Sin:

Jesus came down from heaven onto the earth for one reason; to pay a ransom for sinful man. His blood washes us clean of our sins. It allows sinful man to have a relationship with God. That relationship will wash away our sin. God will identify our sin, then through obedience to Him he will give us the strength to remove them (there is always more than one).

 

Jesus’ sacrifice is a free gift for almost the whole human race; right up to the end of this present system. 

 

What does this mean?

 

First of all let us look at sin.

 

What is sin and why is it bad for us?

 

A normal healthy baby is born without sin, however, it quickly learns self defence mechanisms to help it survive in it’s environment. These defence mechanisms will make the child either shy (low self esteem), angry, selfish or mean, the list of these sins is endless and we all have more than one. Sin is a mask we hide behind and it stops us being the person we are meant to be. The more extreme the environment the child grows up in the more extreme these defence mechanisms will be. Sin is inherited from the child's parents but every person in that child’s life will help forge the defence mechanisms of that child. 

All sin has one thing in common, it helps the child survive it’s environment, however, it alway hampers the adult in forming relationships. We become slaves to our sin because all communication with other people comes from these defence mechanisms. Sin hampers all our relationships, including our relationship with God. 

After the fall, sin entered the world and God turned away from us.

 

Mankind was created to have an obedient relationship with God and it is our obedience within that relationship that takes away our sin. All other animals are hard wired to be obedient. We, however have a choice. It is God that keeps an obedient people pure (without sin). Without Him the world spirals out of control in a downward direction. 

 

This is what christianity is all about. We are meant to show the world that being obedient to God is so good that they will want it too.   

 

To illustrate the above point let me use the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. I will bend the original story to help illustrate my point.

 

Ebenezer Scrooge was born in 1843 into a house that was always cold because of the extreme poverty of his parents. Ebenezer's parents both worked hard however, they were always hungry. Ebenezer, who had such a lovely smile, was always given the best of the available food but even he was constantly hungry. The only way he could keep warm was to wrap up in a blanket and put on extra clothes because no money was ever spent on heating, it was always put to one side and saved, in case of emergencies.  

 

The above is a description of the environment that created Ebenezer’s defence mechanism. This is what turned a beautiful little boy, with a lovely smile, into a cold hearted miser. Scrooge’s sin is that he puts money before people. He runs a money-lending business and he is now well off, however, he is heartless. Scrooge lives alone, subjects his clerk (Bob Cratchit) to long hours at low pay, rejects his family’s kindness and does nothing as tiny Tim grows weaker due to a poor diet.

 

This defence mechanism of a small boy now prevents Scrooge from having any meaningful relationships. His sin makes his life a misery and also does the same to those who get close to him.

 

He is powerless to change his situation because he is a slave to his sin.

 

This is why sinful man cannot inherit the kingdom of God (heaven). They would cause havoc. 

 

How does Jesus help sinful man?

 

Jesus, who is without sin, paid the price that allows sinful man to have a relationship with God. He washes us clean and now we can get close to God, as we did in the garden. This relationship will burn away our sin, however, it is painful. The process will kill our old self and a new creation will emerge from the ashes.  

 

This free gift is not available to everyone. Jesus tells his disciples that he is about to be betrayed and this person is not cleansed by his blood.

 

John 13:9-11

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 

 

It is betrayal that makes you unclean and this stops you from ever getting close to God. Jesus then tells his disciples:

 

John 13:18-20

18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”  

        

You cannot eat with Jesus and then turn against him, you have to fully accept him. This also applies to anyone who has been sent by Jesus because to accept Jesus is to accept God (the one who sent Jesus). To reject a disciple sent by Jesus is the same as rejecting Jesus and leaves you dirty.  

 

To get back to Scrooge:

 

This man is a fountain that pours out misery. My advice would be to stay away from this man, unless, he comes to church and wants to change.

 

The first step a christian takes is a voluntary one and this first step will lead to an encounter with God that will remove all the sin in your life.

 

Church is a marriage between God and Christians. God changes the children (baby christians) and the church acts as a mother to them, during this painful time. They may take a step backward and fall and the mothers job is to encourage them to keep going forward. She says, “stand up, I know it’s hard because I’v been there, keep walking forward and if you need me, day or night, I will be there”.

 

When we come before God He opens up our lives, so that nothing is hidden. He tells us about our past and how that effects our present. We are also given a glimpse into our future, to see we can change.

 

Ebenezer Scrooge was given three visions.

 

The first of these was;

Ebenezer’s past

 

The second was;

Ebenezer’s present

 

The final one was;

Ebenezer’s future

 

Our lives are like a wall; made up of many bricks and the first thing that happens is that this wall is knocked down.

 

It is now difficult to navigate your life because the bricks you once used for this are no longer available. “I can’t do this, I’m not strong enough”, you will say. “Yes you can” church will say.

 

God looks at every brick. Some are good and will be allowed to stay but others cause problems and will be removed. Slowly the wall is rebuilt and it is always stronger than the original. Faulty bricks are replaced by new stronger ones.

 

Finally, church has a new wall at her disposal. Collectively these bricks will make her bigger and stronger. These are her building materials. She will use these bricks to say to new christians “ stand up, keep walking. I have done this walk and I know it’s hard but keep walking, take my arm and lean on me because I am strong”. 

 

Ebenezer Scrooge has now been changed and has become the person he was always meant to be. It wasn’t easy and many tears were shed along the way. Now, new christians always remark that he has such a lovely, comforting smile and he is such a generous and happy person. Some even say “I believe he would give you his last penny, if you needed it”. 

 

Ebenezer Scrooge is a highly valued asset. He and his wife and family always seem to be in church.

 

PS

Bob Cratchit and his family were recently interviewed by a local newspaper.  

The paper was doing an article about Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob said the following:

 

The man is like a fountain that pours out happiness. It’s as if the old Ebenezer Scrooge has died and a new Ebenezer Scrooge has come to take his place. He is like a second father to Tim. My wages have doubled and my hours have halved. I also have a assistant clerk to ease my work load. Ebenezer Scrooge is without doubt the most generous boss in town.