Lent - Day 10 (February 28)

Larger Catechism – Day 10 of Lent

Question 26:  How is original sin passed from Adam and Eve to their descendants?

A. Original sin passes from Adam and Eve to their descendants by natural procreation, so that all subsequent human offspring are conceived and born in sin.

Question 27: What misery did the fall bring on the human race?

A. The fall brought on the human race the loss of fellowship with God along with his displeasure and curse. Consequently, we are children of wrath, bondslaves of Satan, and justly subject to every punishment in this world and the next.

Many years ago my oldest brother found out that he had juvenile diabetes.  The gene for juvenile diabetes is passes from one generation to the next by natural procreation.  When the mother and the father carry the gene for juvenile diabetes there is a chance that the offspring will get the disease.  One brother got the disease and three did not.  However, each of us is carrier of that gene.

In much the same way, original sin is passed from parents to children by natural procreation.  Sin begets sin.  We are all marked with the stain of sin. 

The fall had a profound impact on the human race.  First, fellowship with God was broken.  Shattered.  Ended.  Second, God kept his promise and the curse of death, toil and pains of childbirth became a reality.  Humankind’s first parents chose the way of Satan rather that the way God.  In doing so, they (and we) became servants of Satan.

You might be thinking, “Hey, wait a second.  I didn’t make that decision!”  Well, you can blame Adam and Eve for that (oh, by the way—you and I haven’t been perfect.  We have become bondservants of Satan by our own doing as well!).

Slavery was commonplace in the USA back at a darker time in our history.  People were kidnapped in foreign lands and sold into slavery.  They were shipped to this country and were slaves.  They had children—and their children were slaves.  They were born into slavery.  Those children got older and had their own children—and their children were slaves.  They did not choose to be slaves, they were born into slavery.

You and I are born into slavery to Satan because of original sin.  We are born into the punishment that came with sin because of original sin.

Apart from Jesus we are bondservants of Satan.  Freedom only can be found in Jesus! 

Note:  There will not be a blog post for Sunday, March 1.  The forty days of Lent do not include Sundays.  Sundays are days to celebrate the resurrection and to worship God.

Lent- Day 9 (February 27)

Larger Catechism – Day 9 of Lent

Question 25:  What is sinful about the fallen condition of humans?

Answer:  The sinfulness of that fallen condition is twofold.  First, in what is commonly called original sin, there is the guild of Adam’s first sin with its lack of original righteousness and the corruption of his nature, by which humans are completely indisposed, incapacitated, and opposed to everything that is spiritually good as well as being completely and continually inclined to everything evil.  Second are all the specific acts of disobedience that come from original sin.

Way back before electricity was common place (just joking) I was a student at Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska.  The college was “related” to the predecessor denomination of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  Many of the staff and faculty attended a local church—quite a few went to the Presbyterian Church.  In the fall of my second year I took a directed study class from an instructor that attended the local Presbyterian Church.  He and I had a HUGE disagreement on the nature of humans.  He maintained the humans are basically good and that goodness enables them to solve the world’s problems.  I held to the belief of original sin and the fallenness of humans and that sin had impacted every area of a person’s life.  The instructor did not buy into the biblical concept of original sin and “total depravity.”

Original sin impacts every aspect of a person’s life.  Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15-22 said:

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”
Original sin is what keeps us doing the things that we don’t want to do and it also keeps us from doing the things that we should do, and want to do.
The battle rages on.  Sinful nature.  Desire to live for Jesus and do what the Bible tells us to do.  Sinful nature.  Desire to live for Jesus and so what the Bible tells us to.  And so on, and so on, and so on…
The good news is the while Jesus was on the cross he took our sin and upon himself and imputed his righteousness onto us (sometimes referred to as the double switch).  My (and your) righteousness is found in Jesus, and in him alone. Praise God!

Lent - Day 8 (February 26)

Larger Catechism – Day 8 of Lent

Question 24: What is sin?

Answer:  Sin is not conforming to or disobeying any law God has given to direct our lives a reasoning humans.

God has a set of things (laws) that he wants us to do, or not to do.  When we do not conform to those laws we sin.  When we disobey those laws we sin.

One might ask, “How do I know what God requires of me?”  The answer is simple but many, if not most people do not like the answer.  God’s word, the Bible, tells us the things that God requires.  People who want to have sex outside of a marriage between one man and one woman do not like all of the commands that forbid such sex acts.  People who want to keep all of their money do not like the commands on giving and tithing. People who want to play all weekend do not like the commands on the having a Sabbath for the Lord.

Reading God’s word is a great way to find out what God requires of us.  Hint—ignorance is no excuse for sin.  Romans 1 & 2 tell us that God’s law is written on our hearts and has been plainly seen by people—we just choose to ignore God’s law.

Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin.  The cost of that penalty was extremely high.  The next time we break one of God’s laws we need to realize that Jesus had to die because of that one sin.  Because of me!  Jesus’ death becomes very personal when we see how we contributed to his death sentence.  This Lent, I hope and pray that Jesus’ death becomes very personal.