08-09-24-DAILY READING-ENG.

EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT

                                          SIN'S DAMAGE

Look at Paul's description in Romans 3 of sin's damage: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit;” “The poison of asps is under their lips;” “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (verses 10-18) Paul went on to say, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (verse 23). Everyone has fallen short; everyone has sinned. And sin has fatal consequences. Not only has it separated you from God, but it also keeps you from restoring that relationship. Paul emphasized these points in Romans 3: Sin makes you unrighteous and separates you from God. Sin keeps you from understanding God. Sin keeps you from seeking God. Sin causes you to turn to other things, leaving you worthless and setting you on the road to depravity. Sin ultimately causes you to lose the fear of God. And when you lose the fear of God, there's no deterrent to sin; you can't stop your downward plunge into eternal destruction.

The reality of our spiritual state can look pretty depressing. Is there any hope? Many would answer no. Some have committed suicide. Many more have attempted suicide, and even more have contemplated it. One of the most influential opponents of Christianity was Friedrich Nietzsche, who called Christianity “the one great curse” and “the one immortal blemish of mankind.” He proclaimed “the death of God” as a cultural fact and claimed atheism as the last evolutionary phase in the search for truth. Nietzsche later was debilitated by mental illness; having no hope, he'd gone mad. If not for the grace of God, we all would be in the same condition—without hope. For we have all sinned, and sin prevents a relationship with God—and life apart from God leaves no hope.