Deeper Life #6

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

—Romans 5:8

WHEN A PERSON IS CONVICTED of sin, he cries out, “Against Thee, and Thee only, have I sinned!” From the biblical point of view, sin is ignoring God’s claims and maintaining one’s right to oneself. Sin is sometimes esteemed among human beings, but it is an abomination in the sight of God.

Sin is not an abstraction; it is a terrible and personal reality. Any person who has heard that Jesus Christ saves from sin, and continues in sin, is a damned soul already.

The wages of sin is death. But God postponed the penalty of death by allowing His only begotten Son to become the great Victim for the whole world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

My sins, my sins, my Saviour,

Oh, sad on Thee they fall,

Seen through Thy tender patience,

I tenfold feel them all.

I know they are forgiven,

But, oh, their pain to me,

Is all the grief and anguish,

They laid, my Lord, on Thee.

Prayer Thought: I accept responsibility for my sins. O God, I need Your forgiveness.

SUGGESTED READING: Romans 5:6–21