“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
- Proverbs 14:34
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As we enter the week that marks the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and the Passion of our Savior, it is perhaps no coincidence, that our studies in the Book of Proverbs have brought us to stand here… to examine this hidden spiritual killer that made those events necessary!
Sin, is a spiritual concept … and to understand it we must first understand the realm of the spirit.
Everything in the universe is made up of matter. That is the foundation of a building as it were.
On this foundation, the —first floor is Life! Living things are a unique sub-class of things that are made of matter, as unique as is the existence of life itself… and it’s something scientists still haven’t figured out!
On the —-second floor we have — sentience. Living things—- bacteria, insects, birds,fish, trees, animals … all have varying degrees of intelligence, but for the most part, are ruled by instinct and basic/primal drives… hunger, reproduction, shelter etc. At a higher level on this floor, we have human intellect. It’s what distinguishes man from the animals. Here is the domain of the soul, the person, the individual! This is distinct from the intelligence and personality of our pets, because we operate in a higher realm….
….. the third floor, which is the realm of ideas and mental/spiritual things ( WORDS and Language !!! )
This floor is unique to Man, and this is the realm ( as we have noted before ) where all the “real action” takes place … it is here that we have the notions , shared memories, and experiences of pleasure, pain, friendship, betrayal, love, hate, good, and evil. Here is where wars and fighting and evil originate!
The mind is the means by which we apprehend spiritual things… and it is because our spirits are powered by, and partakers of, the greater Spirit that created and lives in us.
[[ Viewed in this perspective, a newly conceived human —at the point of conception—-, is definitely material ( a new cell ) and living ( alive ). Prior to —birth—, one can say that all the “plumbing” to house a “person” is in place ( brain, senses , Spirit etc ) but the full development of that “person” requires that person to grow and mature as an individual.
A newborn is definitely a new family member, but not yet a “full” person , ( in the fullest sense of the word ) for quite a while. John the Baptist, in the womb, instinctively kicked when Marys voice was in range, but it was mom Elisabeth that actually spoke ( Luke 1:41)
Since even presidents and chief justices seem to struggle with this issue , we thought it worth mentioning ? ! ]]
———- Sin, in this perspective , can be understood as —-intentionally or unintentionally acting in ways that are contrary to our spiritual instincts and that violate Spiritual Laws … with proportional consequences ———-
We understand this in the physical and mental realms. Jump off a building — gravity and the impact of the ground will kill you. Verbally abuse a person — expect to be rebuffed should you have to ask them for help… and we have the temerity to think that committing spiritual evil has no consequences!!!
It doesn’t mean you suffer in hell forever … a mistaken theology … the Bible does NOT teach that. Death and Hell are destroyed in the lake of fire ( Rev 20:14 ) so they cannot be eternal.
It means you —-have to—- pay for your sins … either here on earth, or in Hell for a time ,or if you are a —truly wicked human (not in the book of Life) —… you go into the lake of fire —-for a time—-
Read Rev 20:15, Rev 21:8, and then read Rev 21:27 … ( what are these people doing outside the city ?) … No … it is Satan, his angels, the beast, the false prophet, death, Hell … that have richly deserved —eternal— life sentences in the lake of fire.
The ENTIRE Bible is about the consequences of HUMAN sin, and as our text this week indicates, it is a UNIVERSAL issue ( “any people” … not just a chosen nation ) !
In the books of Moses we are shown the effects of the very first human disobedience ( Sin ) recorded …. and Gods actions to control /regulate it …
… limiting the amount of sin a human can do ( finite life span , keep occupied with working for food, promise a MESSIAH ) … to nearly wiping out humanity due to the disobedience of Men AND ANGELS ! Interesting…
In Exodus and Leviticus - Gods Law, and the sacrifice of the blood of innocent animals to propitiate for its transgression, is given to ONE nation… to serve as a constant and yearly reminder of the horrific nature and consequences of Sin in His sight…. and to show the world what a Righteous Nation looks like.
The chronicles of the disobedience of THAT nation and its consequences make up a large number of the books of the Old Testament ( History books, all the prophets ).
In the New Testament , Christ clearly explains the true nature of Sin … it is a spiritual crime that leads to a physically actualized action … hence lust=adultery, anger=murder etc. He talked about His mission, and then walked it, carrying His cross from childhood to Calvary as an example and inspiration to us all.
The apostle Paul connects the dots between the Oldand the New Covenant for us … and all the apostles, with one voice , urge us to live peaceably with all , forgiving one another’s sins as ours have been forgiven.
The book of Revelation does not ever tell or show us that Sin is ever destroyed. Where there is free will, sin will always be a possibility… how else could angels disobey and rebel in Heaven?
How then can Sin be conquered?
By Being conformed to the likeness of Christ.
“And He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.” : John 8:29
We have the Trinity in view here… just like at Christs baptism …. and we have …
? the key to overcoming sin… “for I do —always— those things that please Him.”
“ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became —obedient— unto death, even the death of the cross.
—-Wherefore— God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:5-9
We cast our all before you Lord, for you are worthy, and able to deliver us from the evil that lives in our flesh, and for which you had to pay. Thank you for your perfect and saving example, our Christ, our Passover!
Hallelujah!!!