not leave us there – convicted of our sin. He leads us to the Cross of Christ where we receive the forgiveness of our sins. We see this in the very next verse! – “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). The gift of salvation comes to us through Christ’s “sacrifice of atonement.” This salvation is received “through faith in His blood” (Romans 3:25).
* Our faith in Christ does not give us any cause for boasting – regarding ourselves as superior to others. The whole point of Christ’s “sacrifice of atonement” is this – He has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. He has provided eternal salvation for undeserving sinners. Our faith is, therefore, never something about which we have any right to boast. We do not come to God with our religion in one hand and our morality. That’s the way of “the Pharisee.” We come with empty hands. Into our empty hands, Christ places His full and perfect salvation. It is His “free gift.” It is never “wages” that we earn. May these great truths of the Gospel of free grace change us – keeping us walking on the pathway of holiness without ever imagining that we’re “pretty good people.”
* The great truths of sin and salvation are summed up well in two statements from the Apostle Paul – (i) “nothing good dwells in me” (Romans 7:18) – that’s our sin. (ii) “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) – this is God’s salvation. To God alone be all the glory!
Devotion to the Lord needs to be renewed day-by-day.
Genesis 19:1-29
In Genesis 3, we read of humanity’s fall into sin. Here, we see the awfulness of human sin and the awesomeness of divine judgment. We must take God with the utmost seriousness. If we refuse to take Him seriously, He will continue to take us seriously – in His judgment! Sin leads to judgment – that’s the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah. There is sadness in the story of Lot. A compromised believer for whom the world had no respect, he chose Sodom. This choice brought him nothing but sin and shame – ‘and now he wants to play the judge!’(9). The amazing thing is that God did not give up on this ‘backslider’- ‘the Lord was merciful to them… He brought Lot out of the catastrophe’(16,29). What a great thing it is to have God’s salvation: ‘everything we need for life and godliness’ to ‘escape the corruption in the world’(2 Peter 1:3-5).
Genesis 19:30-20:18
These are stories of deception and deceit. Lot is deceived by his daughters (30-38). Abraham deceives Abimelech (1-18). Even with the divine provision for godliness, we need to be constantly on our guard. Even those to whom we had looked for help can turn out to be a hindrance. Lot was drawn into word not allowed. This had drastic effects – ‘the father of the Moabites, the father of the Ammonites’(37-38)! Devotion to the Lord needs to be renewed day-by-day. Otherwise, we will be vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy and overcome by him. Abraham concealed the whole truth by telling a half-truth (12). Abraham was regarded as ‘a prophet’(7). He ought to have lived the life of a prophet, a true life. We are to be true – the people of God.
Forgiveness and victory
Genesis 26:1-35
‘History repeats itself’. Sin has a ‘like father, like son’ quality about it – Isaac is like Abraham (7; 12:13, 20:2, 12-13), Jacob is like Isaac (7; 25:31,27:19). Grace repeats itself. God is faithful. He gives forgiveness and victory over temptation (1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13). He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). Deceived by ‘the father of lies’(the devil), ‘man’ denies the truth (John 8:44). ‘Let God be true, and every man a liar’(Romans 3:4). In verses 19-22, there’s ‘the story of the three wells’- ‘Dispute’, ‘Opposition’, ‘Room’. Things went from bad to worse, then there was progress. There is room for both, when there is no more quarrelling. Isaac worshipped God, and was recognized as God’s man (25,28). We are to be recognized as God’s people, but remember – verse 34 – even the Lord’s people can make mistakes!
God doesn’t give up on us. He keeps on calling us back to Himself.
Genesis 34:1-31
This chapter is about sin – the name of God is not even mentioned! We might well say of this chapter: ‘the less said the better’. We should, however, notice that Jacob is still turning out to be a big disappointment. Despite all Jacob’s potential (28:15-17, 20-22; 32:28-30), there is still, in him, a great deal of self and not very much of the Lord. We see this in verse 30: ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me odious… my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me,I shall be destroyed, both I and my household’. Where is God in all this? It seems that Jacob has become so preoccupied with himself and his own interests that he has forgotten all about God. Amazingly, the next chapter begins, ‘God said to Jacob, “Arise…”’. God was still calling him to higher things. What love! God doesn’t give up on us. He keeps on calling us back to Himself.
Put God first, and let Him lead you in His perfect way.
Genesis 38:1-30
‘Judah went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite…’(1-2). This is the sad story of so many people: Drawn away by an unbelieving man/woman from the fellowship of God’s people, the story then goes from bad to worse. A whole catalogue of disasters follows. God is mentioned in only two verses (7,10). Both speak of human sin and divine judgment. God’s Word is clear: Believers are not to be joined in marriage to unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Lower your spiritual defences at this point, and you are asking for big trouble! Satan is ready to sweep in and cause chaos. This sad story of sin and shame stands as a warning to us. Do not rush into sinful choices. Put God first, and let Him lead you in His perfect way: ‘Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well’(Matthew 6:33).
Jesus Christ: God’s way to victory over temptation
Genesis 39:1-23
In chapter 38, we read of unbridled lust. Here, we read of dah restraint: ‘how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’(9). Sin brings complications, and so does obedience! There is, in fact, only one complication – sin. We live in a sinful world, which has no real interest in obedience to God. We must be realistic: ‘all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’(2 Timothy 3:12). Obedience and persecution – we see both in the story of Joseph. He was tempted, but he did not sin (7-9). Temptation is not sin. God provides ‘the way of escape’(1 Corinthians 10:13). Christ is ‘the way’(John 14:6), God’s way of escape. We go to Him when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:16; 4:15-16). Joseph was put into prison, ‘but the Lord was with him, and showed him steadfast love’(20-21) – ‘persecuted, but not forsaken’’ (2 Corinthians 4:9).
There is no way to heaven which begins with the word, “I.” We must begin with God – “God so loved the world … “
Genesis 3:10-15
Having chosen the way of sin, we are ‘naked’ and ashamed (10). The Gospel teaches us that ‘there’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin’. We can be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. We can bring the ‘filthy rags’ of ‘our righteous acts’ (Isaiah 64:6) to God, and we can exchange them for the perfect righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Putting our trust in Christ, we need not be ashamed in God’s presence (Romans 10:11). There must be no ‘passing the buck’ – the man blaming the woman, the woman blaming the serpent (12-13). We are to confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). This forgiveness comes to us through the Cross where the suffering Saviour becomes the victorious Victor and the subtle serpent became the defeated devil. This is the message of verse 15: through the Cross, God has provided for us a full salvation!
Genesis 3:16-25
Sin has consequences. Human life could never be the same once sin had entered it. The effects of sin can be seen in the whole of life. The most profound effect of sin is summed up in verse 22. We cannot reach out our hands and take hold of eternal life. There is no way to heaven which begins with the word ‘I’. We must begin with God – ‘God so loved the world…’ (John 3:16). No sinner can open the door of heaven: ‘Christ only could unlock the gate of heaven, and let us in’. Sin leads not to heaven but to ‘death’. If we insist on trying to get to heaven by our own good works, we will earn our ‘wages’ – ‘the wages of sin is death’. Come as a sinner to Jesus. Come to Him, saying, ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling’ ( Church Hymnary, 83). Look to Him alone for salvation, and know the truth of God’s Word: ‘the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23).
Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness: the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.
Genesis 4:1-5
The name of Abel appears among ‘the heroes of the faith’(Hebrews 11:14). The story of Abel is a story of grace, faith and obedience. Abel’s sacrifice was a blood sacrifice while Cain’s was a fruit sacrifice (3-4). The blood sacrifice points forward – via the Old Testament sacrificial system – to the greatest sacrifice of all – ‘the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin’(1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:12). The blood sacrifice points to salvation by grace – ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness’(Hebrews 9:22). Abel’s sacrifice was an act of faith: ‘By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain did’(Hebrews 11:4). The blood reminds us that true faith is always faith in Christ and never ‘faith’ in anything we can ever offer to God. Abel was obedient, bringing ‘the firstborn’to God. ‘In the course of time Cain brought some…’.
Genesis 4:6-16
In the story of Cain, we see the development of sin. Jealousy leads to anger, and anger leads to murder. In this story, we see ourselves in the ‘mirror’ of God’s Word. Here, God emphasizes our exceeding sinfulness – ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt’(Jeremiah 17:9). Our sinfulness leads us away from ‘the presence of the Lord’ to ‘the land of wandering (Nod)’(16). This is the work of Satan in our lives – Genesis 4 is an extension of Genesis 3. Even in the land of wandering, the hand of God is upon us. This is the meaning of ‘the mark of Cain’- ‘so that no one who found him would kill him’(15). Even in our wanderings, God is waiting in mercy for us to make our way back to Him by coming in faith to Jesus Christ our Saviour. Even when ‘sin’ is a good bit more than ‘crouching at the door’, it can be ‘mastered’ through Christ (6; Hebrews 7:25).
Genesis 4:17-26
The story of Cain and Abel is a continuing story. Abel died, yet ‘by faith still speaks, even though he is dead’(Hebrews 11:4). Cain ‘went out from the presence of the Lord’. He became ‘a restless wanderer’(14,16). What a contrast there is between these two brothers! For Abel, there was glory in the presence of the Lord – ‘By faith he was commended as a righteous man’(Hebrews 11:4), he was ‘justified by faith’(Romans 5:1). Cain was quite different. Far from God, he had no peace. He was haunted by his sins. What does God’s Word say to us about Cain? – ‘Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother… because his own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous’(1 John 3:12). Cain’s sinful influence continues. We must be on our guard. The chapter ends with hope: ‘At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord’(26).
God shows us how much our sin hurts Him so that we might see how much He loves us.
Genesis 42:1-38
‘Joseph’s brothers… bowed themselves before him’(6). Remember Joseph’s dream (37:5-11)! God is fulfilling His purpose. This has nothing to do with the glory of Joseph. It has everything to do with the glory of God. Joseph was exalted to a place of honour because he was a man of God: ‘I fear God’(18). All the glory belongs to God alone! Joseph’s treatment of his brothers seemed harsh. In verse 24, we see another side of him: ‘he turned away from them and wept’. Joseph loved his brothers. Behind his ‘harsh’ words, there was love. He wanted them to recognize their sin (38:18-33). He was paving the way for his reunion with them in brotherly love. God loves us. Sometimes, His ways seem harsh, but they are always for our best (Revelation 3:19; Hebrews 12:5-11). He shows us how much our sin hurts Him so that we might see how much He loves us.
Looking forward to a better future
1 Kings 12:25-13:34
These were dark days for God’s people. They were deeply divided. There was the northern kingdom (Israel). Jeroboam was their ‘big man’. There was the southern kingdom (Judah). Rehoboam was the ‘voice’ of the south. What a shambles it all was! Each side seemed intent on outdoing the other – ungodliness. Sin reigned in the north (13:33-34). Sin reigned in the south (14:22-24). The ‘big man’ was not so big in the eyes of the Lord. The ‘voice’ did not speak the Word of the Lord. Was there any hope? Yes! There was an unnamed ‘man of God’ who spoke ‘the Word of the Lord’(13:1). In all the confusion of these difficult times, God was planning for a better future. His Word concerned Josiah: ‘a son shall be born…’(2). We look beyond Josiah to Jesus: ‘to us a Child is born… a Son…’(Isaiah 9:6-7).
Let’s seek to be like Jesus – “I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Judges 17:1-18:13
Things are not going well – ‘every man did that which was right in his own eyes’(17:6). People were doing what suited themselves. Micah was trying to ‘get the best of both worlds’. He was worshipping idols (17:4-5). He was trying to keep on the right side of the Lord – ‘Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite priest’(13). Micah’s priest was a ‘Yes’ man. He told Micah what he wanted to hear. Many people ‘refuse to listen to the truth’. They prefer to listen to those who ‘tell them what they want to hear’(2 Timothy 4:3-4). Many are ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’(2 Timothy 3:4). We must not fall into the trap of ‘trying to please all the people all the time’. Seek to be like Jesus – ‘I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me’(John 5:30).
Judges 18:14-19:30
‘Keep quiet’- There is a guilty silence which comes from disobedience (18:18-20). When God’s people remain silent, things go from bad to worse – ‘Where there is no prophecy the people cast off restraint’. We must not be ‘disobedient to the heavenly vision’(18:30; Proverbs 29:18; Acts 26:19). Chapter 19 warns us: Sin brings judgment. God cannot stand sin. He punishes sin (Habakkuk 1:13; Numbers 32:23). Sin must be taken seriously. God takes it seriously (Hebrews 10:29-31). It is not easy to see the hand of God in the sinful and shameful events of chapter 19. We must keep on believing that He is present, even when He is ‘most invisible’(Church Hymnary, 670). Sometimes, He is present as our Judge. Judgment is not always immediate. There may be ‘peace’ before the storm. ‘Consider’- and learn (19:20, 30)!
