One of the most widely-used words perhaps since Jan 2020 would be the word, 'Virus,' (in various languages of course). We’ve had to contend with this virus since then, and we still continue to do so. It’s also one of the main causes for fear, anxiety, grief, loss and so much more. It seems like it’s the most real, though unseen threat to human life at present. Little wonder it's the one thing that's on most people's minds, most of the time, and the thing we strive to protect ourselves against.
This virus has its own make up, causes certain infections, is evident by certain symptoms, has distinctive effects on human health, and has proven fatal to hundreds of thousands of people in almost every country across the globe.
While we need to maintain caution, and do all we can to stay safe, and keep others safe as well, there is however another ‘virus,’ if you will, that's been going undetected by many people across the globe since the creation of the world, many centuries ago. This virus is similar to the Corona Virus in some ways, in that it’s invisible, it has lethal effects, affects normal functioning of life, causes illnesses - physical, emotional and spiritual. But the difference between this virus I’m referring to, and the Corona Virus, is that this virus has infected every single human that has ever lived on the planet – all but one - Jesus. It has various symptoms. It causes many other unnecessary emotions in people like fear, hatred, envy, discord, etc. and it also has eternally fatal consequences for those infected with it. I’m referring to what I call, the 'virus' of sin.
What is sin?
Sin is any thought, word or deed that does not reflect the character / nature of God, and it's also the absence of any thought, word or deed that does reflect the character / nature of God. Sins can be classified as sins of commission i.e., the things we think, say and do, that don’t reflect the character or nature of God, and sins of omission – the things we don't think, say or do that do reflect the character or nature of God. Given this definition of sin, and given the lifestyle of all of us humans, it makes all of us out to be ‘sinners’- maybe not in our own eyes, but in the eyes of God.
What is God's Character or Nature like?
If sin is not reflecting the character or nature of God in our lives, we need to look at what God’s character or nature is like. God is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled, gracious, forgiving, merciful, thankful, encouraging, appreciative, and everything else that's positive and good. Therefore any unhealthy, unloving, selfish, unkind, immoral, perverted, evil, divisive thought, word or deed would be in total contrast to God’s character / nature, and would be considered sin by God. Further, the absence of thoughts, words or deeds that do reflect God’s character / nature would also be considered sin by God. Let’s remember that it’s not we who decide what’s right or wrong, but God.
What’s the Origin of Sin?
Sin has been residing in the hearts of humans ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command in the Garden of Eden. Sin got a hold of humans, and has wreaked havoc in our lives ever since. It's the one thing that has been the cause of all the suffering that the world has faced, and continues to face till date. It's the one thing every single human has been 'infected' by.
What are the Symptoms of Sin?
Just as the Corona Virus has visible symptoms, sin too has very visible and, larger-than-life symptoms. We don’t need to dig deep to discover these symptoms – they’re visible for all to see. Some symptoms are quite obvious, and can’t go unnoticed, while others are well concealed, and take longer to be exposed to all. 1 Timothy 5:24 says, “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.
What are the consequence of Sin?
Just as the Corona Virus has so many visible and invisible effects on the human body, so also the ‘virus’ of sin has many consequences. Let’s look at those consequences briefly.
The consequence for sin was spelt out by God Himself in the Garden of Eden - Death. When God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat from any of the trees in the Garden of Eden, but instructed them to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the instruction was accompanied by a warning that if they did eat of that tree, they would surely die. When God used the word, ‘die,’ He was referring to both a physical death as well as a spiritual death, because man is both body and soul. Ever since then, man has lost that wonderful soul-relationship He enjoyed with God, and his soul was headed to a place called hell, where there would be eternal torment and eternal separation from God. At the same time, physical death also entered the body of man. Though man did not die immediately, he died eventually. Initially, the life span of man was over 900 years, the oldest man being Methuselah, who lived for 969 years, but later, after the Great Flood in the time of Noah, God reduced the life span on man to 120 years.
It is sin that is the cause for all the problems we face in life - we were never meant to have problems in life. Sin is the cause for divorce, wars, strife, disunity, hatred, evil behavior, murder, selfishness, envy, adultery, homosexuality, blasphemies, and every other conceivable evil thought, word or deed that is committed in the world today.
The Bible says in Revelation 21:8, "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Again Jesus Himself said in Matthew 10:28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Jude said in Jude 1:7, “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”
What’s the Cure for Sin?
When it comes to the Corona Virus, the world has come up with various vaccines to help deal with this virus. But for the virus of sin, it’s not a vaccine that’s needed – it calls for something more powerful, and the good news is that God Himself has already paved a way to save us - if we wish to be saved.
Since the consequence for sin, as God said, was death, it means that all of us deserve to die. But instead of us bearing the penalty for our sin, God had mercy on us, and sent His Son Jesus, who lived the perfect life that God desired for us to live. Because of this, Jesus alone could be a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Himself bore the penalty of sin on our behalf - He died in our place. After bearing the penalty, Jesus did not remain dead - He rose from the dead, ascended back into Heaven, and is alive forevermore.
Now Jesus turns to us, and offers us the righteousness He earned by the good life He lived. God is offering us this righteousness and eternal life as a gift - there's nothing we can do to purchase it, and absolutely nothing we can do to earn it either. We receive these gifts from God by merely trusting in His Son Jesus – not in our good works.
You don’t need to wait for a special day, time or place to receive these gifts of God’s own righteousness and eternal life; you can receive it right away, right here and now. It’s available free of cost to us, but Jesus paid the price for it with His own life.
If you feel that God has spoken to you through this message, then I encourage you to talk to God right now, and tell Him that you’re sorry for all the sins you’ve committed in life, and that you’d like to receive his gifts of righteousness and eternal life, and that you’d like to have a new life. Surrender your life to God, and He will forgive you of all the sins you have ever committed. He will adopt you into His family; he will give you His Holy Spirit to live inside of you to help you live this new life, and you will begin a wonderful life here on earth, in relationship with God through Jesus. You will experience a transformation in your life, in ways you never dreamt possible. And once this life here on earth is over, when Jesus returns from heaven to judge the world, you will have eternal life in heaven, with God forever.
For the Audio Version of this message on YouTube, click here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6awZQ2dBzaA&list=PLK5k2WsZdYlcdyhoqJMzA3tNjiWvaKF5A&index=1
For the Audio Version of this message on Spotify, click here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3apZOK0tRU9VDkJsKpSgWO?si=67bb8e1e5fc54f06
