Life and Death

 Back in 1973, renowned psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a book titled, "Whatever Became of Sin?" In it he lamented the fact that American society seemed to be in the process of rejecting the concept of a divine standard of right and wrong. The word "sin", Menninger maintained, was disappearing from the American vocabulary. He suggested that simply removing the word 'sin' from our collective vocabularies wouldn't make its reality disappear. He strongly believed that even if the concept of sin was ignored, individuals and society would still suffer the consequences.

And 49 years later, and his theory has certainly proven true. 'Sin' isn't a big deal to most in our society. If it's even brought up today, we immediately hear cries of 'Don't judge me!' Some would ask, 'Why do you have to focus on something so negative?'

...The word 'cancer' is an ugly word. Because I hate it so much - if test results showed that I in fact had it - would I want the Dr. to tell me? Would I be better off if I just ignored it? ...Or - would it be best to say it out loud and deal with it head on....?

This morning I'd like to look at the Biblical concept of "sin". Who gets to decide what "sin" is, or isn't? Is it relative? Is it a big deal? Do preachers like me harp on the subject just to make you feel guilty? I want to look at 'sin' from God's perspective, starting with how God responded to...

I. Sin in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, God had chosen the nation of Israel to have a special relationship with Him, a covenant relationship. He had given them promises and specific instructions, and if they followed Him - He would protect them and bless them over all others. God promised to lead them to their promised land where they would thrive and grow. God had even told them that He would fight their battles on their way to this land.

God then demonstrated His promise through one of Israel's leaders - Joshua, in the Battle of Jericho - the account of how God instructed the people to march around the city and then God miraculously knocked the walls down without the people lifting a finger. But right after this story, when Joshua instructed his men to scout out the surrounding territory, we see this in Joshua chapter 7. And were going to skip around a bit in this chapter starting with Joshua 7:4-5 (NIV)...

So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, (5) who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

At this point Joshua complains to God and basically blames Him for not acting, for not saving them. To which God responds...

Joshua 7:11-12,15 (NIV)

'Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. (12) That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.'

Jump to vs...

(15) 'He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!'

God then showed Joshua the man who broke the covenant, the man who sinned. His name was Achan - and we pick up the story in Joshua 7: 20-21, 24-26 (NIV)...

Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: (21) When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

And following God's instructions, we see in verse...

(24) Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. (25) Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.

(26) Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Now, based on this Old Testament story, how does God feel about 'disobedience'? Does it appear that God...

A. Takes 'sin' lightly?

Let's recap this story: Achan, one of the Israelites, sees a fancy robe and some silver and gold and decides he wants it. He takes it and buries it under his tent. (Now the fact that he immediately buries it tells me he knows that he is doing something wrong.)

After that, part of the Israelite army goes out to fight a supposedly 'easy' battle and gets defeated. 36 of them get killed and they get chased into the hills. Joshua, their leader, prays to God asking Him what He is going to do about this situation. To which God basically responds: "Why should I fight your battles when you have disobeyed me? You have a thief and a liar among you. Once you get rid of him, then I'll take care of you."

God then gives instructions for finding the offender. Achan confesses and they take him, and his family, kill them with stones, burn them and then bury them under a pile of stones. Thus the Lord's anger is satisfied. That's awful. Does God take sin lightly? - No. God takes sin, disobedience, very seriously. And the next question that begs to be asked...

B. Is God fair?

This one guy, Achan, steals and the whole nation of Israel pays for it - and ultimately Achan and all of Achan's family are killed. Is that fair? It doesn't feel overly fair to me... However, everyone in Israel was very clearly warned by God not to take anything. Right before we read this story, we see this in Joshua 6:18-19 (NIV)...

But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. (19) All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.

God told them not to take anything so they wouldn't bring destruction on themselves. He was very specific. But it's still awful... God wanted to protect Israel from the long term consequences of sin - separation from Him - so badly, that He went to awful lengths to accomplish it.

Also, this is a specific situation dealing with the Israelites who were in a covenant relationship with God - they were His chosen people. The whole nation was in a covenant relationship; therefore everyone was punished for the one man's actions. It may not seem fair at all to us today, but those were the rules. God had promised to protect them and do miraculous things to sustain them, provided that they obey Him.

It is extremely clear based on this account, and many others in the Old Testament that God looks at sin, at disobedience as a very serious thing. But we're not under the Old Testament law. So let's consider...

II. God's response today

In the Old Testament, we see God - as the King James Version would say - 'smiting' people pretty regularly. We can see this in Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)...

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: (17) haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, (18) a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, (19) a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

God is a loving God, but God reveals that He also hates things as well. We see this again in Psalms 11:5-6 (NIV)...

The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. (6) On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

In the New Testament and today, we don't seem to see as much of the same kind of stories of immediate destruction of 'sinners' as before. Why is that? The God of the Old Testament is the same God as today. Why this noticeable drastic change?

A. God deals with sin differently

Anyone who understands the New Testament, the new covenant, understands that God didn't change, but the way God deals with sin changed drastically.

Because God is so pure and so perfect and so Holy, He can't stand sin. He wants nothing to do with it because it goes against His very nature. When God created everything, He made some unchanging rules. One of those rules was that the consequence for sin was the shedding of blood. It says this in Hebrews 9:22 (NIV)...

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

That's how seriously God takes sin. Blood represents life, a gift from God. Only the shedding of blood could properly bring forgiveness and make things right with God. In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were made on the people's behalf to pay for their sin and to make them right with God. We understand that under the New covenant, we no longer make animal sacrifices - so, does God no longer hate sin?

God is no longer 'smiting' people, He no longer requires animal sacrifices - so has God changed the way He feels about sin? Has God modernized like our current culture? Has He given up on the 'superstitious' idea of 'sin' from the past?

God feels the same about sin - He still hates it; He still won't tolerate sin. However, in His infinite love, we understand that God provided a way for us to come into His presence despite our sin. It says this in Galatians 3:26-27 (NIV)...

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, (27) for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Since God is so perfect, so holy, that He can't stand to have sin in His presence - according to this passage, He covers it with His Son. Jesus' sacrifice, His blood, paid the debt for my sin, for your sin, and covers it so that we can approach the throne of God. We read this, referring to Jesus in Hebrews 10:12-14 (NIV)...

But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. (13) Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, (14) because by one sacrifice (himself) he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Because of Christ's sacrifice, God chooses to see me as this 'perfect person', a holy person into who Jesus is currently molding me. God still hates sin, but through the person of Jesus He provides a way into His presence. But understanding that - there's a distinction that many still fail to make.

B. God will not bless sin

God has provided a way of covering sin with Christ's blood, but He still hates 'sin'. God will not bless sin. When we use the term "bless" or "blessing", it can mean "to speak well of" - to 'advocate' or give weight - to sustain something. If I ask God "to bless someone", I'm asking Him to help them prosper; to continue on their chosen path unhindered. Will God 'bless' a choice that He has called sinful?

'Sin' is that which goes against the will of God. God is The Creator. God is in charge and He made the rules. The problem comes when we don't follow God and still expect Him 'to bless' us.

Frequently, people ignore God's rules and still expect that God will just keep silent - to continue to pour out His blessings and let us do our own thing, even if it is in direct opposition to God's revealed will. - Adultery, pornography, sex before marriage, drunkenness, same sex marriage, abortion. I'm not pointing these things out to condemn - but to point out that these things do go against God's will. We can't make or condone these choices and then expect God to bless us without us changing, us repenting - turning back to God's ways.

It doesn't work that way. We can't pick and choose what parts of the Bible we follow, or won't follow, and then still ask God to bless us as we run from His path. ...Let's look at it another way - would you 'bless' disobedience?

Let's say that you're the top boss of a big corporation. You get to make all the rules. If an employee chose to follow your dress code but disregarded your policy of showing up on time - would you reward them for their proper attire but then ignore the fact that they were five hours late? Would you 'bless' them for their lateness?

Or what if said employee agreed to your "no stealing" policy but rejected your "no selling drugs in the workplace" policy? Would you 'bless' his decision, or would you fire him?

If we wouldn't accept that kind of disrespect in the workplace - why would we expect God to 'bless' us and make us healthy and happy if we choose to ignore His rules?

So What?

We haven't outgrown the idea of sin. Sin causes pain. Sin causes separation from God and ultimately death. When we talk to those in the world about 'sin' - it can't be all about judgment, or guilt - but more about 'this is about life and death and I have good news for you!' Jesus' blood does cover our sin and we do live in a state of grace - but even though Christ's blood covers that sin, don't think for moment that God is 'okay' with our sin.

Let me encourage you, personally, to take God's purpose for your life seriously. The people of Israel were warned not to steal the treasure to avoid destruction, to avoid pain. Achan chose to ignore God's warning and paid the price. I encourage you to fight any sin in your life, continue to submit to God's leading and allow Him to pour out the blessings He eagerly wants to give to you!

We need to stand, in love, for God's standards. Because Jesus died for sinners like you and me; we need to take sin seriously in our own lives and tell others about what Jesus has done for them!