The Story Of Transformation: Part 1
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…” Romans 5:12
Sin, the chasm that separates mankind from God the Creator. The death grip of Satan on the human race. It is chained to every man, woman, and child. It holds them down and crushes their soul. It is a burden that none can shake, a weight that bears down upon every heart. It pulls the weak and the strong alike, down to the pit of despair. It lays hold upon the newborn child and does not leave until death comes. Sin, the inescapable characteristic of being alive. Sin is an all consuming darkness the encompasses the world. It shrouds any light that may attempt to enter. It blinds those who try to see. It breeds deception and lies. What is sin? It is pure evil. It is the murder of small babies. It is the cause of war and destruction. It is the lust that causes a hurt deeper than any can explain. It is the greed that starves. It is an endless description of the horrors of the world. Every ache, every breaking of our hearts, every sadness. It is all sin. The anger, the lies, the hatefulness. The ugly side of ourselves that we try to hide, try to deny and ignore. It is our nature to sin. We cannot outrun it. It is ever beside us.
This is not something we chose. I am sure that if we could choose, with all the knowledge we have now, we could have chosen life. That is what we think. However, a man and a woman were given the choice, and now this is where we sit. Enshrined in dark wickedness.
Adam and Eve, the first ever human beings to live. Created in the perfect image of God, life breathed into them directly from The Beginning and The End. They were given all we could imagine and more. A perfect Earth to live and thrive on. What a perfect way to begin existence, the gift of life given directly from the Father. Their home was the perfect, lush, abundant Garden of Eden. Every creature, fruit, and vegetable abided there, and it was a beauty none can describe or imagine. It was perfect and whole in every way. In this Garden, given the charge of taking care of every living thing, Adam and Eve were given the gift of free will. They were made in the image of God, but were not bound to His complete control. They could choose the life they lived, and choose they did. A simple condition was given in regards to living in Eden: you may eat of every tree in this place, but not of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you will die. (Genesis 2:16-17).
Ah, but there is a liar, a deceiver, a prince of darkness that roamed the earth (and does to this day). He spoke to them, he bred doubt in their hearts. He talked them into giving into their flesh. They believed the lies instead of the truth of God, and they fell. They did not heed the warning, and God is a promise keeper. The earth was cursed, and mankind faced an existence of hopeless struggle and suffering (Genesis 3: 16-19). Sin came into the world, and it has not left yet, and now we cannot see or speak to God.
Sin is not just the burden we bear in this life, it is a destructive and allconsuming evil. Sin is what has deteriorated mankind and the Earth we live in. Sin is the root of disease and illness. Sin is the root of poverty and pollution. Sin is why hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes rip apart the earth and drownthe land. Sin is only getting worse. The darkness is only filling more and more cracks, killing more and more people, and destroying more and more lives. The Sin Nature that flows in and through us is an inescapable truth. The light is far from us, joy is found nowhere, and hope does not exist in the eyes of the worldly. There is no ritual that can free us, no act of kindness that can outweigh the debt of sin we are eternally chained to. Death is our calling, an eternity in the fire of hell is our destiny. We cannot reach The Mighty God that breathed life into us and gave us this earth. He is behind the wall of sin, our kind acts and good behavior bounce off the wall, never breaking through. Our evil and His righteousness can never come together, as oil with water. He is the living water and we are the contaminating oil. We don’t deserve a speck of His purity, and we cannot taint His goodness.
Oh the heavy burden of sin. It crushes my soul and rips my heart out of my chest. So many live in hopeless darkness. If only! If only there was a way for God to forgive us the sin that runs through the veins of our soul like blood. If only there was a love great enough to blot out our sin and give us light! If only there was a hero to break down the wall between us and the Righteous One. If only there was someone who could take the place of death for us that we might live! If only there was grace and mercy upon our evil souls!
This is only the beginning of the story of transformation. Come back next Wednesday, April 17th to read the end.
But God, being rich in mercy…
