Whatever weakness that we may have, we have to make sure that we overcome it by putting it into God’s hands, asking Him for help which should eliminate the weakness, thereby making us stronger.
Sin
Better Ways of Doing Things – Part 2
A further seven areas are given on this matter of Better Ways of Doing Things which will happen in the World Tomorrow. These are respect for God’s Name, true religion will be worldwide, the family, health, behaviour, one pure language and the use of technology. All of these will greatly benefit all of mankind.
Would you please explain Matthew 7:6? Who, especially, is Christ addressing here, and how are we to apply this Scripture in our daily lives?
Matthew 7:6 reads as follows:
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”
We need to state, first of all, that the Bible compares the truth about the Kingdom of God with a precious pearl (Matthew 13:45-46). At the same time, “dogs” or “swine” describe debased and quarrelsome people, filled with anger and hostility toward God and His Law (Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:22; Revelation 22:15).
Barnes has the following insightful comments regarding the meaning of this passage:
“Pearls… are used to denote the doctrines of the gospel. ‘Dogs’ signify people who spurn, oppose, and abuse that doctrine; people of special sourness and malignity of temper, who meet it like growling and quarrelsome curs… ‘Swine’ denote those who would trample the precepts underfoot; people of impurity of life; those who are corrupt, polluted, profane, obscene, and sensual; those who would not know the value of the gospel, and who would tread it down as swine would pearls… The meaning of this proverb, then, is, do not offer your doctrine to those violent and abusive people who would growl and curse you; nor to those especially debased and profligate who would not perceive its value, would trample it down, and would abuse you…”
We are asked to let our light shine, by doing good works (Matthew 5:16). A light makes no noise–if it does, then something is wrong with it. We cannot convert a person–only God can do this (Romans 2:4). It is true that we are told to be prepared to give a defense or an answer to those who ask us about the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15)–but this addresses people who are genuinely interested. This is not to say that we could not try to sow a seed by making a point in a conversation–but we must be extremely careful not to do this with people who are hostile toward “our religion.” Even insofar as non-hostile people are concerned, we generally are to wait for them to express their interest, by asking, rather than “volunteering” to forcefully try to persuade them of our beliefs. It takes discernment to determine whether people are genuinely interested, or whether they just raise an issue for the purpose of strife and contention. Proverbs 17:14 says: “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.”
However, the Commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown gives us the following appropriate caution:
“Religion is brought into contempt, and its professors insulted, when it is forced upon those who cannot value it and will not have it. But while the indiscriminately zealous have need of this caution, let us be on our guard against too readily setting our neighbors down as dogs and swine, and excusing ourselves from endeavoring to do them good on this poor plea.”
Christ’s point is: Don’t be too quick to judge and condemn (see the context of Matthew 7:6 with verses 1-5, cautioning against quick judgment of others, while at the same time ignoring our own shortcomings)–but don’t be naive and overlook blatant malicious attitudes and conduct, expressing hostility toward the Word and the LAW of God.
Gill has this to say in regard to the passage:
“Here the phrase is used in a metaphorical sense; and is generally understood of not delivering or communicating the holy word of God, and the truths of the Gospel, comparable to pearls, or the ordinances of it, to persons notoriously vile and sinful: to men, who being violent and furious persecutors, and impudent blasphemers, [who] are compared to ‘dogs’; or to such, who are scandalously vile, impure in their lives and conversations, and are therefore compared to swine… men should be cautious, and prudent, in rebuking and admonishing such persons for their sins, in whom there is no appearance or hope of success; yea, where there is danger of sustaining loss.”
The Bible warns us in Proverbs 9:7-8: “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you…”
Compare, too, the following statements in the Nelson Study Bible:
“Dogs and swine refer to people who are enemies of the gospel, as opposed to those who are merely unbelievers. Such enemies are to be left alone (see [Matthew] 15:14; 2 [Corinthians] 6:14-18). One example of such a person was Herod Antipas, who heard John gladly (see Mark 6:20), but then he beheaded him (see [Matthew] 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-28; Luke 9:7-9). Later when Christ stood before Herod, He said nothing (see Luke 23:8, 9). In the context of this verse, Herod had become a ‘dog’ or a ‘pig.'”
Note these additional comments in the Life Application Bible:
“It is futile to try to teach holy concepts to people who don’t want to listen and will only tear apart what we say. We should not stop giving God’s Word to unbelievers, but we should be wise and discerning in what we teach to whom, so that we will not be wasting our time.”
The Broadman Bible Commentary agrees, pointing out:
“Jesus is… alluding… to any person who is… unwilling to distinguish between what is holy and what is not, or between pearls and what is valueless. This saying sounds harsh, but it must be heard. Jesus… recognized that there were times when there was no opening for the gospel or for his ministry… there are times when [a Christian] can only remain silent or try to bring about a better climate for a later sharing… Three dangers threaten the Christian witness or minister who does not discern when to speak and when to keep silence: he may further damage the one he tries to help; he may try to force himself or his values upon another; and he may unnecessarily imperil himself and others.”
Clarke adds another dimension to this verse, when he states:
“As a general meaning of this passage, we may just say: ‘The sacrament of the Lord’s supper [better: Passover], and other holy ordinances which are only instituted for the genuine followers of Christ, are not to be dispensed to those who are continually returning like the snarling ill-natured dog to their easily predominant sins of rash judgment, barking at and tearing the characters of others by evil speaking, back biting and slandering; nor to him who, like the swine, is frequently returning to wallow in the mud of sensual gratifications and impurities.'”
Even though John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, disagrees with the idea that Christ, in Matthew 7:6, had the Passover in mind, he nevertheless concurs that the PRINCIPLE is well founded, stating:
“Some of the early fathers thought the reference was to the Lord’s Supper [better: Passover]… and argued from it that unbelieving, unbaptized people should not be admitted to Communion [partaking of the symbols of bread and wine during Passover]. [Footnote: For example, chapter IX of the Didache, probably an early second-century document, includes this instruction: ‘Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, “Give not that which is holy to the dogs.”‘] While they were no doubt right in this teaching, it is extremely doubtful whether Jesus had this question in mind at all…”
The Church of God has consistently taught that only properly baptized members are to partake of the Passover symbols (see our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days.”)
To an extent, Christ’s statement in Matthew 7:6 can even refer to the public preaching of the gospel by His Church. It cannot be applied, of course, in the sense that His Church is NO longer obligated to preach the gospel in all the world as a witness–just the opposite is true (Matthew 24:14)–but as the following commentaries point out, the passage has relevance insofar as the REACTION of those is concerned who hear the proclamation of the gospel message.
Stott explains:
“We cannot possibly deduce… that Jesus was forbidding us to preach the gospel to unbelievers. To suppose this would stand the whole New Testament on its head and contradict the Great Commission (with which Matthew’s Gospel ends) to ‘go and make disciples of all nations.’ [compare Matthew 28:19-20]… so then the ‘dogs’ and ‘pigs’ with whom we are forbidden to share the gospel pearl are not just unbelievers. They must rather be those who have had ample opportunity to hear and receive the good news, but have decisively–even defiantly–rejected it… the fact is that to persist beyond a certain point in offering the gospel to such people is to invite its rejection with contempt and even blasphemy… If people have had plenty of opportunity to hear the truth but do not respond to it… we are not to go on and on with them, for then we cheapen God’s gospel of letting them trample it under foot.”
Therefore, Christ’s warning not to give what is holy to the dogs and swine, has a certain relevance in relationship to the REACTION of those to whom the gospel has been preached. In Matthew 10:14, Christ told His disciples whom He had sent out to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God (see verse 7), to leave the house of unworthy people who would not receive nor hear the message. We also find that Paul, AFTER he had preached the gospel to the Jews, turned away from them and turned to the Gentiles, when the Jews rejected the message (compare Acts 13:44-46; 18:5-6).
A good summary of the meaning of Matthew 7:6 can be found in Henry’s commentary, where we read:
“This [passage] may be considered, either, (1.) As a rule to the disciples in preaching the gospel; not that they must not preach it to any one who were wicked and profane (Christ himself preached to publicans and sinners), but the reference is to such as they found obstinate after the gospel was preached to them, such as blasphemed it, and persecuted the preachers of it; let them not spend much time among such, for it would be lost labour, but let them turn to others… Or, (2.) As a rule to all in giving reproof. Our zeal against sin must be guided by discretion, and we must not go about to give instructions, counsels, and rebukes, much less comforts, to hardened scorners, to whom it will certainly do no good, but who will be exasperated and enraged at us. Throw a pearl to a swine, and he will resent it… Good counsel and reproof are a holy thing… Yet we must be very cautious whom we condemn as dogs and swine, and not do it till after trial, and upon full evidence.”
It requires insight, discernment and prayer to be able to determine when to speak and when to be silent. However, people’s hostility to the words of God and especially the LAW of God is normally revealed very quickly. Somebody who HATES God’s commandments will express his malice in due course. In that case, it is best to cease discussing God’s truth with such a person, knowing that it will only lead to strife and contention (1 Timothy 6:3-5; Titus 3:9-10). A servant of God is told not to be engaged in such destructive conversation (1 Corinthians 11:16; 2 Timothy 2:23-24), lest he become affected by it too, giving in to the devouring hatred of his opponents and reacting in such a way as to allow his mouth to sin (Psalm 39:1).
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
The Spirit of God
Twelve points on what the Spirit of God does for a converted Christian in the New testament age outlining both the benefits and looking at the future reward for remaining faithful.
Overcoming Sin
Since the time of man’s creation, we have failed to be righteous in God’s eyes. However, God has given us a set of tools to overcome this fallible nature by giving us his Holy Spirit and the sacrifice of his only son, Jesus Christ, so that we may achieve the goal of being part of his family. Job gives us an example of overcoming failure by persevering through his trials and repenting from his sin of self-righteousness. David too failed by committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah the Hittite. Yet David overcame these sins by acknowledging his sins, and turning back to God. In Christ’s time, Peter failed on a number of occasions — seeking his own will above God’s, misunderstanding the meaning of Christ washing his feet, and by denying Christ at the end of his life. Peter took each of these failures as an opportunity to learn from his mistakes and move forward with greater character than he had before. The Bible reminds us that God will not forsake us. It is our responsibility to not get discouraged by our failures, but rather, to use them as an opportunity to grow closer to God and His way of life.
What was David seeking of the LORD when he asked: “Cleanse me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12)?
David, in verses 7-11 of Psalm 19, had just described the
considerable blessings which exist in obedience to God’s law and His
Way of life! He spoke to the law of the LORD, to the testimony, to the
statutes of the LORD, to the commandment, to the fear of the LORD and
to the judgments of the LORD. He knew that all of God’s laws were in
existence during his time and had been established for all times–even
to the end of this present society and on into eternity! These laws
describe the very character of our God and a Way of life for us!
David
described the extreme value of God’s requirements of men; and then
raised the question in verse 12, “Who can understand his errors?” He
realized that he was not perfect in all his ways, when compared with
the requirements of the LORD! His desire was to please God in all that
he did, and he understood the need to correct all of the errors in his
life, which were in conflict with God’s Way! Thus, in his prayer to God
for help in overcoming his weaknesses, he requested that God would help
him in overcoming even the sins he committed in ignorance.
This
subject is addressed in detail in Leviticus, chapter 4, by the LORD in
His instruction to Moses; which instruction addressed sins committed in
ignorance as compared to sins committed presumptuously, in open
rebellion to God’s Way of life (See also, Numbers 15:22-31)!
With
the children of Israel, God had established the sin offering to address
such sins committed unintentionally and in ignorance. God had also
established the trespass offering to address intentional sins, which
were not committed presumptuously (Leviticus 5:1-19; 6:1-7). David’s
noting this particular area of unintentional sin in his life
illustrated his great desire to please God and to be perfectly obedient
to all of God’s requirements. David often beseeched God in addressing
this problem in his life (Compare Psalm 26:2; Psalm 77:1-6; Psalm
119:59; Psalm 139:23-24).
This, of course, must
become our attitude to God’s law and His Way of life. In fulfilling our
responsibility in obedience to God, we should be continually examining
our lives with the standard of God’s law and with the perfect example
set by Jesus Christ always in our forethoughts! Being the perfect
example–He fulfilled all aspects of His Father’s Will while living in
the flesh.
We note in the book of Lamentations, chapter 3, verse
40: “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the
LORD…” The prophet, Haggai, notes in Haggai 1:7 these words of the LORD
of hosts: “Consider your ways!”
David came to understand that
nothing he did could be hidden from God, and he passed this important
lesson on to the one who would rule in his place: “As for you, my son
Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart
and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and
understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be
found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever” (1
Chronicles 28:9).
God speaks directly to each of His people in
respect to the need for self examination, as recorded in 1 Corinthians
11:28, 31. In this case God is making specific reference to His
Passover, where He says: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him
eat of the bread and drink of the cup… For if we would judge
ourselves, we should not be judged.” Of course, self examination should
not be reserved for the Passover season only, but is an exercise we
should be carrying out continually (compare 2 Corinthians 13:5). And
our searching out of sins committed unintentionally or in ignorance, as
well as overcoming sins that we still commit intentionally, because of
the weakness of our flesh, must always be in the forefront of our
minds.
Lead Writer: J. Edwin Pope
Would you please explain Psalm 7:11, which says that God is angry with the wicked every day. Why would God be angry?
Although in most cases, human anger is wrong, there is nothing wrong with godly indignation or wrath, which is always righteous. But we need to understand the nature of godly anger, and against whom or what it is directed.
The context of Psalm 7 shows that “Cush, a Benjamite,” persecuted innocent David. According to the Soncino commentary, Cush is a designation for King Saul. David expresses to God his innocence (vv. 3-5, 8), and asks God to take care of his situation. He points out that God will rise in His anger (verse 6), and that He “hath indignation every day” (according to Soncino). The New King James Bible ADDED the words, “with the wicked,” which do not appear in the original Hebrew. However, the addition is in accordance with the intended meaning.
Soncino explains:
“He [David] removes the false impression he may have created in the foregoing that God had been indifferent to what had happened to him, and that he called upon Him to adjudicate because He had failed to do so. He admits that God is indignant with the wicked every day, constantly.”
It is important to note WHY God is angry with the wicked. Verse 12 explains: “If he does not turn back [that is, if he does not repent of his evil deeds], He [God] will sharpen His sword.” That is, God will fight against him, and his own evil and “violent dealing shall come down on his own crown” (verse 16).
Psalm 7 expresses and describes an important character trait of God: God is slow to anger (Psalm 103:8) and ready to pardon or to forgive (Nehemiah 9:17). God’s anger only lasts just for a moment (Psalm 30:5). However, God’s patience is not without limit. God is angry at sin and sinful, rebellious conduct. But God’s anger ceases when man repents of his sin.
King Solomon understood that when man sins, God becomes angry with man and brings trouble upon him (compare 1 Kings 8:46). He also understood that when man sincerely repents of his evil deeds, God forgives and helps man out of trouble (vv. 47-50).
There are many examples in the Bible, showing that God’s hot anger is kindled against man because of sin. As we saw, God became angry in Old Testament times (cp. Judges 2:11-14). Jesus Christ became angry too when He saw the hardness and stubbornness of the Pharisees who rebelled against God’s mercy and compassion for suffering people (cp. Mark 3:5). And God will pour out His fierce anger on rebellious mankind, in an unparalleled way, in the not-too-distant future.
We are told in Scripture that the day of the LORD is at hand—a time of God’s wrath and hot displeasure when God will intervene in human affairs and punish those who rebel against Him.
Isaiah 13:9, 11, 13 says: “Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it… ‘I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible… Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger.’”
Isaiah 66:15-17 includes additional aspects of God’s anger to be poured out on this world in a few years from now. Also, Micah 5:15 states: “And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury On the nations that have not heard [or obeyed, as the margin has it].”
God is angry with wicked people every day who refuse to repent, and who, instead, harm others. We read in Revelation 11:18: “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come… that you should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
God is also angry with those who refuse to respond to His call for salvation. In the parable of the Great Supper, in Luke 14, God is depicted as a man or master who gave a great supper and invited many people. But they all began to make excuses, refusing to attend the supper. In verse 21, we read that the master of the house became angry with those people.
God’s righteous indignation is directed at rebellious mankind who refuse to obey God and to repent of their evil and wicked deeds. This world will soon wake up to the fact that God CAN BE VERY ANGRY—and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). Those who permanently and rebelliously refuse to submit to God, even though they know better, will pay the price. Hebrews 10:26-27 says:
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
Shortly after the “day of the LORD” has begun, Jesus Christ will return to this earth, to establish the Kingdom and government of God. He will come to reward the righteous and to punish the wicked who do not know and obey God and His Word (2 Thessalonians 1:3-8). We need to make sure that we don’t belong to those with whom God is angry “every day.”
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
No Other Gods
Do we live our lives in accordance with God’s Will? Do we live according to the faith God has allowed in us? Or do we live our lives based upon our own will, in accordance with the standards of this world?
When we vary our approach according to the world’s standards, we effectively condemn ourselves in what we have approved (Romans 14:22). When we do this, we have placed this world’s ways above the ways of our God, an action the Scripture refers to as idolatry.
Play Video
Is Overcoming a Priority For You?
God’s people today are a people called to overcome sin in their
lives! If one succeeds in this calling, God will give to him the gift
of eternal life as a member in the Family of God!One does not earn eternal life through this process of overcoming.
What one does earn should he fail in this endeavor to which he is
called, is what the Scripture refers to as the second death – eternal
death! This must never be our personal choice relative to our calling.
However, if we are successful in our calling through the power of God’s
Holy Spirit, God will give to us the gift of eternal life!Another very important thing one is able to earn, should he be
successful in His calling of God during this lifetime, is a position of
rulership in the coming Kingdom of God!
Would you please explain the concept of "original sin" in light of Romans 5:12, 19?
Before analyzing the passage in Romans 5:12, 19, let us very briefly
discuss the concept of “original sin.” It was developed by Augustine,
based on a wrong translation of the Greek text in Romans 5. The
Broadman Bible Commentary points out, in Vol. 10, on page 195:
“Augustine, who knew very little Greek, followed the Latin
translation… and, on the basis of this mistranslation, developed his
doctrine of original sin, understood as inherited guilt, and the result
was a lurid picture of unbaptized infants in limbo. It is significant
that even Roman Catholic scholars, plagued most by this disaster, are
now saying bluntly the doctrine is not in Scripture.”
Simply put,
the concept of the original sin holds that we all “inherited” guilt or
transgression from Adam and Eve who “originally” sinned. According to
that concept, we inherited eternal death–which is the penalty for sin
(compare Romans 6:23)–even though we ourselves did nothing to deserve
this penalty. In other words, Adam and Eve’s original sin was somehow
arbitrarily transmitted to all, down to the last baby born before
Christ returns. From this UNBIBLICAL concept derived additional ideas,
namely:
— the Catholic concept that a baby must be baptized to
be freed from the “inherited” guilt and penalty for the original sin of
Adam and Eve (Biblical baptism is not for babies or children, however,
as clearly explained in our booklet, “Baptism–a Requirement for
Salvation”).
— the Catholic concept of the “immaculate
conception” — the idea that Mary had to be free from original sin from
the moment of her conception, as otherwise Jesus had to have been born
with inherited guilt and transgression. As sex in marriage is
considered by the Catholic Church as less than ideal, the further
concept was developed that Mary remained a perpetual virgin even after
Christ’s birth. (This concept is unbiblical, as explained in our
booklet, “Jesus Christ–a Great Mystery.”)
The wrong concept of the inherited “original sin” is described by the Nelson Study Bible, as follows:
“Through
[Adam] sin entered the world. Sin brought death. The result is that
death is now a universal experience… In Adam, we all sinned… The
result is physical and spiritual death for everyone. From Adam we
inherited a sin nature. Furthermore, as a result of our sin in Adam, we
face a common judgment–death.” The commentary goes on to say that
Adam’s sin “brought death upon us all,” and that it is not necessary
that we sinned individually.
This concept is blatantly wrong and unbiblical.
Romans
5:12, 19 is used as the proof verse of original sin. It reads, “…
through one man sin entered in the world, and death through sin, and
thus death spread to all men… by one man’s disobedience many
were made sinners…”
However, this passage does not tell us that
we are guilty of eternal death, just because of Adam’s sin, and without
any personal responsibility. Rather, an important part of the Scripture
was left out in the above quote. Romans 5:12 reads, in its entirety:
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death
through sin, and thus death [the penalty for sin] spread to all men,
BECAUSE ALL SINNED…”
This passage does not say that all sinned
only “in Adam”– that is, that only Adam sinned, and that his sin was
somehow transferred to all. Rather, the passage says that all have
sinned, individually. Romans 5:14 says that “death reigned from Adam to
Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the LIKENESS of
the transgression of Adam.” But, they DID sin. Verse 13 says that sin
is not imputed when there is no law. Since death reigned from Adam to
Moses, and beyond, there WAS a law, and sin WAS imputed. Sin is the
transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version), and the
penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Romans 3:23 tells us that “ALL
have sinned [not just Adam] and fall short of the glory of God.” And
Romans 14:12 makes it clear that we will have to give account to God
for what WE have done–we don’t have to give account for the sin of our
forefather Adam.
The idea that eternal death reigned over us even
though we did not sin, individually, is absolutely unbiblical and
misrepresents God’s very character. God is fair. If He was to hold us
responsible and make us pay for something we did not do, He would be
terribly UNFAIR.
We read in Ezekiel 18:20: “The soul who sins
shall die. The son shall NOT BEAR THE GUILT OF THE FATHER [or his
forefather Adam, who is the “father” of the human race, see Luke
3:23-38].” This text PROVES that the concept of the inherited original
sin is FALSE.
In an old article by Herbert W. Armstrong, titled, “Are People Lost Because of Adam’s Sin?,” it is stated:
“”…
it says in plain language that death passed on upon all men because all
have sinned. The death penalty is passed upon you–it is passed upon
everyone of us, because we have sinned–because we have lived the wrong
way and have not turned to God. The Scripture does not say that the
penalty of Adam’s sin is eternal death for you and me–but the penalty
for your sin, of my sin, of our sins, is death! But God so loved this
world that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever
believeth on him should not perish, but should have the gift of eternal
life (John 3:16). The way is to repent– to repent of sin– and
acknowledge Jesus Christ as personal Savior.”
But Adam and Eve’s
sin DID do something to this world. The concept of “inherited” original
sin is clearly wrong–but notice what DID happen when they sinned. In a
brief article in the Plain Truth magazine of September 1963, the
following is accurately explained:
“… Adam and Eve… sinned.
They were driven from the Garden of Eden. By sinning, they cut
themselves off from the guidance, authority and knowledge of God (Gen.
3:24). Adam not only cut himself off–he was responsible for cutting
his children off–from the help and instruction of God. Even his own
son became a murderer (Gen. 4:8)… So Adam’s sin was unique in that it
was the first human sin–it was he who cut man off from God… We have
not been forced to sin because Adam sinned!”
But the sad fact is
that we all followed Adam’s wrong example: We all sinned and brought
upon us the penalty of ETERNAL death, and so we read that “by the one
man’s offense many died” (Romans 5:15), and “by one man’s disobedience
many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19).
As we sinned by following
Adam’s example, we can live righteously by following Christ’s example.
We read that through one Man’s obedience [that is, the obedience of
Jesus Christ who never sinned and who never disobeyed God’s law] many
will be made righteous (Romans 5:19). However, this does not happen
automatically. As Adam’s sin and the consequential death penalty were
not automatically transferred on us via “original sin,” without any
individual responsibility, Christ’s obedience and His righteousness are
not just automatically transferred on us without individual
responsibility, either. Rather, we must repent of our sins and believe
in Christ’s Sacrifice and His gospel message, in order to obtain
forgiveness of our sins, so that we can be freed from the death
penalty. Following this, we are to be baptized into His death (Romans
6:3). We are not to continue in sin (Romans 6:1) after we have died to
sin (Romans 6:2). Rather, after having been baptized and “raised from
the [spiritual] dead,” we are to “walk in newness of life” (Romans
6:4). Christ only became the author of eternal salvation to all “who
OBEY Him” (Hebrews 5:9).
We are responsible for our actions. We
can continue living in sin, by following Adam’s example, or we can
begin and continue to live in righteousness, by following Christ’s
example. The choice is ours.
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
