The Perversion of Sin // Malcolm Yarnell
At first, this might seem an odd way of encouraging you but read it all the way to the end!
Both human persons and societies are perverted by sin. “Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their iniquities” (Lam. 5:7). The individual person remains ultimately responsible for his or her own sins (Ezek. 18:20). At the final judgment, we must account for our works. National sins are manifested in history, as is often divine judgment through providence. The gospel brings both personal and social change. Christians remain responsible for both personal sanctification and social flourishing. True faith is alive and not static. “You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete” (Jam. 2:22).
In the New Jerusalem, the reign of sin will cease. “Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away” (Rev. 21:3-4). Those who have a personal relationship with the Triune God have a place there, but not those dominated by sin. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates” (Rev. 22:14).
Despite our utter sinfulness and every reason to despair of ourselves, God calls us to receive the hope of our humanity in its reconstitution in his Son. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Ecce homo—behold God become human, the unfathomable mystery of the love of God for the world. God loves human beings. God loves the world.”
God loves you, even though you and I are sinners, and he sent his Son to prove it by dying on the cross and arising from the dead.
Malcolm Yarnell
Teaching Pastor
