Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

              
               We all come from different religious backgrounds. Some of us were raised in families that believed in a god of some sort. Some of us were raised in families that rejected the existence of one. Some of us were even raised in families that were religious on the outside, with big smiles in public places and at church, but with broken hearts and varying degrees of dysfunction at home in “behind-the-scenes” territory.

              Whatever the background we carry on our shoulders, we all have two things in common: we are sinners and we are loved.

               Just the other day I told the students at my youth group a story of one of my very first attempts to steal something. I was at a pharmacy with my mom and desperately wanted some Starburst. For whatever reason I was not allowed to have them, so I snuck over and began un-wrapping the package hoping to take just one. As I did, a lady older than God Himself (okay maybe that’s an exaggeration) came around the corner and grumbled something at me. Needless to say, I was terrified and ran away leaving the Starburst package half unraveled. I knew exactly what I was doing that day: I was attempting to take something that was not mine.
              We have all had those moments, and most likely, at the very least; continue to be tempted by them today. If thievery or dishonesty is not our stumbling block then perhaps its hatred or lust or maybe, if you are like me, you are tempted by all of them at times perhaps even falling to their prey daily.
God says in His word that whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (see James 2:10). For those who are not familiar with the Jewish law, in the context here, James is speaking directly about the Ten Commandments which were the moral law that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai to help govern Israel. What James is basically saying is that whoever breaks one law (let us say the commandment prohibiting adultery for example) is considered guilty of breaking all the laws. From God’s perspective, it only takes one act of sin to fall short of His standard for moral perfection. This is a grave situation to be in, especially considering that we can all think of multiple times that we have done things that brought guilt on our conscience because we knew that they were wrong.
             The truth is, whether we believe it or not, we will all stand before God one day to give an account for our actions here on Earth, and we will all have multiple violations of God’s perfect standard to present to him, each one meriting an eternity separated from God. But Jesus Christ came so that we wouldn’t have to be separated from God for eternity. He experienced the punishment for our sin.
             Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Because of God’s great love for us he came to Earth wrapped in flesh and took the punishment for His creations rebellion. One only needs to depend on Jesus for salvation to be saved. Such an act of trust and dependence in Christ begins a relationship with God that never ends.
             The Gospel (or good news) of Jesus is simple: believe and have life. John 3:16 says that “…God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” The Greek for eternal life means not only heaven, but life as God has it. Life that begins at the moment of belief and forgiveness when God comes into our hearts and lives in us through His spirit (see Ephesians 1:13). It is life that begins now in a relationship with God, and continues forever on into beautiful eternity.
            Whoever you are, wherever you are, the gospel is for you. God’s love revealed and proven in Christ is readily available and is yours for the taking (see Romans 5:6-8). May you, dear reader, see the God who came for you. May you receive His love and depend on Him. His arms are a safe place to be.

Andy