Essential Tenet #5: "The present disordered state of the world is the result of humanity’s free, sinful rebellion against God’s will.

We are studying the essential statement adopted by First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville. The statement relies heavily on the essential tenets statement in the Theology Project of the Fellowship of Presbyterians, in which we are members. The full statement can be found at http://www.faithwebsites.com/fpcdouglasville/whatwebelieve.cfm#167019.

Essential Tenet #5 says, "The present disordered state of the world is the result of humanity’s free, sinful rebellion against God’s will. No part of human life is untouched by sin. Our desires are no longer trustworthy guides to goodness, and what seems natural to us no longer corresponds to God’s design."

This tenet acknowledges that though God created the world good something has gone terribly wrong. The evidence of this problem abounds. It is evident globally in the scourge of slavery, war, starvation, and terrorism. It is evident in the USA in the dehumanizing practices of violence, prostitution, pornography, and child abuse. If we are honest with ourselves, it is also evident in our own lives. It is evident in our thoughts. People might recoil in horror if they heard what we sometimes think. It is evident in our selfish, destructive, greedy behaviors. These only scratch the surface of the evidence.

It is clear that something is terribly wrong with this world. The Christian faith has an answer. It is a two-part answer. Sin is the problem. Jesus is the solution.

Adam introduced sin into creation. Paul writes, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12 ESV) He really meant we are dead. We are spiritually dead. He writes in Ephesians, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1 ESV) The consequence of the sin of Adam is a thorough-going corruption of every ounce of creation including our lives. John Calvin cogently and succinctly put it this way.

“We believe that man was created pure and perfect in the image of God, and that by his own guilt he fell from the grace which he received, and is thus alienated from God, the fountain of justice and of all good, so that his nature is totally corrupt. And being blinded in mind, and depraved in heart, he has lost all integrity, and there is no good in him.” (French Confession of 1559)

We bear in at least four ways the mark of the absolute condition of our sinful nature.

1. We bear the mark of sin when we do evil things. We really aren’t good naturally. Most of us know that.
   
2. Even when we do a good deed, it is tainted by sin. Our best deeds always have some form of corruption to them. For example, if I help an elderly person across the street, likely there is the slightest motivation to help because it makes me feel good about myself or to congratulate myself when the street is crossed.
   
3. We bear the mark of sin in what we don’t do. These we have called sins of omission. This is driving past the person in need if God puts it on your heart to stop. This is turning a blind eye to ethics violations in school or work. These sins are the sins that frequently no one notices, but nonetheless they alienate us from God.
   
4. We bear the mark of sin in ways we don’t even know. Like our cars have blind spots that make it hard to see over our shoulders, we have spiritual blind spots in which we cannot see our sin. Sin causes us to “see dimly as in a mirror.” If we have ever been told by someone we trust that our behavior is offensive and if it’s an absolute shock, then likely something in our blind spot has been uncovered. Even if we confessed every sin we knew, the ones we don’t know still condemn us. 

As important as it is to understand our sinful nature in order to see the solution, we still try to make a defense of our innocence. Here are some common defenses.

1. The “delusional defense” - We are convinced, “I’m good.” No. We really are not good. Not in the sense of good being a morally pure person. Adam committed one type of sin, only one time, and he was lost. One sin in one lifetime makes us imperfect and unworthy to stand before a Holy, Perfect God. There is no need to delude ourselves.
   
2. The “mostly” defense - In this defense, we say, “I’m mostly good.” When it comes to our standing before God, there is only good, in the sense of perfect moral virtue. Mostly good and or half-good qualifies us to be mostly or almost reconciled to God. Almost or mostly reconciled is still alienation from God.
   
3. The “relativity” defense - We say, “I’m better than most.” The best of humans are so far below the holiness of God that our relative position is insignificant. If God’s holiness is equivalent to an "A" grade, he is unimpressed by the those of us who rely upon the relative success of the "D+" over the "D" or "D-". If we aren't "A" students, then we have no defense.
   
4. The “exceptions” defense - We say, “I know that is a sin, but...” “I know it is a sin to alter accounting books, BUT God wouldn’t want my family to go hungry if my business fails.” “I know it is a sin to cheat, BUT God doesn’t want my parents to bear the shame of me failing this class.” It doesn’t matter how big your “but” is. These rationalizations are futile attempts to look to our own efforts of goodness rather than accepting our desperate struggle with sin. 

All of us are utterly hopeless because of sin. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God... and the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23 and 6:23)

How do we fix it? We can’t… but God can. Our hope is in Jesus Christ alone. Paul writes, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” (Romans 5:15 ESV) Our hope is in the Cross of Calvary. The blood of Christ washes away our sin. If you want to be saved from sin, responding in faith to Jesus is the only response that will work. His life ransomed us from eternal death. Our faith in his work frees us to enjoy heaven now as well as for eternity. Do not delay, accept his gift of life today and admit your need for his mercy.