THE PROBLEM: SIN
The Bible clearly identifies our serious problem as sin. Sin is not just an act but the actual nature of our being. In other words, we are not sinners because we sin. Rather, we sin because we are sinners! We are born with a nature to do wrong. King David, the Old Testament Israelite ruler, wrote, "For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). Because we are born sinners, sinning comes to us all naturally. That is why it is futile to think that the answer to all life's problems comes from "within." According to the Bible, the problem is within! Scripture tells us, "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
We are not basically good--we are basically sinful. This sinfulness spills out into everything we do. Every problem we experience in our society today can be traced back to our refusal to live God's way. Clear back to the Garden of Eden, Adam made his choice, and he suffered the consequences of it, setting the pattern that all humanity would follow. The Bible explains, "When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. . . . Yes, Adam's one sin brought condemnation upon everyone" (Romans 5:12, 18).
"That's not fair!" you may protest. Why should we suffer because of what someone else has done? Yet, given the opportunity, each one of us would have done the same thing as Adam. In fact, not a single day passes that we do not face the same test that was set before Adam. God has given us the freedom to choose between two separate paths: the path that leads to life and the path that leads to death. The Bible says, "Today, I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make, Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
No comments:
Post a Comment