Posts Tagged ‘ Sin ’
keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2, CSB
We find joy and peace by remaining focused on the joy Christ could see on the other side of the cross, knowing He took our shame and punishment on Himself to bring us into fellowship with God when we believe He saved us from the curse of sin and is always with us.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
2 Timothy 1:7, CSB
The gospel is overcoming fear, hatred, and sin in the power of Christ’s blood and of the Holy Spirit through repentance, faith, grace, and love.
Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.
1 Corinthians 13:6, CSB
The gospel includes hating our sin and turning to the righteousness of Christ, walking in His way and helping others to follow.
So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
James 4:17, CSB
We walk in the footsteps of Christ, and this looks like doing good in loving obedience to God, helping others and doing what is right even when no one is looking.
Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12, CSB
We walk in the footsteps of Christ, and walking in obedience to God reveals our sins as well as His righteousness and love for others flowing through us.
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21, CSB
God is our Creator and Savior, granting us rest from sins by becoming one of us to give Himself for our sins.
God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
Romans 3:25, CSB
Jesus’ body is not in the tomb after dying for our sins, so we can know our sins are forgiven forever and hope for eternity with God.
One of the funniest moments of the 2003 film “Elf” was Buddy the Elf seeing a feral raccoon, spreading out his arms, and asking, “Does someone need a hug?” (It did not go well.)
Something I like to tell people is that on January 9, 2000, Jesus hugged me in welcome to His Family. On July 26, 2000, I finally returned the hug.
It is nice to think about receiving a comforting hug when life feels overwhelming, things are generally crazy, or having just gone through a horrible situation.
It is also nice to look back through the Bible and see how God has been there for His people:
In the Exodus, God said He rescued Israel with a mighty hand and outstretched arm (Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 4:34, 5:15, 7:19; Psalm 136:12).
Within Israel and their Exile, God welcomes those who come to Him humbly and for His glory (1 Kings 8:41-43; 2 Chronicles 6:32-33; Ezekiel 20:34).
We can see how God has been taking care of His people, yes even under judgment at times.
What is the most comforting is that God came to us to take the punishment we deserve for disobedience. He promised to do this when He spoke with Abraham 4,000 years ago (Genesis 15), and there are so many places that it is laid out in the Hebrew Scriptures (such as Genesis 22, Psalm 22, and Daniel 9:26).
Good Friday is good, because we see the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who saw all the sinfulness of this world, come to us in the midst of our fear, pain, and anxiety. The one who stretched out His arm with His might hands came to comfort us with those strong arms and hands.
So, on that terrible Friday 2,000 years ago, Jesus opened His arms for us. We are the feral raccoons, rooting around in garbage and attacking the God who loves us. He took the punishment we deserved, holding back God’s wrath for those of us who will believe.
Yet this same God who took on His own wrath, with those same strong, mighty, scarred arms, reaches out to us to hold us and comfort us.
When we look at the cross, we see God opening His arms to us.
He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!”
Matthew 21:13, CSB
Christ has freed us from sin and man-made religion, giving us the will and desire to seek God over personal gain and to love others with the love of Jesus.
Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
Matthew 21:19-20, CSB
Christ has freed us, most importantly from the curse of sin and death. Nothing we do matters if we are not living in obedient faith in Jesus.
a simple man of God 