We the Church: Forgiveness Romans 3:21-26

Hell, Fire, and Brimstone

For years, preaching was characterized by a good deal of “hell, fire, and brimstone.”

I will never forget some persons in my first church who actually wanted to hear a little “hell fire.”

I got the distinct impression though that what they were really wanting was for me to preach about someone else’s sins, instead of their own.

They were fine with me preachin’. They just didn’t want me meddlin’. That was another thing entirely.

Sometimes self-righteousness can be the greatest sin of all.

Jonathan Edwards and his famous, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” set the standard for that sort of “hell fire” preaching way back in the mid-1700’s.

I’ve known some preachers who really go to when it comes to pressing things in regard to the sins of their listeners. They spend most of their time preaching about sin and precious little time talking about the good news God offers to remedy it.

They are more about making people feel guilty than releasing them from their guilt.

They are like a doctor who is quick to lift up everything that’s wrong with a patient without providing a cure.

It’s been my experience that persons are pretty turned off by a lot of “hell fire.” They would much rather be encouraged than torn asunder. Some have even left the church because they can’t take it anymore.

In reaction to that, we have become so much more genteel. We paint a picture of a God who is soft on sin. We preach grace, but fail to lift up the very reason for that grace in the first place.

When it comes to sin God is anything but soft. He is so serious about it that he sent his son to pave the way for that sin to be forgiven.

The Problem of Sin Has Always Been

The problem of sin has been a part of the human scene from the very beginning. Adam and Eve with their willful disobedience ushered sin into the world.

We are just like them in our own disobedience. We too are willful, selfish, and continually missing the mark of God’s intention for our lives.

We too desire to go our own way, do our own thing, and pretty much make up the rules as we go.

What’s right in the eyes of the Lord is painted as wrong and what’s wrong in his eyes is painted as right.

Eugene Peterson puts it this way in paraphrasing Romans 3:15-16, we “race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year.”

No wonder there is so much weal and woe in this world.

Paul Doesn’t Pull Any Punches When It Comes to Sin

Paul doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to sin. He is quick to construct a level playing field when it comes to doing wrong.

He quotes from Psalm 14:3 when he writes, “All have turned away, they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:12)

Later in that same chapter he writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Again from Peterson, “We are all in the same sinking boat.”

In the first couple of chapters of his letter to the church in Rome Paul speaks to the problem of sin.

He equates the “wrath of God” to God “giving us over” to our sinful ways.

He speaks much like an evangelist would to persons who have yet to give their lives to Jesus.

Paul attempts in the first couple of chapters of Romans to awaken persons to the reality of their sin, all with an interest of leading them to recognize that what God offers in Christ is just what they need.

Coming to Grips with Our Own Sin

Without an awareness of what’s wrong, we’ll never really get it when it comes to salvation.

Forgiveness will fall flat every time because, in our heart of hearts, we figure there was nothing wrong in the first place.

We may even think that since God has everything covered, we can go ahead and sin and it won’t make any difference. It’s the old “sin so that grace may abound” argument. Paul heads that argument off at the pass in Romans chapter 6.

An emphasis on grace without first considering the sin of our lives leaves us with a pretty low view of salvation.

Regrettably, this is an age where far too many well-meaning people take the need for repentance much too lightly. They figure they will profess faith, but keep on doing what they have always done.

For them, confession is something that only skims the surface. They never really get to the heart of what ails them.

Contrition, I mean genuine contrition, doesn’t even enter the picture.

How many of us when asking forgiveness for our sins, actually consider those sins? Are we prepared, with God’s help, to turn from them? Are we genuinely sorry for what we’ve done?

Years ago the Methodists employed a Mourner’s Bench where persons who felt led to give their lives to Jesus were called forward to consider their sins.

The Mourner’s Bench was marked by a lot of emotion. Sometimes the preacher would speak right to them.

I fear those days are long gone and we have suffered since.

In Spite of Ourselves God Provides a Way

Let’s face it, when it comes right down to it, we are one human race with one common plight, yet blessed with one common hope.

In spite of ourselves, God doesn’t abandon us. He provides a way out. This, above all else, is what Paul wanted to get across.

In Romans 1:16-17, Paul sets the very theme of Romans by saying, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

Paul gets right to it, in Romans 3:21ff. He moves from a general consideration of sin and its effect upon life to the good news that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Paul offers three metaphors that point clearly to the great thing God has done.

First he talks of redemption. In Christ we have been freed from the slavery of sin, just as a slave was redeemed and set free by a price paid for that release. Our redemption comes with the high price of Christ’s death on the cross. Freedom is always costly.

Paul talks about justification. Justification is a legal term that has to do with being treated as if innocent, even though the person is guilty—“guilty as sin,” if you will. Out of sheer generosity, the judge declares it so.

Paul also talks about sacrifice. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paves the way for us to be at one with our maker, once and for all. God loves us that much.

Jesus Paves the Way of Salvation

We have all been aghast since hearing the horrible news of the shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The senseless killing and the stated reason behind it is abhorrent.

Our thoughts and prayers are extended to those who have lost loved ones. We pray hatred will cease, so that love might prevail.

Incidents like the one in Charleston this past week give us pause to recognize yet again that we live in a fallen world.

Sin is prevalent and manifests itself in ways that seeks to destroy life. Sin runs contrary to the original design God has for his creation. All along though, God has sought to restore that.

His every desire has been to free those he loves from the very things that bind them. He wants them to be right and whole. Instead of being estranged from them, his every desire has been to win them back.

While God remains a righteous judge over that which is wrong, he extends grace, offers forgiveness, and restores relationship between himself and his wayward creation.

All of this is made possible in and through the new life that is offered in Jesus Christ.

Jesus paves the way for our redemption. We are made right in the eyes of God on account of what took place on the cross. His sacrifice is the greatest show of love that has ever been.

How about You?

Years ago, the Methodist not only employed a Mourner’s Bench for those who were sorrowful about their sin, but they also employed persons who were called Exhorters.

Exhorters were those who sought to win persons to Christ. They would often start where the preacher left off—exhorting, if you will, for persons to come to Christ.

How about you?

If there is anyone here today who is tired of the burden of their sin and wants to turn from their sinful ways, the offer of new life stands.

There is no time like the present to accept the offer of salvation offered to all who with an open heart are ready to respond with faith.

Let the spirit move you from an awareness of the wrong of your life to the place of forgiveness and the newness of life that awaits you in Jesus.