|
|
Man's Problem, By Nature and By Choice By Wayne Bristow Satan's primary strategy for ensnaring and damning men is the perversion of truth. He has masterfully accomplished this relative to sin. Instead of arguing with God's declaration that all have sinned, he agrees. He agrees and then gives sin his own spin. He defines it as what you and I do. This is vital to his painting salvation as us impressing God with our good works, or losing hope by the weight of our wicked ways. The truth is this: You're not a sinner because you commit sins. You commit sins because you are a sinner. What does that mean? It means that before sin is an action, it is an attitude. It is an attitude of selfishness and rebellion that says, "Me first! I choose me. I'm Number One." You might say, "That sounds good. It sounds like the American way. What's wrong with asserting yourself?" Well, let's play a game. Let's suppose you're Number One. Do you like that? You are the King of the Hill. You are the Big Dog. You are Top Ranked. You and I have a problem. Do you know what it is? I'm Number One. Do you know how I know this? I have a T-shirt that says so. Now, what is going to happen when you and I meet? There is going to be conflict; conflict at home, in the office, on the campus, on the street, in the halls of government and between nations. There is going to be conflict until there is an explosion, and we have a tragedy at Columbine High School, a drive by shooting in East Los Angeles, a young life lost to drugs in a plush Dallas suburb, a highly successful couple torn apart by divorce, a promising business or political career ruined by greed and corruption, and a nation destroyed by war. The pain of our world is born out of individuals saying, "Give me my space; I'll do my own thing, and go my own way." This is tragic, but is it not the ultimate tragedy of sin. That tragedy is this: If you're Number One, God can never be Number One in your life, and He can never have His way in your mind and heart. Sin separates you from God now, and it can separate you from Him forever. You can live unto yourself and die before you have ever really lived. This what the Bible means when it says in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. Man is not a creature making mistakes in his upward evolvement. He is a rebel, taken with weapons in his hands, in rebellion against God. Seeing this as your problem, by nature and by choice, is a life and death matter. |
Copyright ©2001 Wayne Bristow. All rights reserved.