The scriptures address sin in two ways, by its nature and by its manifestation. Jesus made it very clear that the actions producing sin originates in the heart of men. I hope that by the end of this study, you will understand why I say “men are not sinners because they have sinned but rather men sin because they are sinners, without love and loyalty”.

 

I am persuaded that most of the doctrinal errors being declared today are derived from confusion about the nature of sin. It used to be, in our society, that sin was the worst acts perpetrated on any society, causing emotional and physical pain, suffering and loss to others and to God. Synonymous with the word crime, sins were committed by the most evil and seditious people walking on the earth. In fact, sin was considered to be such a great offence and evil to society; it demanded the death penalty according to the law. Sinners were considered to be the most vile and worthless people in existence. This was not by mans opinion, but by Gods declaration.  In today’s society sin has been reduced to an error in judgment, or just a mistake. Since God forgives sin, and we are only human, it must not be too bad.

 

Well that would depend on rather you are the victim or the perpetrator. It’s amazing how that single statement dictates other person’s emotions on the matter. Doesn’t it amaze you when someone is a victim, they want vengeance but when they are the perpetrator they want forgiveness?

 

I recently read a blog by a young 22 year old girl. She was so despondent being victimized by everyone. God was being cruel and the religions of the world hateful to her. Her ex-husband betrayed her and the government was oppressive to her. Everyone was the cause of her problems, emotional pains and suffering. If it wasn’t for her son, she would just kill herself and get it over with. She asked why such bad things happen to innocent people such as her. She only viewed herself as the victim of an evil world created by God, and therefore everything is God’s fault and she hates Him.

 

Now if you read the rest of her blog and her profile, you would see a different story all together. She’s a party girl and sexually promiscuous. She is a drunkard and vulgar. She is rude to people and doesn’t care what other people think about her. Most of her emotional problems are the result of her own behavior but she doesn’t see it that way. She thinks that she is an innocent victim of others cruelty, while totally missing the fact that she is actually the perpetrator of much evil. Here is a simple fact: you reap what you sow. If you treat other people with cruelty then others may well respond in like manner. Now that’s not said to totally disagree with her. I’m familiar with the fact the two thirds of our troubles are self inflicted and the other third is inflicted on us by others. We are our own worst enemies. I know that most of what I have suffered in this world was the result of my own bad behavior and the way I thought of myself in context to the world. In addition, there are also many things that I have suffered in this world as a result of other people’s bad behavior. But when you totally ignore your own behavior to blame everyone else for your pain and suffering, that is confusion and self deception.

Now having said all that I need to get to the point that we are all victims and perpetrators. We are all, or were all, active participants in the evils perpetrated on our society. And as a result we all suffer for it. This was not without warning. We just didn’t listen! God gave us law and sent us prophets to warn us of the damage and destruction that we would inflict on ourselves and on others if we did not obey His commandments and warnings. And now, because we didn’t listen, what do we have to show for it?

 

It is obvious that the world is filled with every form of wicked, selfish and hateful behavior. We love ourselves and are consumed with every insatiable desire for pleasure and financial gain. We are like black holes that keep consuming every thing we can, but are never filled up or satisfied. We exalt ourselves in pride against each other, thinking that we are better and more important than the other. Why are we like this?

 

It’s called vanity, or self-love, and it compels and controls our every thought and action. We have become like drug addicts searching for our next fix. We want to be free, have fun and do everything our hearts desire.  And look where it’s brought us.

 

Corruptions in government and passing of laws that oppress and over tax the people. Crime is out of control in our cities, and the prison population is overflowing. Our society is filled with pornography, rape, child molestation, adultery, fornication, homosexuality and widespread STD’s. The divorce rate in our country exceeds 50% with an abortion rate of over one million babies every year. People are killing their own children.

 

The young are unruly and killing other children in schools. Drunks are killing people on the highways and drug users are robbing people in the streets. People are lying, stealing, cheating, defrauding and killing each other for their own personal gain and pleasure.

 

Everything is chaotic and confused. There is no more peace, happiness or rest in our society. People are seeking his or her own selfish glory, fame and fortune, while destroying everyone and everything in their path like a tornado. The American dream has become the American nightmare. And this we call freedom. God did not do this, we the people did! Why? Because men are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God!

 

So what do you think of sin now? Is it still just a mistake to you? Is it still alright for you to participate in this behavior? Do you still think God is just going to wink an eye at your sin and let you get away with it?

 

^{Romans 1:18} For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

¹⁹Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. ²⁰For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: ²¹Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²²Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ²³And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. ²⁴Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. ²⁶For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. ²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³²Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shift of Burden

For every man shall bear his own burden.

Galatians 6:5

 

Anyone who has ever been a truck driver knows what a shift of burden is. This is what causes roll over. When going around a sharp curve or making a turn, the load shifts to one side. The shift in weight goes to the extreme of one side and causes the trailer to flip over on its’ weighted side.

This of course is an allegory to today’s’ theology, and is why the churches are become unstable and flipped over on their side. The theologians, preachers and teachers have shifted the burden, which God has placed on man, back over to God, as it pertains to our salvation.

Have you ever heard anyone say “I’m trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross, for my salvation”, or “I did nothing to get my salvation, therefore I can do nothing to lose it” or how about this one “It’s a gift of God”? That is what you call a shift of burden.

This shift of burden is also what we call a pretext. That’s what you get when you take a text out of context to change the meaning of what is stated in the text. Now breathe!

Now Jesus did finish “his” work on the cross. Salvation is a “gift” of God, and our salvation is by the “grace” of God, not by our working for it. That sounds a bit confusing doesn’t it? Actually it’s not confusing when you understand that God has His burden to bear and man has his own burden to bear.

Ask yourself this; who bears the burden in marriage? Doesn’t the man and the woman have to agree to this marriage? Doesn’t the husband bear one burden and the wife bear another burden in the marriage? What happens when only one person is trying to bear the whole burden of the marriage? The marriage flips over and ends in divorce.

Christianity is a union between God and man. God proposes and man accepts and then they both must bear their burden in this union.

Take the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, for example. Where was the burden here? Was the burden on the sower, the seed or the ground? How about all three? In order to get a crop, someone must sow, the seed must be good, and the ground must be good. We know the sower is Jesus and the seed is the word of God and the ground is the heart of man. What happened when the seed was sown of bad ground? It didn’t bring forth a crop.

Therefore there is a burden placed here on the heart of man that each man must bear himself.

Now look at the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. The sheep which entered into the kingdom bore their burden, but the goats which were cast out did not.

How about in Matthew 7:21-27, not everyone that says to me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven? In this passage there was a specific burden. Not just any burden is ok. It’s not what you want to do that matters, but what you are commanded to do that matters here.

Take for example, I tell my daughter to go and cut the grass. Instead she goes out and washes my car. She did not bear her burden as commanded. Now if she cut the grass and then washed the car, she would be a great blessing to me. But by doing other than what I commanded her, my grass is not cut and my car didn’t need washing. So it’s not just a matter of bearing a burden, but a specific burden that God has placed upon all men. Only those that faithfully bear the burden placed on them receive the blessing promised. The others are cursed for their disobedience.

So what is the burden that God places upon all men whereby they receive blessing from God? It’s simple, to love God and obey His commandments, this is the whole duty of man, and every man shall bear his own burden!

It seems when you listen to preachers today, everyone is divided into two categories. The saved category and the lost category. But if you read the teachings of Jesus, he never used that contrast.

Jesus contrasted everyone as either faithful or unfaithful, obedient or disobedient, those that endure to the end and those that turn back, those that are benevlent to those that are selish, the proud in contrast to the humble.

Jesus never used the word saved in a present tense context but only a future one. The term, will be saved is future tense just as will be damned is future tense. The only difference is that Jesus said men are already condemned, however they can be redeemed.

I remember the night I spent in jail, for being behind in child support payments. I had injured my back, couldn't walk for nearly nine months. I lost my business and was a year behind in child support. Thankfully DSS payed my child support during that year. But when my back healed up and I retrained, as a truck driver, as soon as I went back to work, DSS wanted their money back.

It didn't matter how I got behind in support, I was in contempt of a court order. In other words, I was guilty and under the condemation of the court. The judge ordered me to pay $4000.00 that day or go to jail for one year. I had no money. I had no way to redeem myself. Bless my loving sister who stood up for me, in the love she had for her baby brother and payed my debt for me. I was set free that day from the bondage of the law.

Now I had to continue paying the balance of child support due. Being redeemed did not eliminate the court order. I still had to fulfill my obligation imposed upon me by the judge, till the end of the course. If I failed again to pay my child support, there would be no mercy the second time. I would go to jail for a year and no one would be able to help me then.

Jesus redeemed us from the curse, or judgment of the law. That is to whom the payment is applied. This gives us the freedom to fulfill the law, not the freedom to continue in breaking it.

Many today are under the persuasion that being free in Christ gives them license to continue in sin, without penalty or eternal condemnation. That is just a perversion of what Jesus taught.