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Therefore, just as
through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death
spread to all men, because all men sinned.
Romans 5:12
What is sin? We tend to think of
sin as lying, infidelity, murder, theft, prejudice, hatred, etc. However, the
Scriptures seem to use a different definition. “The nature of sin is not
immorality or wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to
say, ‘I am my own God.’”[1]
Yes, every time you decide that you know better than your Creator as to how to
run your life, you are setting yourself up as self-governed. In other words,
you are throwing off the authority of God and proclaiming that you will answer
to no one but yourself. That, my friends, is the very nature of sin.
The sin of the first people in the
Garden of Eden was not simply that they ate from the tree from which God had
forbidden them to eat. No, it was the fact that they decided that God’s rules
did not apply to them, that they could make up their own rules and laws, that
they were autonomous creatures.
We continue to do this far more
often than we would like to believe. We create our own interpretation of
Scripture, sometimes ignoring the clear and plain meaning of the text. We try
to explain away God’s laws that we consider burdensome or outdated, failing to
even ask about the principle that may have been behind the commandment.
How can we know that our
interpretation is a valid one? How can we be assured that we are not simply
putting more weight on the texts which seem to promote the agenda most in line
with our beliefs? Well, rest assured that none of us have it perfect. However,
we can keep ourselves from significant error by maintaining a teachable spirit
at all times. It is when we proclaim that we already have the truth that we
lose that spirit and Christian growth in spirituality stops. How are you aware
of the Holy Spirit moving within you this day?
Pastor Craig
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