BUT WHAT IS SIN to The THRICE-Holy GOD Who created ALL things, great and small, visible and INvisible -- Who gives LIFE to ALL of HIS Creation (you and i included)? WHAT is that SIN that caused The GOD of LOVE to send His ONLY Begotten SON to DIE on The CROSS for that SIN which He ABOMINATES, and the resulting sinS which He HATES?
The REAL essence of SIN is UNGODLINESS -- an UNgodly RELATIONSHIP with GOD -- a wrongful attitude or mindset against GOD, a heart set in rebellion against GOD. "UNGODLINESS means a REFUSAL in ANY shape or form to live ENTIRELY and ONLY to GOD's Glory and to the Praise of His HOLY Name. ANY failure to do that or ANY lack of desire to do that is SIN" (Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones). UNGODLINESS is the transgression of GOD's First Commandment -- 'You shall have NO OTHER gods before Me' -- the SIN of enthroning in one's heart ANY created person (SELF, spouse, child; Mary, Buddha, Muhammed; rich-and-famous shaker-mover/head-of-state, celebrity/politician/philosopher -- dead or alive) OR thing (money, sex, food/drugs, nationality, man-made religions/philosophies, etc).
SIN is the breaking of ANY of GOD's TEN COMMANDMENTS -- by thought/motive or actual deed -- 'You must not have ANY OTHER god BUT Me. You must not make for yourself an IDOL of ANY kind or an IMAGE of ANYthing in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must NOT MISUSE the Name of The LORD your GOD. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. HONOR your father and mother. You must NOT MURDER. You must NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. You must NOT STEAL. You must NOT TESTIFY FALSELY against your neighbor. You must NOT COVET (NOT LUST AFTER) your neighbor’s house, or your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or ANYthing else that belongs to your neighbor.' (see Exodus 20:3-17)
NO ONE in the ENTIRE human race (dead or alive) has EVER obeyed PERFECTLY the first and greatest Commandment -- ‘You shall LOVE The LORD your GOD with ALL your Heart, with ALL your Soul, with ALL your Strength, and with ALL your mind' -- except the Man JESUS. NO man who has EVER lived (past or present) has obeyed PERFECTLY the second and equally important Commandment -- 'You must LOVE your NEIGHBOR AS you LOVE yourSELF' -- except the Man JESUS.
NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS because NO ONE IS GODLY. We who are GOD's creatures were made in His HOLY image so that we may GLORIFY Him. BUT we ALL have FALLEN short of glorifying HIM. 'As the Scriptures say, “NO ONE IS RIGHTeous—NOT EVEN ONE! NO ONE IS TRULY WISE; NO ONE IS SEEKING GOD. ALL HAVE TURNED AWAY; ALL HAVE BECOME USELESS. NO ONE DOES GOOD, NOT A SINGLE ONE. Their TALK is FOUL, like the STENCH from an open grave. Their TONGUES are FILLED WITH LIES. Snake VENOM drips from their LIPS. Their MOUTHS are FULL of CURSING and BITTERNESS. They RUSH to COMMIT MURDER. DESTRUCTION and MISERY ALWAYS FOLLOW them. They DON'T KNOW where to find PEACE. They have NO FEAR of GOD at all.”' (Romans 3:10-18)
'ALL HAVE SINNED and FALL SHORT of The GLORY of GOD!' (Romans 3:23) ALL have committed countless sinS of UNrighteousness as the CONSEQUENCE of the SIN of BEing UNgodly. NO ONE can be TRULY righteous without GOD. GODliness and RIGHTeousness are INseparable. INward GODliness is always commanded FIRST -- TRUE RIGHTeousness is then the OUTcome of BEing rightly related to GOD. ("UNGODLINESS" by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones -- https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons-online/romans-1-18/ungodliness/)
WHAT, then, is GOD's Remedy to man's SIN-nature (UNgodliness) and his resulting sinS (UNrighteousness)? GOD Himself is THE Remedy. GOD The SON, Who was sent of GOD The FATHER, came down from His heavenly Kingdom to this darkened world, to RECONCILE sinners back to personal fellowship with GOD. We are ALL sinners by nature -- under the WRATH of GOD, without any hope of escaping HELL...
BUT GOD -- PRAISE Him, The FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST -- Who is Himself LOVE Incarnate IN CHRIST, brought TRUTH and GRACE IN the very Person of Messiah JESUS, Whom GOD SENT to DELIVER us SIN-natured SIN-doers from SIN, SELF, Satan, SEPARATION (from GOD, eternally) and SUFFERING (from EVERlasting HELL). PRAISE GOD, The FATHER, for HIS Plan of SALVATION -- the GREATEST Good News EVER delivered to SINful humankind. HalleluJAH! ("The GOSPEL of GOD" by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones -- https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons-online/romans-1-1/the-gospel-of-god-2/)
BUT GOD -- PRAISE Him, The SON -- 'The LAMB of GOD, Who takes away the SIN of the world' (John 1:29) -- 'Though HE was GOD -- HE did not think of equality with GOD as something to cling to. Instead, HE GAVE UP HIS DIVINE PRIVILEGES; HE took the HUMBLE position of a SLAVE and was BORN AS a HUMAN BEing. When HE appeared in HUMAN FORM, HE HUMBLED Himself in OBEDIENCE to GOD and DIED a criminal’s DEATH on a CROSS' (Philippians 2:6-8). i PRAISE and THANK my Beloved LORD JESUS for HE has set me FREE! CHRIST Who is Himself 'The WAY and The TRUTH and The LIFE... and The RESURRECTION' (John 14:6, 11:25) -- has PAID IN FULL with His OWN BLOOD Sacrifice -- my REDEMPTION, liberating me from the Power of SIN, the Domination of SELF, the Power of Satan, Eternal SEPARATION from GOD and EVERlasting SUFFERING in HELL. HalleluJAH!
BUT GOD -- PRAISE Him, The Holy SPIRIT -- The Promise of GOD, sent of The FATHER and of The SON to INdwell ALL Believers IN CHRIST -- HE IS the ALL-Mighty Helper, the ALL-Wise Advocate, the ALL-Compassionate Comforter to those who are BORN AGAIN of GOD. Holy is HE -- The SPIRIT of TRUTH Who will GUIDE Believers IN CHRIST by giving discernment and LIGHT to ALL the TRUTH that is GOD's Word. HE will CONVICT the world of SIN, of UNgodliness and UNrighteousness. The SPIRIT of TRUTH will point to JESUS as The CHRIST -- the ONLY WAY to The FATHER, the ONLY WAY to escape the WRATH of GOD against SIN, the ONLY WAY to TRUE PEACE With GOD, to TRUE JOY EVERlasting, and the ONLY TRUE HOPE for an up-close and very personal LOVE-Relationship between a THRICE-Holy GOD and SINful man.
PRAISE GOD -- The FATHER, The SON, and The Holy SPIRIT -- for His GOOD News of CHRIST JESUS! For SUCH UNdeserved, UNearned Favor -- for SUCH INcomparable, OVERwhelming, Amazing GRACE! For SUCH INdescribable, INcomprehensible SALVATION -- SO FREELY GIFTED at SO INFINITE A COST to GOD! For the REALITY of being made a NEW creation IN CHRIST -- vitally united with Him forEVERmore. For the SURE HOPE of Heavenly GLORY yet to come! PRAISE The LORD, O my soul! \o/
Dear reader... is The Almighty Sovereign GOD your FATHER in Heaven? Is CHRIST JESUS your LORD, your Almighty Savior? Is the Holy SPIRIT your Almighty ADVOCATE, your Helper and Comforter? Your ETERNAL DESTINY is made REAL in the PRESENT... in the NOW, with HOW you respond to the GOOD News of GOD. So TURN from your SINs and TRUST that GOD sent CHRIST JESUS to take your just punishment for your SIN of UNgodliness and sinS of UNrighteousness. BELIEVE with SAVING Faith IN JESUS' Perfect LIFE, Atoning DEATH on the Cross, Factual RESURRECTION and ASCENSION back to His original GLORY with The FATHER as GOD's ONLY method of saving sinners from Eternal HELL. REPENT and BELIEVE and be SAVED -- for your UNbelief will be the cause of your own ETERNAL Condemnation. Your very soul is at stake -- your ETERNAL soul will stand before GOD on Judgment Day. Will you be JUSTIFIED, deemed worthy and fit to enter into GOD's Heavenly Kingdom, where He rules with HOLY Perfection and Harmony -- with GRACE and LOVE and LIGHT and PEACE and JOY and GOODNESS and GLORY? OR will you be CONDEMNED to EVERlasting SEPARATION from GOD -- separated forEVERmore from His GRACE, His LOVE, His LIGHT, His PEACE, His JOY, His GOODNESS, His GLORY?
'TOday, if you will hear GOD's voice, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTs as in the rebellion.' (Psalm 95:7-8; Hebrews 3:15) RECEIVE GOD's PERFECT and ONLY Remedy for your SIN of UNgodliness and sinS of UNrighteousness -- CHRIST JESUS Himself, 'full of GRACE and TRUTH.' The LORD JESUS Himself IS 'The WAY and The TRUTH and The LIFE. NO ONE comes to The FATHER except through Him' (see John 14:6).
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