SIN & SALVATION

When I posted a note on Facebook about Rajkumar Ramachandran Iyer’s faith in Christianity and how it created in me a thirst to understand my religion at a deeper level, I faced a severe backlash from many people who misinterpreted it as an outcry against other religions. I hope the following Biblical point of view of life which was reinstated to me at the Haggai Institute during Meghala Ratnaiya’s sessions throws light on my claim to faith.

 http://www.logos-ministries.com/

God’s purpose in creating Man 

Man was created to have fellowship with God. He was given the responsibility to take care of God’s world. Human beings were made in God’s image so they lived exercising their freewill.

The Fall of Mankind and the Need for Redemption

Man used the freewill given by God to disobey God himself. Temptation was brought by Satan to cause man to disobey God. Satan first caused human beings to doubt God’s word. He had their imagination and he painted a false picture which was directly contrary to what God had warned. Man disobeyed and the result was what they became – not like God – but disobedient like the devil. They experienced fear and guilt, shifted blame and finally inherited punishment, pain and sorrow. Hence, the need for the redemption of mankind...

“Sin is fancy in imagination but flat in reality.” – Dr. Ravi Zacharias

What is Sin? Why do we Sin?

“Whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away your relish for spiritual things, in short, if anything increases the authority of the flesh over the spirit, that to you becomes sin, however good it is in itself.” – Susannah Wesley

We sin because we are born sinful (Romans 7:18-20) -> this has caused mankind to be separated from a holy God (Colossians 1:21) -> the condition of sinful mankind is spiritual deadness (Romans 3:23 & 5:21 Ephesians 2:1).

Thus an unredeemed man remains a slave to sin.

The Person and work of Christ

 “Man was born free but everywhere is in chains whereas Jesus teaches us that man is born in chains but everywhere can be free.” – Rousseau

Freedom is possible if the Son of God sets us free (John 8:36)

The Solution to man’s predicament is not a technique but a Person – Jesus. Many people claim to have a solution but what make Jesus’ claims unique?

Unique Birth

No one has control over where she or he is to be born. Jesus was an exception. Hundreds of years before he came down, holy prophets glimpsed several aspects of his birth. He was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

In the fullness of time, an angel clarified this with Mary and told her how the baby to be born to her was to be created through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Unique sinless life

The Bible is unique in that it portrays people as they are. Their sins are also chronicled.

However, the life of Jesus reads differently. He could stand in front of a hostile crowd and ask them if anyone could point out any sin in him. No one could (John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15)

Unique power and authority

In passages like John 5:8, Luke 7:12, Mathew 5:27, 28, Mark 4:39, Luke 7:48 etc., we see various aspects of the power that belonged to Jesus. He could heal the sick, raise the dead, calm a storm, and walk on water. What caused the Jews extreme discomfort was that Jesus forgave sins- a clear prerogative of God.

Further all the prophets spoke saying, “thus says the Lord” referring to a power higher than themselves i.e. God as the source of their pronouncements. Jesus said, “but I say unto you…” He referred to himself as the source of authority – again a prerogative of God.

He claimed preexistence “before Abraham was I am…” (John 8:58).

No wonder the Jews stoned him because no human being could claim all that!

Unique work on the Cross

The most touching aspect of the uniqueness of Jesus has to do with his achievement on the cross. Given below are a few significant points.

            •           The substitution on the cross

Just was substituted in the place of unjust. (1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:1; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Ephesians 2:14-16.)

            •           The suffering Person on the cross

The pathway for the Savior was ridden with pain on several fronts.

            •           Emotional suffering (Mathew 24:26-46)

            •           Physical suffering (Mathew 26:67, 68; Mathew 27:26-30)

            •           Spiritual suffering (Mathew 27:46)

He who knew no sin, who hated sin, who never sinned, upon Him was laid the penalty of sins of all humanity. His very being abhorred it yet He accepted it because He loved us.

            •           The satisfying provision of the cross

When Jesus cried out “Tetelestai”, it was a cry of completion and not of defeat (John 19:30).

The fruit of it was that our sins have been paid for in full (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:14-16; 1 Peter 3:18)

Heaven is for redeemed sinners. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me…” is a song redeemed mankind will sing and angels cannot.

Unique Resurrection

The work on the cross has significance because of the fact of the resurrection. If Christ had not risen from the grave, our hope would be in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:17; 1 Peter 1:3, 4).  Because of resurrection, we have victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:55). From a state of hopelessness, we have now new hope (1 Corinthians 15: 32, 58). 

We now have His abiding presence

            •           He is always with us (Matthew 28:20)

            •           We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16)

            •           We can joyfully await His second coming (John 14:3; Titus 2:11-14)