The Problem Of Sin And The Divine Solution - The Problem Considered.

by G. PRASHER, JR. | Category: General | Feb 1958

From one point of view, the Bible is a wonderful unfolding of God's solution to the most complex problem ever posed. What was that problem, and what did it involve? It was the appalling fact that sin had entered into the world through one man's disobedience (Romans 5.12), and it involved

(a)an earthly creation out of harmony with its Maker (Romans 8. 19-22);

(b)mankind in danger of eternal judgement.

The entrance of sin with the resulting problem was no fortuitous happening. Besides, it had been anticipated by God. His foreknowledge of Adam's choice and all its consequences was complete. We know this from such profound gleams of divine revelation as Romans 16. 25, 26, concerning a mystery which had been kept in silence "through times eternal." It was known to God, but unrevealed to others. Nor would its revelation have been possible, perhaps, but for God's permission of all the circumstances which led to the fall of man, and the world-wide effects of sin. Against that dark background, the glory of God's character was to be uniquely shown out. God alone could see in clear perspective all the factors involved in the entrance of sin. In His infinite wisdom the circumstances of Eden were permitted ; that decision will yet be fully vindicated. Even now as we trace the Bible story of the solution to the sin problem, and see that it involved the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son, we gladly take on trust those aspects of the origin and entrance of sin which God has chosen to leave in present obscurity. If at times our minds try impatiently to probe beyond the frontiers of Biblical revelation, does not the Holy Spirit reprove our impiety with such a word as in Romans 9.20 ?

"Nay but, 0 man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why didst Thou make me thus?"

By such reproof we are helped to regain the right attitude of Psalm

131:

"LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty;

Neither do I exercise myself in great matters,

Or in things too wonderful for me."

From that starting point, accepting the truth of the problem as stated in the Bible, and as confirmed by daily experience, we are ready to trace out the riches of divine wisdom, knowledge, mercy and love in

GOD'S SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

The grandeur of its scope.

"For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell; and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens " (Colossians 1. 19-20).

How worthy of our God are these comprehensive objectives! Here is no mere expedient, but a plan immense in its scope, embracing many aspects of the ruin caused by sin. It is a plan of reconciliation. It will result in the harmonizing of creation once more with its Maker. It will open the door of mercy to every believing sinner who is willing to take advantage of God's salvation.

The key to its fulfilment.

The verses quoted from Colossians are emphatic in marking out the Son of His love" as the One in whom it pleased the Father that all the fulness should dwell. That truth is central to all God's purposes. There can be no solution to the problem of sin apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. As verse 20 reminds us, it is

"THROUGH HIM" and "THROUGH HIS BLOOD."

None other than the eternal Son of God could cope with the sin question ; to do this, He must needs shed His precious blood on the Cross. The atoning work of Christ, and that alone, would provide the foundation on which God's plan of reconciliation could be built.

Its orderly development.

It is particularly important to grasp that God has shown in the Scriptures an orderly development of His solution to the problem of sin. Through failing to see this, some have stumbled, charging God with indifference to present suffering in the world because of sin. The true believer, though he may not see God's plan as a whole, yet gladly waits in faith for its later stages to come into effect, realizing that infinite wisdom can make no mistakes. It is like a soldier hard pressed in battle. He struggles to hold his position against great odds. He sends frantic signals for immediate help, and wonders why his commander does not at once respond. Surviving the conflict, he is later privileged to study the whole plan and course of the battle. The wisdom of his general then becomes clear to him. He sees that reinforcements were deliberately withheld from his sector to lure the enemy forward under a false impression that no further reserves were available. The apparent weakness of that sector had tempted the foe into a trap in which he was ultimately destroyed. However distressed we may at times feel because of sin's present ravages, let us trust implicitly the infinite wisdom of the great Captain of our Salvation!

Some salient stages of its outworking.

We have seen that in His atoning death the Lord Jesus, according to God's purpose, provided a solution to the sin problem. Let us trace together a few of the main stages of the outworking of the divine solution, as revealed in the Word.

(1)The justification of the believing sinner, and present victory over sin.

Please read Romans 3.23-26. Through the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God in the present dispensation, believing sinners may be sure that they have been justified. That means they are reckoned by God to be as though they had never sinned at all. God can justly do this because the Lord Jesus became the propitiation for sin on the cross. He bore the judgement for the believing sinner. Every claim of God against the sinner was fully met by the Saviour, so that God can now be just and the Justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. On this ground the believer has perfect peace, because the deserved punishment for his sin has been righteously dealt with.

Nevertheless, while enjoying that peace, the justified believer is daily reminded of the truth that sin is still dwelling in his flesh (Romans 7. 20), but he himself has been cleansed from sin. He feels continually the power of the law of sin in his members (Romans 7. 28). To overcome the constant urgings of his old nature he is dependent upon the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8.4, 9, 13), and of the Lord Jesus as Advocate for him before the face of God (1 John 1. 8 - 2. 2). Daily overcoming grace is promised, so that while there is the problem of sin in the daily experience of each believer, God has provided both power to overcome, and a means of cleansing in the event of defilement or failure.

(2)The redemption of the believer's body.

While grateful indeed for God's present provision, the believer longs to be entirely freed from sin. This is known at death, but for its full enjoyment he must wait until the coming again of the Lord Jesus to the air" waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body," as Romans 8.23 describes it. For the believer of this dispensation the problem of sin as it affects him personally will then have been triumphantly and finally resolved. What more could he wish than a fulfilment of the glorious promise in Philippians 3.21, the fashioning anew the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of His glory " ? Fitting example of the fulness and perfection of God's treatment of sin!

(3)God's plan for world-wide restoration.

It was Peter who said of the Lord Jesus:

"Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets which have been since the world began" (Acts 3.21).

To what period was he referring? He was pointing forward to the Coming again of the Lord Jesus to this earth, when He will take His great power and reign for a thousand years. That time is often spoken of as the millennial reign of Christ " because He will rule in this world for a millennium. This is according to God's good pleasure which He purposed in Christ, "unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times; to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth" (Ephesians 1.10). Just as salvation for the individual today is through faith in Christ, so in the millennial reign the world-wide blessings will be alone through Him. At that time will be fulfilled the words of Romans 8.21 (please read); one example of the effects of the liberation of creation from the bondage of corruption is seen in Isaiah 11.6-9. As for the peoples of the world, all will recognize the authority of the Lord Jesus, "and righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins " (Isaiah 11.5). "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and confidence for ever

(Isaiah 32.17). All nations shall flow unto the mountain of the LORD'S house (Isaiah 2. 2), and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Meantime men vainly struggle to contrive their own solutions to the vast problems arising as a result of sin. God's word assures us that all such efforts are doomed to failure. The solution must await His time, and it will be only through Christ.

(4)New heavens and a new earth

Even the glories of the millennial reign of Christ will be ultimately clouded by rebellion against His authority (see Revelation 20. 9). Satan having been released from his thousand-year captivity, will once more deceive the nations. Then is God's solution of the sin problem to fail after 1,000 years of the exaltation of righteousness ? By no means, for " according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness " (2 Peter 3. 13). The Bible closes with John's Spirit-given vision of a new heaven and a new earth.

We read:

"For the first heaven and the first earth are passed away and again,

Behold, I make all things new " (Revelation 21. 1, 5).

To that ultimate solution of the sin problem, God's word directs the faith of the devout believer. Following that direction, our minds may contemplate in some feeble measure the surpassing glories of a sinless eternity

REFLECTIONS.

Doubtless as those eternal ages unroll, we shall apprehend in much greater degree many aspects of the glorious work of Christ regarding the problem of sin which at present baffle our puny thought. Meantime, the things we do not know must not be allowed to upset the things we assuredly know. There is the inescapable fact of sin. The truth about its entrance into the world has been revealed to us. We can see that as a result of this the glorious love of God has been made manifest in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Through faith we have tasted the peace of justification, and known the Holy Spirit's power in overcoming sin in our present experience. Modern history presents its striking fulfilment of prophecy regarding the return of Israel to the promised land. We see the stage of this world being ordered by an invisible hand in preparation for the second advent of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. That mighty climax of God's plan for dealing with the sin question is hastening on!

"0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable ore His judgements, and His ways post tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? or who hath been His counsellor ?"

G. PRASHER, JR. | Feb 1958
General