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God, Man, Sin, and Salvation

by Bobby Witherington

The Bible starts out with these words, “In the beginning God,” Genesis 1:1. Acknowledge the existence of “God,” and you have a plausible explanation for everything else – the universe and everything connected therewith. Acknowledge the existence of God, and you have a basis for understanding who you are, where you came from, and your very purpose for living. Deny the existence of “God,” and nothing makes sense! Inasmuch as intelligence is greater than mere matter, then the first Cause that caused everything else had to be Intelligence, as opposed to matter! Yet, when one considers the complexity of matter it becomes evident that the Intelligence which created matter had to have those attributes which the Bible ascribes to “God”! You see, the God of the Bible is “Almighty,” Genesis 17:1; He is “from everlasting to everlasting,” Psalms 19:2; He is omnipresent, Psalms 139:7-10; His “understanding is infinite,” Psalms 147:5, etc. Moreover, the “God” of the Bible “did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness,” Acts 14:17. Even as the existence of the creation affirms the existence of the Creator, then people who try to leave “God” out of the equation are completely “without excuse,” Romans 1:20. In view of the many evidences which uniformly affirm the existence of God, one can see why the Psalmist boldly and pointedly said “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God,” Psalms 14:1!

Man

After first creating everything else, God then “created man in His Own image,” Genesis 1:27. Man is more than mere animal! Man is more than simply a bunch of molecules in motion! Man did not evolve over a period of several billion years from a single cell which spontaneously generated itself from nothing into existence, and then through the blind forces of mere chance evolved upward through various forms of higher life to his current state – to that of being simply an animal among animals, as so many so foolishly believe! Properly understood, man is the “offspring” of God, Acts 17:28, and as such he is a creature of dignity and worth. With this in mind, please note these words from Psalms 8:3-6, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained. What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” In view of these facts, it is a grievous mistake to mentally reduce man to the level of a mere animal, or to ignore the value of human life!

However, if God “created man,” then God is greater than man, and man is amenable to God. You see, if God “created” man, then man’s primary duty is to God! Scripture words it this way, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Indeed, we must concur with those celestial beings who were described as casting their crowns before the throne of God, “saying, You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created,” Revelation 4:11. It should thus be evident that if God created man, if man is amenable to God, if man’s “whole duty” is to “fear God and keep His commandments,” if man’s ultimate purpose is to glorify God, then when man falls short of doing this, God must be sorely displeased! And this leads us to one of the saddest (and most heart-wrenching) words in any language, namely the word:

Sin!

The apostle John said “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law,” I John 3:4. That being the case, then any time any person transgresses the “law” of God he sins! And the Bible says that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. Even though multitudes make light of sin, sin is really no laughing matter! It was responsible for man’s expulsion from the garden of Eden, Genesis 3:23. It brought spiritual death, Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23, and physical death, Genesis 3:19. It is responsible for every broken home, every murder, and every manifestation of man’s inhumanity to man. And of even greater consequence, sin alienates man from God, Isaiah 59:1-2, leaving him without God, and without hope, Ephesians 2:12. At this point, the picture looks bleak indeed. However, someone has observed that “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity,” and this leads us to a most delightful word, namely:

Salvation!

Jesus came to this world in order “to seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10. He shed his blood to make possible “the remission of sins,” Matthew 26:28. Salvation is “in Christ Jesus,” II Timothy 2:10. The word “gospel” literally means “good news,” and the cardinal facts of the “gospel” involve the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I Corinthians 15:1-4. The “good news” of the gospel is designed to counteract the “bad news” of sin. The reason why the gospel is to be preached to “every creature,” Mark 16:15, is because every accountable person has “sinned,” Romans 3:23.

However, the gospel must not be ignored; it must be obeyed! When the Lord returns, He will, “in flaming fire,” take “vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,” II Thessalonians 1:8. Mindful of the frightful consequences of people dying in sin, the apostles and first century preachers endeavored with all their might to take the gospel to the whole world, and amazingly they succeeded, Colossians 1:23! Sadly, most people refused to obey the gospel, but the multitudes who did obey the gospel were forgiven of their sins, Acts 2:38-41, added to the church, Acts 2:47, entered into and put on Christ, Galatians 3:27, and became heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, Romans 8:16-17. They were thus able to live in “hope of eternal life,” Titus 1:2, and one day will be able to enter into that celestial, heavenly city where “there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain” for the former things will have “passed away,” Revelation 21:4.

Friend, the “hope” first century Christians possessed can also be your hope – provided you obey the same gospel they obeyed, in the same way they obeyed it! In New Testament days, alien sinners heard the word of God, which produced faith in their hearts, Romans 10:17. Faith is necessary, for “without faith it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6. They were called upon to “repent,” Acts 2:38, and this is so important because “all have sinned,” Romans 3:23. They confessed their faith, Acts 8:37, and this was also important because it is with the mouth that “confession is made unto salvation,” Romans 10:10. And they were baptized, because it is in baptism that one’s sins are washed away, Acts 22:16, and it is through baptism that one enters into and puts on Christ, Galatians 3:27, in Whom is “salvation,” II Timothy 2:10. Upon so doing, they were “saved” and added by the Lord to the church, Acts 2:47, which is Christ's body, Ephesians 1:22-23, and in which both Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God, Ephesians 2:16.

Conclusion: Friend, if you believe in the existence of God, if you believe that God created man in His “own image,” if you admit that you have sinned, if you understand that “the wages of sin is death,” then you should waste no time seeking that “salvation” which only God can provide!

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