We hope that the first of these studies helped you to see something
of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
He was man, yet more than man - very God of very
God!
No doubt, like all people today, you are in search of reality. This is precisely what we find in Jesus, who came to tell and show us the truth about God, but also about ourselves! He is the Light, shining into the dark recesses of the heart and exposing our true state before a holy God. Let's face reality: we are not as good as we think we are, and we shall find that to admit this is the first step to settled peace and real satisfaction.
The Bible teaches that all human problems, whether international, social, racial, family or personal, arise from the sinful and selfish heart of man. By contrast Jesus lived for others, and especially for God, so that death, which is the "wages of sin" had no claim upon Him. He had no need to die, yet He willingly died for the sins of others. Here is the secret of the Gospel - that God introduces us to a sinless Saviour, who alone is able to bring us from death to life!
If it was our sin that caused and required the death of the Son of God, then it must be a most serious affront to God Himself to ignore this. Therefore the purpose of this study is for us to understand the deadly character and sinfulness of sin.
WHAT IS SIN?
The great barrier between God and man is SIN -- which Christ came to remove. John the Baptist understood this and called public attention to Jesus with these words, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
It was soon after this that the disciples began to tell others of their great discovery: "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." (meaning the chosen One.) Then later, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth..." ('Jesus' means 'Saviour') 1:41 and 1:45.
1. SIN is the root principle in our personality which rebels against God and disobeys His will. This started with the very first man Adam who himself disobeyed God. "As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12).
2. SINS are the product of this sinful nature, like the fruits of a bad tree. There are sins of thought, word and deed. Examples of grosser sins are murder, theft, adultery, etc. But in God's sight many things that we would excuse are also sins, e.g. pride, self-will, unbelief, forgetting God, lust and evil thoughts.
A vital step in knowing Christ in a personal way is to realise the existence of sins in your own life, however good it may appear when compared with others. A needle may appear a perfect example of man's workmanship, but if it is looked at through a microscope it can look as rough as a rusty nail!
When we recognise the exceeding sinfulness
of sin - all sin -
then this conviction can lead us to the One
who can remove it.
Here is one of those wonderful promises of scripture that has brought a sense of pardon and peace to those who have fulfilled its condition:
FROM JOHN'S GOSPEL:
Please answer the following questions, asking for God's help before
you begin.
1. How does John the Baptist describe Jesus on their
first meeting? 1:29.
2. Why do men love darkness rather than light? 3:19.
3. Why was no one able to stone the guilty woman?
8:1-9.
4. What truth did Jesus tell them in 8:34?
5. How can we get really free from this slavery?
8:36.
6. In what way do you feel in need of freedom of
sin?
7. What will happen to those who do not believe
in Christ? 8:24.
At this point it would be helpful if you were to speak to God in the
words of the following prayer:-
"Lord, help me to understand
my true condition before You. Help me to see myself as You see me."
For many people, making a written note of personal needs or failings is a useful aid to honestly facing up to them.
Consider this:
Could I have honestly cast that first stone (John
9) and thereby affirmed: "I am without sin!'?
MEDITATION AFTER STUDY NO. 2 - FOR ALL HAVE SINNED.....
For this devotional meditation we have chosen the TEN COMMANDMENTS. They are found in Exodus 20, verses 1 - 17, and are listed below. However it would be well to locate them in your own Bible (A.V.) if you have one.
The purpose of these commandments is to show the people their sinfulness. This is important, as realisation of our 'need' is a necessary pre-condition of our appropriating the provision that God has provided - the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Consider, then, God's standards as recorded in Exodus 20, verses 1 - 17:
"[1] And God spake all these words, saying, [2] I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
[3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
[4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: [5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; [6] And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
[7] Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: [10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: [11] For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
[12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
[13] Thou shalt not kill. [14] Thou shalt not commit adultery. [15] Thou shalt not steal.
[16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
[17] Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
[18] And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet. and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off."
Some years ago we used to sing a very meaningful chorus which went like this:
"Make the Book live to me O Lord,Notice that the LAW condemned, so that God's GRACE could be more clearly appreciated and sought for seriously.
Show me Thyself within Thy word,
Show me my sin and show me my Saviour,
and make the Book live to me."
The Apostle Paul taught a similar truth in Romans 3:20: "By the law is the knowledge of sin...."
As you think carefully of each of these commandments of God, ask yourself, "Have I obeyed this commandment perfectly - every moment of my life up to this present time?" 1 think you will agree with the Apostle Paul (Romans 3, verse 23), but can then praise God for the statement immediately following.