Faith and Salvation Part III - Sin

3. Faith deals with the problem of sin. The most common subject in a Christian's conversation, and the most annoying to non-Christians, is salvation (or its variations). Non-Christians have two valid responses which often appear to be ignored by modern Christians: "Saved from what?" and "Why is it necessary?" To say we are saved by ... has significance when the person you are talking to sees there is something to be saved from - like a fire or drowning. So what is it that the Christian is talking about when he says "You must be saved?"

People today consider the fact that "no one is perfect" is just the way things are. The view goes something like this: "Since evolution is a fact, there can't be a "God of creation" to whom we are all accountable. This was an old myth which modern science has demonstrated is false. It is true we do not have a perfect society but if we exercise greater/less control over the people we can bring a perfect society into being. Christianity was one way of exercising that control in the past but it is now obsolete so we need other controls."

The interesting thing about this line of reasoning is that it faces a symptom of the real problem and, while proposing an inadequate solution, imagines it will solve the main problem. I remember many discussions with thinking men in my youth on how to fix the ills of society. I also remember we had a number of (to us) well thought out solutions none of which would have worked because we always forgot to include sin as a factor in our discussions. Sin would have destroyed all our solutions because they required people to act honorably.

Sin, however, is more than just the factor which prevents people from getting along with one another. Sin cannot be removed by anything we can do, no matter how much wise counsel may mitigate its effects. Our nature is skewed towards sin so that what we desire to do is "only evil continually." As an old catechism puts it, "sin is any want of conformity to, or direct transgression of, the Law of God." It is ignoring the Law of God which leads to difficulties between humans. If that were all there was to it there might still be hope for us as humans - after all education, even education in the Law of God, can teach us how to behave properly can't it?

Let me show the real problem. Suppose we live in a house created by and for a king. We eat the food and drink the water he provides. Then, in his very presence, we deny he exists - attributing to our own cleverness the reason why we eat and drink. Then, though this is one of the grossest insults we can give him, we plan to make "improvements" to his house by destroying more than we have already.

If we would consider it a terrible thing to do to an earthly king imagine how much greater the insult to the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth who even provides us with air to breathe and a living body to do so. This is the insult, the rebellion, which requires a response from the God of heaven and earth. The response is condemnation and eternal death. This is what the Christian refers to when he says: "you have to be saved."

Tragically, no matter how hard the Christian tries to warn those around him, success is limited. The determination to deny the destruction of the world by a past flood and to believe "all things continue as they have from the beginning" has led most of our generation to ignore the most urgent message they will ever hear. For God has already appointed a time when he will judge the world for their sin.

He gave proof of this intention when he raised Jesus Christ from the dead. He has sent his messengers out to proclaim these facts. He has allowed mankind ample time to show that they are willing to turn from the path they are on - the path that leads to destruction. He has sent the Holy Spirit to strive with man and, as a result some have believed and been saved. Yet, for most of this present generation, the siren song of evolution has allowed them to ignore the need for salvation. That same false belief has made many believe there is no danger ahead so that they ignore the warnings and, like lemmings, hurry to their own destruction.

When we say we believe in salvation by faith alone we affirm that we believe in a real hell and a real judgment day. We affirm our belief that each person is completely affected by sin and that, without God's intervention, nothing they can do will be acceptable before the Lord of Hosts. Further, to say we believe we are saved by faith alone implies we accept our task to try and warn as many as possible of those bent on their own destruction, trusting the Lord will in a measure help us to save some.

Go back to Part II
Go on to Part IV