Do we really love sin?

The Question:

"We love sin" - isn't it also just put down to the fact that we are sinful beings? I think we sometimes do it unwillingly just because we are sinful, rather than loving it...

I think both sides of the coin on this one are true, what do I mean? John Stott has some very helpful words to say from his commentary on Ephesians, he is commentating on 2:1 'And you he made alive, when you were dead through trespasses and sins in which you once walked'.

The death to which Paul refers is not a figure of speech, as in the parable of the Prodigal Son, 'This my son was dead'; it is a factual statement of everybody's spiritual condition outside Christ. And it is traced to their trespasses and sins. These two words seem to have been carefully chosen to give a comprehensive account of human evil. A 'trespass' is a false step, involving either crossing a know boundary or a deviation from the right path. A 'sin', however, means rather a missing of the mark, a falling short of a standard. Together the two words cover the positive and negative, or active and passive, aspects of human wrongdoing, that is to say, our sins of commision and of omission. Before God we are both rebels and failures (p71).

I only presented half the picture of sin, the half that crosses the known boundary. This type of sin is what I was talking about when I said, 'we love sin'. And I will stand by my words of us loving this type of sin in some way. If we really truly hated it we wouldn't do it, just like if you really truly hate brussell sprouts you don't eat them. It is what Ephesians 2:3 talks about when it says 'Gratifying the desires of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts'. Sometimes it is hard to look in the mirror and see ourselves for who we are as sinners and deserving of God's wrath. But don't forget the great BUT of v4-6!

But, there is the other side as Stott points out the one of being a failure which is more our falling short of God's standards, and this is the more passive aspect of our sin.

Both aspects of sin need to be held together to get a complete picture of our humanity.

Cracking the whip??

The Question: 2 Sam 7:14 'I will be his father , and he will be my son. When he (Jesus?) does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men'. 2 Samuel 7 is talking about Jesus isn't it - so when did Jesus sin?

2 Samuel 7 is definitely one of the great passages of Scripture. It talks of great and extravagant promises that are made to David. They particularly focus around building a house and the arrival of a son. These promises are initially founded in the surrounding chapters of 2 Samuel. Who will be this 'Son of David' who will fulfill the promises? The narrative from 2 Sam 9-20 and 1 King 1-2 is often called the succession narrative which is the search in some ways for this promised son. And we see God fulfilling his promise as he punishes the sons of David for the wrongdoing. You just have to look at Amnon and Absalom to see that this is true. When Solomon comes to the throne in 1 Kings the question is - could he be the promised one? But alas he fails us and is punished by God. This question remains until the arrival of Jesus.

Jesus does NOT sin. And so, on the one hand, he is unlike any of the other 'sons of David' and is not punished like them for God had no reason. But on the other hand he is punished by God even though he did no wrong, he did get punished by floggings and even death. For Isaiah says,

Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and thought the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

(53:10)

Jesus was inflicted with punishment he did not deserve to pay the penalty for the sin of you and me.

Amazing Love

The Question: Why did Jesus descend/experience hell when he did nothing wrong?

Firstly, we must understand sin. Sin is our rebellion against God. It manifests itself in every one of our lives in so many different ways - pride, lust, envy, theft, etc. God must be just in this situation and therefore every sin must be dealt with. The punishment set for sin is death.

So, why does he care? Why doesn't he leave us in our sinful state?

This question drives at motivation.

The answer that the New Testament drives at over and over again is love. And it is a love for his creation that springs forth from Gen 1 & 2. We belong to God. He is grieved, angry in fact, over our rebellion and loves drives him to do something about it.

Rom 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Eph 2:4-6
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

1 Tim 1:14
and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:4
but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

1 Jn 3:16

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

And the list could go on.....

So, then Jesus experienced hell on the cross for us. That is the just anger of God needed to be satisfied and he himself provided the sacrifice. God was not angry with Jesus. God was pouring out his wrath and just judgment on our sin but the beauty, joy and sheer scandal of the gospel is that we were not there - Jesus was!! He provided his one and only Son. As we sing "In Christ Alone"

And on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

That Son, Jesus Christ, bore on the cross everything that was coming to me - his just anger which should result in death and exclusion from his kingdom.

BUT WHY? Why would he do something like that?

God was driven by his great love as we see in those earlier verses.

And again: Gal 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Song of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

What person wouldn't want to believe this??