Basic HTML Version
what I've done that Christ had to
die.for," 1 insisted. "What is 'sin'?"
"Christ died for our sins," carne
the reply.
"Yes, 1 know-you said that be–
fore. But what is this thing, 'sin,'
that He died for? What do 1 have to
quit doing? Can you open that Bible
you have and show me the Bible
definition of the word 'sin'? Is there
a place in the Bible where it gives a
plain definition- where
it
says 'sin
is'- and then in plain words tells
whát it is?"
He called to a second of the
young men-then a third, and a
fourth. Finally, with a large crowd
gathering, they called the evangelist
himself. But even he could not-or
would not-turn to the Bible an–
swer! One by one, the evangelist
and bis team al! slunk away!
Then 1 took a Bible out of my
briefcase, turned to 1 John 3:4, and
read to the crowd: "Sin is the trans–
gression ofthe law."
But what law? This is explained
in Romans 7. So next 1 read: "What
shall we say then? Is the law sin?
God forbid. Nay, 1 had not known
sin, but by the law"-or, in the plain–
er English of the Moffatt trans–
lation: "Why, had it not been for
the Law, 1would never have known
what sin meant!" In other words,
the law defines sin. Sin is breaking
the law. But what law? Continuing,
same verse: " . .. for 1 had not
known lust, except the law had said,
Thou shalt not covet."
There we are told plainly what
law it is sin to transgress.
It
is the
law that says: "Thou shalt not
covet." And that is a direct quote
from Exodus 20:17, where the Ten
Commandments are being given.
That law is the Ten Command–
ments. It is sin to break any of the
Ten Commandments.
In verses 12 and 14 of this same
seventh chapter of Romans you will
read that the law is holy, just and
good, and that it is a spirituallaw-a
law, of spiritual principies of living!
Of course, the whole spiritual law
may be summed up in the word
"love." This may be divided into the
two great commandments: !ove
toward God, and love toward neigh–
bor. The first four of the Ten Com-
44
mandments tell us how to !ove God;
the last six, how to !ove neighbor.
The whole Bible elaborates, show–
ing the principies involved, until it
includes the entire right way oflife!
Now notice Romans 3:20.
"Therefore by the deeds of the law
there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight: for by the law is the knowl–
edge of sin."
Of course! A deceived popular
teaching to the contrary notwith–
standing, that is precisely what we
teach. Keeping the law by one's own
efforts will not justify anyone. We
have all sinned. We cannot justify
this guilt we have incurred, we can–
not avoid the wages we have
earned-death-by obedience, good–
ness, works, or anything we can do.
God's Splrltual Mlrror
Let's make that very plain! Most
women carry a rrurror in their pur–
ses. A woman takes out her mirror,
steals a glance at her face, discovers
dirt on it. Does she try to wash off
the dirt with the mirror? Ridiculous?
Yes, of course. Looking into the
mirror won' t cleanse the dirt already
there. Why? Because by the mirror
comes the knowledge that the dirt is
there! Now God's law is His spiri–
tual mirror. Your Bible says so–
plainly (James 1:22-25). You look
into God's law. It shows you the
spiritual dirt on your heart. To hear
God's Word, which corrects, re–
proves and rebukes (II Tim. 3: 16),
and then do nothing about the spiri–
tual dirt it reveals, is like a man
beholding his face in a mirror,
seeing the dirt, gaining knowledge
of it, then forgetting how dirty he
is-doing nothing about it.
God's law is His spiritual mirror.
But keeping yourself from becoming
more dirty today does not wash off
the dirt already there. By being
careful to incur no penalty today,
you do not erase the penalty in–
curred yesterday and all the days
previously. So, "by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight." Why? Because "by the
law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom.
3:20). Ofcourse!
Sin is "the transgression of the
law." Paul would not have known it
was sin to lust, except the law had
said, "Thou shalt not covet." The
function of the law ís to tell us what
sin is- not to cleanse us of yester–
day's sin or erase the penalty of last
year's sin.
There can never be a law, unless
there is a penalty for its violation.
And, "where no law is, there is no
transgression" (Rom. 4: 15), and
there could be no penalty- no pun–
ishment. If the wages- the punish–
ment- of sin is death, and death ís
the penalty, then there is a law. And
if there is no law being broken,
there is no transgression and no
penalty-and then we need no Sav–
ior-no salvation from the punish–
ment.
Now where did the law come
from? Again through James, God
says, "There is one lawgiver" (James
4: 12). That is God. God set in mo–
tion many laws-laws of physics and
chemistry among them. The great
Iaw of !ove is a spirituallaw.
It
is the
way of peace, of happiness- of right
relationship with God and with
human neighbor.
lt
is inexorable- a
living law as much fixed and in
motion as laws of gravity and
inertia.
This spiritual law was set in mo–
tion by a loving God to provide the
way to every desired good: peace,
happiness, prosperity, security,
abundant life. To break it is to turn
in the opposite direction from
peace, happiness, security, abun–
dance, and toward strife, fear,
worry,
unhappiness, suffering,
death. The final wages you earn
traveling that way is death! For
eternity! Eterna! punishment!
Yes, the wages of sin is death. But
we have hope! The gift of God is
eternallife.
So now, where are we? Eterna!
life can be had only from God. So,
as stated above, you seek God. But
you find a tremendous, impene–
trable barrier: the sins you have
committed. Until they are justified
you have no aq:ess to God.
My next article on this subject
will tell you exactly how justifica–
tion occurs-what God has done on
your behalf, and just what your part
is in claiming the promise of salva–
tion.
O
(
To Be Continued)
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1978