I firmly believe that one of the least discussed Biblical truths in the church today is sin. We are inundated with feel good sermons that tend to focus on your best life now and how to be successful while overlooking what true progress in the Christ life exemplifies: an ever increasing war with sin.

As a street evangelist, one of the most common things I hear is that God is all forgiving and while He may not be too happy about sin He seems to have the magical ability to overlook it. Now let me make an important point – God is forgiving, but God is not unjust. There is a big difference.

The problem today is that the majority of professing believers I run into have created a god in their own image. Instead of allowing Scripture to be their rule and guide to properly understanding and worshiping God, they have allowed the culture and their own minds and hearts to construct a god of their own liking. For example, it is all too common to hear those I witness to tell me that they believe that God is all loving and all forgiving and He will forgive their sins if they simply ask Him. Before I respond to that statement let me first take us back to how the Bible describes God’s view of sin. Sadly, many today even in the church have a very loose view of sin and an even looser view of how God views sin. Our culture and media are bombarding us with so much sinful activity painted as the common life that our minds can become callous to the heinousness of sin. This is where we need to heed the call of the Scriptures to constantly be renewing our minds in the mighty truths of God’s Word.

So, let’s go all the way back to the beginning. In the book of Genesis we learn that God created all things and said that it was good. God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and then gave to him his wife, Eve. All of this takes place in the first two chapters of the first book of our Bible. However, in the very next chapter we read of what is called The Fall. It is in this chapter that Satan tempts Eve to disobey the one rule God had put in place. Now here is where we really need to stand back and see the full picture of the sinfulness of sin. Adam and Eve commit one sin. That’s right – one sin. Because of one sin, God places a curse on mankind. Because of that one sin all die. The simple fact that everyone to this day continues to die is proof positive that the covenant God made with Adam is still in force. Not only did mankind receive the curse of death and God’s wrath but we also read in Genesis that creation also became cursed as well. Paul elaborates on this truth in Romans that all creation groans as it eagerly waits for Christ to return since it too has been affected by the one sin of Adam and Eve. Now this should really help us to see the utter sinfulness of sin. If one single sin against God Almighty brought about the curse from God that affects all of creation why is it that the majority of folks today believe that as long as their good works outweigh their bad that God will simply overlook their sin? It’s because we have an incorrect and often blasphemous view of sin.

The Biblical truth is that every single sin demands an eternal punishment. We sin against a Holy, eternal and just God and thus our sin demands an eternal and just punishment. This now gets us back to that statement that many hold fast to concerning God and His forgiveness. You’ll recall that many today believe that they can just ask God for forgiveness and He will just overlook their sin and excuse it. My friend, if you really believe that then you are flat out saying that God is unjust. Let me put it this way. If God were to just overlook your sin and forgive it without His justice being met He would not be holy and He would not be just. He would actually be unjust – which is the absolute opposite of His character. This is why we must be ever careful to worship God rightly. We must worship Him as He has revealed Himself through His Word and through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Scripture proclaims to us that it is an abomination in the eyes of God to justify the wicked. (Prov. 17:15) This sets up the great dilemma – how can God be just and justify sinners? It’s only through the glorious cross of Jesus Christ that we see this question answered. In fact, to ask how God can be just and justify sinners should be the greatest question we can ask.

When we gaze at the cross of Christ we see the very wisdom, justice, love, mercy and grace of God. The cross of Christ demonstrates to us that God hates sin. The cross demonstrates to us God’s love. The cross of Christ demonstrates God’s wrath. It truly is the lens to view nearly all of the glorious attributes of God at one time. The Lord Jesus Christ came to become sin on our behalf so that we may have the righteousness of God in Him. God is just in forgiving a wicked sinner such as I because God took my sin and imputed it to His perfect, sinless Son and doled out all the eternal wrath and condemnation that I deserve on His Son. Through repentance and faith I am justified and sanctified (and am being sanctified) all because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. It’s also in Christ that death no longer has its sting. This, my friends is the wonder of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So we learn from the gospel that the only way God can forgive us is through Christ. There are not multiple ways to God and all roads do not lead to heaven. To come to God not trusting in Christ and expecting Him to forgive you because you ask Him is futile. Think about it, if I could simply ask God for forgiveness and He would forgive me then why would Christ need to die at all? What would have been the point of His crucifixion? What would have been the point of the very animal sacrifices all through the Old Testament that pointed to Christ and His sacrifice since the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin.

We must get the gospel right! If you have been trusting in your own goodness or even if you have believed that God is going to overlook your sin and simply excuse it since you’ve asked Him for forgiveness I urge you to look deeply at the cross of Christ and repent of your idolatry and turn to Christ. Put your faith and trust in Him and Him alone and understand that only through Christ can forgiveness be found. Allow the cross of Christ to demonstrate to you not only the love of God but also His perfect justice and His absolute hatred for sin.

If you are a believer, never look away from the cross. Believers truly can only live a gospel and cross-centered life. It’s by looking at the cross that we are reminded not only of God’s love to us but also His hatred for sin. Allow the cross of Christ to remind you constantly of the wickedness of sin and then remember that it is only by knowing the grand truth that you have died with Christ, you have been raised with Him and you are seated with Him in the heavenly places that you have died to sin. The gospel not only saves us from the penalty of sin which is God’s wrath in hell but also from it’s grip and power. Paul reminds us how shall we who have died to sin continue to live in it. We must remember that we’ve died to sin because we have died with Christ. We are now alive as a new creation in Christ and through walking by the Spirit we are able to put to death the deeds of the flesh.

This is the grand and wonderful truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, the American church today has watered down or forgotten these great truths. May we cry out to God Almighty for forgiveness and return to a gospel-centered and cross-centered life and proclaim the full and wonderful good news of Jesus Christ. May we also see sin the way that God sees it as He has taught us in His living Word. In the words of the great Puritan theologian John Owen, “be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”

Soli Deo Gloria.