The Sin Problem

2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:2-11

We spend a lot of time trying to be good and not "bad". This is not such a bad thing, except that the Lord does not want us to just focus on ourselves. When Moses had the people of Israel look upon the serpent which was lifted up so that the plague would stop, it was the Lord who healed them, it was not their actions. In the same way, Jesus restores us not because of our actions, but because He has the authority to forgive sins. Whose problem is sin? It is not ours because we are powerless to remove it. The absolution of sin was handled by Christ when He sacrificed Himself for us, and the cleansing of sin is available for those who believe.

What is sin? It is anything which separates us from God who gives us life.

Why is it so hard for us to see beyond just the good and bad? It is because we have not yet developed the kind of relationship with Jesus where we can trust Him with all our problems. This includes the problem of sin. Sin is that most vulnerable part of us which causes shame, doubt and fear. Although we talk about giving this over to the Lord, it is easier said than done.

How can we give our sin over to Jesus?

1. Know that you do not have the authority to take care of sin. It doesn't go away just because you are good and not bad. Only Jesus has the authority to remove sin and He is waiting for you to come to Him.

2. Develop a genuine relationship with Jesus. You need to trust Him with the most vulnerable aspects of who you are so that He can heal you. Trust is the key to rehabilitation and wholeness.

3. Give Jesus more each day. Allow Jesus access into your daily life, your thoughts and actions. The more you do this the more you realize that you were meant to be living in unity with the Lord and His Spirit. As you give more of your life to Him, you will be ready for the next phase of life. When you pass on, you continue living through Jesus and with Him. Salvation occurs for those who give their life to Christ, continuing beyond the grave.

Father,

Thank you for giving us the solution to the sin problem. We may think we can do this ourselves, but it is impossible for us to deal with. Only your son Jesus has the authority to help and I realize that I must give more of myself to Him, so that He can work in me. May I do this each day, and I pray that I can allow you greater access into my life.