I attended a conference recently titled “The Gospel, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God”. The conference was taught by a man who has been a student of God’s Word for a long time and someone I greatly respect. The content of the conference included the great doctrines of justification, expiation, imputation, propitiation, and sanctification, all important aspects of saving faith in Christ. These great doctrines are not taught today and after hearing them taught, it gave me a much deeper and more meaningful understanding of what salvation means and involves. I now have an even greater thankfulness to God for taking the blinders from my eyes and allowing me to understand the truth.

As single gals we need to first examine ourselves in our faith. Is our faith real? Is our relationship with God the number one thing in our lives? If it isn’t than no relationship, no matter how good, will ever satisfy you nor will it be a healthy relationship without Christ at the center of your life (and the other person’s life). I’d like to take the time over the next couple days to review what it means to truly be saved by God, born again, a new creature in Christ.

Creation

You know the story of Genesis. God spoke the world into being, the water and land, the fish and birds, the trees and fields and man in His image. After God created it He said it was good. Created in His image meant Adam and Eve were sinless, able to communicate and fellowship with God Himself. There was no barrier in their relationship and it could have gone on like this for all of eternity. God desires this, He created this perfect environment of God and man in complete fellowship.

Sin Ruined Creation - Imputed Sin

When Satan tempted Eve, he deceived her, he made her doubt God. As a result she ate from the tree of good and evil, and then took the fruit to Adam and He ate, suddenly knew right and wrong, and sin entered our world. Adam’s one sin is charged to us as well (imputed) and the result of that sin, is the penalty of physical death. Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

That Old Sin Nature

The fact that we sin, ongoing personal sins, is because of the sin nature that is past down from generation to generation. We are, by nature, sinners. We are slaves to this sin, it is our slave master, we can’t help ourselves. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” and Romans 3:10-12 ” There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” The result of our sin nature is that we are spiritually dead, we are dominated by our corruptness.

The Law

The purpose of the 10 Commandments given by God to Moses was to show us that we are sinners, that we are against God in the way that we live. If you doubt that you are a sinner, maybe you think you are a good person, ask yourself these questions. Have I ever told a lie? Have I ever stolen anything? Can I honestly say that I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength? Have I ever taken God’s name in vain? Do I ever covet (want) something that someone else has? If you answer yes, to even one of these questions ,then you are a sinner. James 2:10,11 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law” When we break God’s law we become “law-breakers with a legal dilemma” on our hands. If we can’t find a way to fulfill God’s law we will face eternal death.

At this point, here is our condition:

  • We are spiritually dead - Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins”
  • We are unable to seek God - Romans 3:11 “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God”
  • We are unable to please God by good or righteous acts - Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment”
  • We are under God’s wrath - Ephesians 5:5-6 “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
  • We are sentenced to an eternity in Hell. Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Tomorrow we’ll look at God’s beautiful provision for us, and His grace and love to save us from this horrible slave master of sin and death