“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save, Nor His ear so impaired That it cannot hear. 2But your wickedness has separated you from your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. 3For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing]; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue mutters wickedness.” Isaiah 59:1-3 AMP
Our problem starts with the reality that we have been separated from God because of our sin. When we consider the issue of sin many people will immediately start naming activities that are considered sinful. The truth is that those actions are only proof that we are under the power of sin! This separation began with Adam and Eve’s rebellion to the command of God not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This ongoing rebellion disrupts our fellowship and obscures God’s presence and reflection in our lives. The greatest result of sin is that is introduces a spiritual distance making us feel alienated from God’s presence, favor, and blessing. It can be described as when we have a family argument causing a rift in the relationship, yet we still remain a part of the family! What is interesting about the word separation here is that it is the Hebrew word meaning “to defect or abandon an association with a focus of shifting one’s loyalty from the one defected to the one embraced.” We were created to be loyal to God but yet Satan has been able to shift our allegiance from righteousness to sin! The good news is that God has made a way for the “family rift” to be resolved!
Sin is legal problem that needs to be addressed. Yes, God is loving, Kind, Gentile, and merciful but He is also Holy, Righteous, and Just and cannot violate His character. We would love to say that God could just simply say forgiven. The problem is that if God is not completely just then there is a possibility that someone else is! When we think about God we must do it relation to His eternal wholeness and position. It is this issue that demands payment for the violation committed. The problem…
“As it is written and forever remains written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS [none that meets God’s standard], NOT EVEN ONE.” Romans 3:10 AMP
No human being could possibly pay the price for sin since all have sinned fallen short of the glory of God! There was only one solution, God Himself would have to come in the form of a man, live the perfect life, then give that life for those who were lost in sin!
“Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in a similar manner also shared in the same [physical nature, but without sin], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death–that is, the devil– 15and [that He] might free all those who through [the haunting] fear of death were held in slavery throughout their lives.” Hebrews 2:14-15 AMP
This is why we hold to the doctrine of the deity of Christ! Every cult group denies the fact that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. If that is not true, the power of sin has not been broken and we all will suffer eternal death and suffering according to our sins! How do we know that it is actually true? The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in the book of Romans.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23 AMP
The resurrection of Christ was the proof that sin was defeated. If it wasn’t, Jesus would still in the tomb and we all would be without hope of forgiveness and an eternal life with God! Our verse today opens with the words, “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save…” God is ready and willing to meet you where you are and extend to you His gift of mercy, forgiveness, and new life, are you willing to repent and receive? Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken