Thursday 7 January 2016

Saved from Sin

Close your eyes. Create the following scenario in your mind: Imagine you were born into a dark, moist, eerie feeling prison. You are forever confined to a jail cell, 2m x 2m x 2m in size. You have never felt clothes touch your skin, fresh bread (or any other decent food) in your mouth or any drink other dirty water down your throat. You've never known a friendly smile, a ray of sunlight to hit your face or a conversation with any human being. All you know is the feeling of being naked, dirty, smelly, lonely, hungry, thirsty and....alone. Completely helpless. Totally lost. And trapped in this tiny metal cell. 

Then one day, someone you've never seen before, kicks down the entrance to the prison and yanks open your prison cell, and rescues you. He takes you to his glorious mansion. His servants clean you, wash you, give you brand new clothes to wear (with countless wardrobes full of more), give you a massive bedroom over looking the ocean with a king sized bed, your own 60-inch plasma connected to a PS4, your own fully stocked fridge and open access to all parts of the mansion; including the kitchen. The kitchen has every food that you can imagine with world class chefs waiting for you to place your order! There's an indoor pool, a movie theatre and mega games room. The mansion is filled with others. Friendly guys and gals who are available for friendship and company.This is your new home. This is your new forever. 

From chapters 5 to 8 in the book of Romans, Paul mentions the word "sin" 41 times. 40 times it's written as a noun. Noun = name, place or thing. Interesting. Think about that for a minute. Sin described as a PLACE. Not a doing word. But a PLACE. Thinking of sin the majority of the time as something we DO isn't theologically correct. That thinking will bring a lot of confusion to the understanding of sin in the Bible.

Christians are prisoners who were rescued from the prison cell of SIN. They have been placed into the mansion of their rescuer. They've been cleaned and bathed. They have been given all the toys, all the food and they have access to everything that belongs to their rescuer. He saved them through no effort of their own. It was all Him. They didn't impress Him. They didn't behave or perform any better than any other prisoners. But He rescued them. No matter if they were good or well behaved prisoners, they were still stinky, smelly, lonely and lost prisoners. Stuck in the cell of SIN. Now...they have been rescued, transferred and placed into the King's domain where no matter how much they eat, how much they mess or how much they spill beer on the carpets, they are still His. They are in Him. Forever.



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