By the sixth chapter of Genesis, mankind had reached such abominable depths of depravity that God decided to wipe them out. “And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth,’” (Gen 6:13 ESV). He says I will destroy them. Future tense. It’s a promise. Not quite as uplifting as others, but nonetheless, it’s a promise.
God takes our mistakes very seriously. We have learned so much about grace that sometimes we may overlook how God views our sin. And even though God promised He would never destroy the earth with a flood again, it doesn’t mean His feelings towards sin have changed. He ends verse 17 with “Everything that is on the earth shall die,” (Gen 6:17b ESV). And then you see that beautiful conjunction, BUT. Conjunction junction, what’s your function? The whole world turns on that word: but.
“But I will establish my covenant with you…” (Gen 6:18a ESV). In the midst of His response to sin, the destruction of life as we know it, God’s concern was relationship with us. He brought us back to a dependant way of life, walking in step with Him. And I think that is always his goal when He punishes, when He disciplines. He desires us to walk closely with Him. And He takes everything that detracts from that walk very seriously.
Your thoughts?
Todd
At the recent AACC conference, my friend Larry Crabb said this about sin: “Sin is much deeper than we thought. It is primarily relational, not behavioral. God is committed not only to get us into heaven, but to get heaven into us. He is committed to transforming me to become a person who loves. Repentance is a daily occupation.”
God’s heart is always committed to restoring relationship with us. The Bible begins with a love story which ended in divorce, and God has been pursuing us ever since with self-sacrificing love which bears the horrendous cost of our sin.
I’m glad God takes my sin seriously and works faithfully in my life to discipline with such mercy and grace. As painful as it is sometimes, I’m so glad He doesn’t give up on me. It proves the depth of His love.
Our Pastor has always said “that sin takes you futher than you plan on going and keeps you longer than you plan on staying.”
Todd- thank you for your brick! It is helping my family to build our house in Christ!
thank you so much Todd … your words are truly inspiring, i don’t know for sure that you’ll even get this message but i want to say to all who read this i have really transformed through the church and honestly i feel so much better about myself. I never was to interested in the church, im 15 years young now and never really cared what people thought of me. Wasn’t ever worried about the future, whatever happened; happened. Not a bad motto really but i was never really paying attention to the things and relationships around me. I’ve never read a word of the bible, at least out of my own will. Church to me was just another place to hang out and have fun. Never really prayed much. Even then just a short one in times when i didn’t think i could bear the pain of life and needed help. That’s a horrible view and attempt at living life, but that’s how i felt, i couldn’t care less.
I did change though, gladly. My friend came to me and invited me to his church’s praise band. I sing for them, but being there i learned alot about how life is supposed to be. I began to notice things i never did before, like how lucky i am to still be here. I began praying and i feel so much better about life and its troubles. I even read now. I just want to thank you for your music and your writings. its things like that that lead me where i am now. i know for a fact its better than where i was. come back to North Carolina sometime soon … i loved your concert the 27th. music changes alot about people. what they do, how they act, how they feel, how they think. keep on playing! im doing my best to do the same
YES! I agree, He disciplines us, or “instructs,” or “teaches,” us so that we will walk closer with Him and be more like Christ! And we do need to realize the seriousness of our sin. Not long ago I went to a ballet titled “The Hiding Place,” which is about Corrie Ten Boom. God continually uses examples from Corrie’s life to teach me. Every time I am reminded of how Corrie Ten Boom reached out her hand to forgive the prison guard who had caused her such pain and agony, I am awed. Corrie had a right view of how serous her sin was, and how it hurt others. With that view, she knew that no one could hurt her in a way that was too great to be forgiven. It is so much easier to jump on the “grace train” and to forget the seriousness of sin and how it harms others than to really take time and to think about it and its affects on others AND on God! I think when we are sorrowful over our sin it helps us to change and better learn the lesson, although it is important to know that God is able to handle all situations and we should give the sorrow to Him and let Him handle all of our problems. I have tried to “make right” situations before without letting God lead me, and it has not helped the situation. It is important to go to Him, talk to Him, and wait on His direction and guidance as best as we can.