Steven A. Bush - November 8, 2015
Sin is Outta Here
From the moment Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered our world. Sin is rebellion against God. Sin is cosmic treason against the Creator and Maker of all things seen and unseen. To borrow a term from archery, sin is missing the mark or falling short. And yes we are all guilty. So, how effective and final does the the cross of Christ deal with sin? How fully does Jesus save us from it? Our salvation is a threefold salvation. It is initial, progressive, and final. Put another way: In Christ, we are saved from the penalty of sin, being saved from the power of sin, and one day we will be freed from the presence of sin altogether. The Scriptures declare that through the sacrifice of Jesus, our sins have been put out sight, out of reach, out of mind, and out of existence. (They're outta here!) As the hymn rhetorically posits, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." But oh how thoroughly it cleanses! Isaiah 53:5 is a powerful summary of how our God's love, fleshed out demonstratively through His Son, dispenses of sin: "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed." (ESV) Somebody say, Hallelujah!