Christ died so that we can continue sinning?
Posted in UncategorizedChrist died on the cross for our sin. Is this a past historical fact to you only or is this a present reality truth that you live in light of? As a Christian I believe that Christ died on the cross for my sin. In other words, God took my sin that I was covered in (past, present and future) and put it on Christ on the cross (Isa. 53:6). Christ bore (wore) my sin on the cross. Why is it then that I willingly choose to live in sin. I cannot live in sin (not struggle, habitually practice sin) and also believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin. My sin is either on the cross or it is on me. Who is bearing my sin?
We often look at the cross and we think that Jesus Christ died on the cross to simply pay the penalty for our sin. That is partially true. Christ died on the cross for my sin and therefore took the penalty as well. Many would prefer to have Christ pay the penalty for their sin while they would keep the pleasure of living in sin itself.
Think about how you present the gospel. You say, “Do you want to go to hell”. The obvious response is, “no!” Then if you do not want to go to hell, you must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. People then believe the gospel as a means (avoid hell) to inherit eternal life not because of Christ. I do not want to overstate my case but this is a perversion of the gospel. When we present the gospel, the incentive for accepting the gospel should be Christ Himself and not eternal life alone. It is true that we will inherit eternal life by believing the gospel but you must present Christ. Otherwise people fall in love with eternal life and not Christ. Ask people why they are looking forward to going to heaven…they look forward to being reunited with their family and loved ones, they are looking forward to being free from sin and suffering. Although there is some truth to this, we should look forward to heaven because of being united with Jesus Christ and being in His presence.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on Good Friday for your sins? Do you believe that He bore or wore your specific sins on the cross? Here is an illustration. Here is my sin (put on a muddy, filthy, stinky, wretched shirt). When I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins I am believing that these sins are nailed to the cross so that I bear them no more (take off the shirt and nail it to the cross). But this is essentially what we do. We go to the cross and take our sins back and try to leave the penalty on Christ’s shoulders. We are basically telling Christ that we would rather live in our sin than live in the freedom that He is giving us. In other words, we are telling Him, “thank you for giving me the freedom to live in my sin without consequence. That is NOT what Christ did on the cross. That is a complete perversion of the gospel.
As a side note. Many of you might be thinking, I do believe that Jesus Christ bore/wore my sins on the cross but I find myself struggling with sin. The issue is not the struggle or battle with sin, the issue I am addressing is living in sin. This is the misunderstanding that Paul was addressing in Romans 6:1-3. “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” If we really believe the truth the Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins we are believing that we have died to sin and therefore we cannot live in it. If we choose to live in sin we are rejecting the cross and Christ’s sacrifice. We are essentially crucifying the Lord Jesus all over again (Heb. 6:6) each time we come back to Christ. There are some who live in sin all year long and then this time around the Easter season they abandon the life of sin temporarily out of respect for Christ’s sacrifice and then, once again, resume their indulgence in sin.
Christ died on the cross for our sin. Notice the passage says, “who is going to believe this” (Isa. 53:1) -the one who believes it is the one who is disgusted with their sin. We cannot begin with the issue of urging people to believe that historical fact, “Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sin”. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter and Paul did not begin with belief, but with repentance. We must be utterly disgusted with our sin, broken by our sin, distraught and in turmoil because of our sin before we can believe the truth of the gospel. Christ dying on the cross for our sins is not “good news” until we believe that living in our sin is unbearable. The idea that Christ took or removed our sins is only good news to those who do not want to live in it any longer. Otherwise, believing the reality that Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross is a bummer and a downer because he is taking away that which we find pleasure in.
As Christians we must continually be repenting of sin. Since the residual effects of sin are still present in my life (I am not yet perfect but I am pursuing perfection-Phil. 3:12-13) I must adopt the habit of repentance and reject the lure and enticement to sin. I am daily and hourly repenting of sin. Every time I see my sin, which I believe Jesus Christ bore on the cross, I must reject (repent) that sin and look back at the cross and be reminded that I bear it no more. Always in a willingness and desire to go the other way. The thrill of living in a state of repentance. Flees from darkness and flees back to the light. A thrill that my sin is on the cross and not in my life!
He bore our grieves and carried our sorrows (Isa. 53:4). How can you believe that Jesus Christ bore on the cross your grief over sin and your sorrow over sin if you are the least bit troubled by your sin. You cannot find peace and pleasure in your life of sin and also believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.
by: Pastor Matt Moore
April 16th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Thanks for writing out truth.
I thank God for Cornerstone church that as a people you guys strive for what is Biblically accurate, what God wants.
Thank you for continuing to bless others with these words on the blog and in the sermons.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:13 am
Thank you for this, especially the part about sharing the gospel. It makes total sense to be bragging about Christ and knowing Him. I’ve listened to so many ways to share the Gospel that have helped me overcome my inability to stay focused, yet they’ve always seemed incomplete. Not like it didn’t cover the basics, I just felt like they missed the heart. How amazing is God!!?that He brought me today to read this.
That is just so cool, and so what I needed to put me in action.
Lord,God thank You for fixing me and for leading Pastor Matt. Amen!