What is sin?
Sin is a word that would have different definitions for different people. Some people would not accept themselves as sinners. Some people would easily accept that they are sinners. But the Bible says that ‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” If all are sinners, then what is sin? It is nothing but missing the mark. I.e.. To fall short of God’s standards. Gods standards is seen in Jesus Christ. He is perfect in love, He is perfect is humility, He is perfect is Holiness. If anyone falls below that standard they have sinned. They are sinners. That’s why, the Bible says categorically, ‘All have sinned’, as no one can claim that they have met the standard of Jesus in love, humility or holiness.
The good news however, is that the Bible does not end by stating that all are sinners. The same perfect Jesus made a way for every sinner to be able to come to God by sacrificing Himself on the cross.
What is salvation?
God is a just God. When the first man Adam sinned in the garden of Eden by eating the fruit which God had forbidden him from eating, sin entered man. The sin nature has been inherited by all human race born from Adam, which includes each one of us. Bible says, ‘The wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6 v 23a). Death is nothing but eternal separation from God and spending the rest of eternity in hell fire. A just God in His just nature had to send every man to hell, because We are all born in sin, being the descendants of Adam.
God is a just God, but He is also a loving God. God’s love wants every sinner to be saved from the wages of sin and have everlasting life. That’s why the verse quoted in the above paragraph continues, ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Romans 6 v 23). So, God in His love sacrificed His only blameless and sinless son as a substitute for the sin of each and every human being. For the sin of all human race, the price was paid by the precious blood of His only begotten Son. If anyone accepts Jesus Christ the son of God as their personal savior, God’s justice allows that person to be forgiven for their sins because Jesus’ blood has already paid the price for it. But if anyone rejects Jesus as their personal savior, then Gods just nature cannot spare them from judgement.
Salvation is nothing but accepting Jesus Christ as the personal savior and thus receiving the gift of God, which is eternal life in Jesus Christ His Son. As Ephesians 2 v 8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”
If God loves everyone, how could a loving God send anyone to hell? Why can’t he just forgive my sins?
The central verse in the bible is John 3:16, which states, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Why God in His love, had to send His only begotten son to this earth to suffer, die, and then rise again on the third day for the sake of the sins of mankind? Couldn’t He simply forgive our sins?
Well, the above statement proves that God is a loving God, but also a just God. Gods love wants every sinner to be saved and have eternal life, but Gods just nature cannot allow any sin to go unpunished. So, God in His love sacrificed His only blameless and sinless son as a substitute for the sin of each and every human being. For the sin of all human race, the price was paid by the precious blood of His only begotten Son. Now the option is left with the human race to accept God’s son as their personal savior or not. If anyone accepts Jesus Christ the son of God as their personal savior, God’s justice allows that person to be forgiven for their sins because Jesus’ blood has already paid the price for it. But if anyone rejects Jesus as their personal savior, then God’s just nature cannot spare them from judgement. This judgement is hell. That’s why, in God’s justice, there is forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life for all who accept Christ as their personal savior, but God’s justice includes sending anyone who rejects Christ to eternal hell fire.
Why do I need forgiveness of Sins because I have never sinned? I am a decent person.
There is absolutely nothing wrong in believing that you are a decent person. However, the fundamental issue is that your definition of decency/morality is very subjective and varies from person to person. To understand what is sin, we need to change the playing field and understand it from the perspective of a Holy God.
In God’s definition, sin is the inherent nature every human being was born with because of Adam, the first man on earth.The Bible says : ALL HAVE SINNED (Romans 5:12) This in turn lead to an eternal separation of mankind from the presence of God, and the only way to restore this fellowship is by having the forgiveness of sins. The deeds that we commit are a mere manifestation of the nature present in us.
Hence, no matter how great the good deeds we do, we can never imagine coming close to the standards of God’s righteousness because we’re regarded as the children of Adam, as sinners. Our conscience will tell us this truth.
The Bible asks like this: “CAN ANYONE REALLY SAY THAT HIS CONSCIENCE IS CLEAR, that he has gotten rid of his sin?.”(proverb 20:9)
All is not lost, our God being gracious and loving found the perfect solution to the universal sin problem. It is our LORD JESUS CHRIST, he died on the cross and shed His precious blood which was more than sufficient to satisfy the demands of a just God.
What do you have to do? You simply need to believe in Him and you have to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life and you too will be saved and can enjoy a wonderful relationship with this God.
