By Shane Kastler
The problem of sin goes all the way back to our first parents. The Bible teaches that God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. Though they did not sin immediately, it didn't take them long. Being tempted by Satan (in the form of a serpent), Eve disobeyed God's direct command and Adam did likewise. As a result, mankind was cursed and sin became a painful reality for Adam, Eve, and all their descendants.
To “sin” is to disobey God, and sadly it's not something we have to be taught to do. We come by it very naturally. Because of the sin curse, we are born with a sinful nature. This means we are naturally selfish and seek to please our own desires, regardless of what God may command. Our sin separates us from our Creator by way of an infinite chasm, which requires an infinite solution. And God provides this infinite solution by way of His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Bible teaches that there is one God and that God is one (John 10:30). Yet this one God exists in three eternal, ever-present beings: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father, who has always existed; yet became a person at the incarnation when He was born of the Virgin Mary and went on to live a sinless life on earth. Through this sinless life, Jesus fulfilled the perfect righteousness that God requires of man. Then Jesus died on the cross to pay the sin price for those who trust in Him. The perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to the believers account by faith. And likewise, the punishment for sin is credited to Jesus by way of the cross. For those who turn from their sin in repentance and trust in Christ by faith; the eternal sting of sin is removed and forgiveness and salvation is granted. But repentance and faith do not come naturally. There must be a supernatural event that occurs in the life of a sinner, or they will never be saved.
Jesus told Nicodemus that you cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven unless you are “born again.” (John 3:3) The Holy Spirit grants life to spiritually dead sinners, and when this occurs they feel conviction over their sin, they turn from it in repentance and they commit their life to Jesus Christ by faith. This doesn't happen with every sinner; but when the new birth does happen the result is inevitable. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” (John 6:37)
Have you recognized your need for a Savior? And have you realized that Jesus is the only Savior that can truly save? Consider these eternal matters today, while you still can. When your life on earth is over, the time for contemplation will be over as well. Sinners need a Savior. God provided one. Is this Savior yours? And are you His?
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