Sin, the Gospel, and the Law

Memory Text: 

“I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life. I am Yours, save me; for I have sought Your precepts” (Psalm 119:93, 94, NKJV).

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Once upon a time, Jesus was confronted by the religious leaders of His day. He was asked why, if He was holy, He kept joining sinners. Why did He associate Himself with the sinful? His reply was profound:

Mark 2:17, NKJV

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus was not saying that there are people who have no need of a spiritual physician. He was teaching them that unless one knows his sickness, he will not long for one.

In this lesson, we will delve into three concepts that we have probably heard most of our lives but still need to be reminded of. We will tackle sin, the law, and the gospel. Read on!

Sin

What is sin? Perhaps a classic definition would help:

1 John 3:4, KJV

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Sin is the transgression of the law. Wait, that’s it? This mysterious concept that theologians have been wrestling with for eons is simply… an act of transgression? Well… yes and no. Thinkers would not still be debating it if it were all that simple, would they? While I do not want to be too technical in this article, I also do not want to be simplistic.

To better understand sin, we must observe how it moves.

Isaiah 14:12–14, NKJV

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! [13] For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregationOn the farthest sides of the north; [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’”

We all know God was enthroned as the Highest of all heaven. As Creator, He has the rightful authority to rule. But Lucifer did not want any of that. He wanted to rule, even if that meant removing God from His throne. And now compare these two passages:

Genesis 2:16–17, NKJV

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:6–7, NKJV

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. [7] Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

God strictly commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit. But they were beguiled. They desired the promises of the serpent more than the presence of God, and they fell because of it.

In these two instances, what can we observe? How does sin operate? Beneath the angelic and human actions, what is sin?

Herbert Douglass puts it nicely:

“Sin is a created being’s clenched fist in the face of his Creator; sin is the creature, distrusting God, deposing Him as the Lord of his life.”[1]

Sin is rebellion. Sin is a lack of trust to the point that we go our own way instead of choosing His ideal for us. It is our willful choice to go against God. It is first a choice before it becomes a condition. We choose to go away from Him, and then that separation becomes our state.

Now, this is where it gets complicated. Is it not true that we are born in a sinful condition? Hmm… We must first be careful how we define our terms. If by sinful condition we mean that we inherit the effects of sin, such as weakness, tendencies toward sin, and so on, then yes. But if we mean lostness or condemnation, that is another story. John Calvin defined sin this way:

“Original sin… is that ‘hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused into all parts of the soul, which first makes us liable to God’s wrath, then also brings forth in us those works which Scripture calls “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19)’”[2]

Did you catch that? Under this view, one is born lost simply because he drew his first breath. That is not the Adventist understanding. We define our terms differently.

So, what is sin? Sin is rebellion. Sin is distrust. And what makes sin subtle is that we think we are in the right. Here is where the law comes in.

The Law

James 1:23–25, NKJV

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; [24] for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. [25] But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

As we have discussed before, the Johari Window teaches that there are things we are blind to. So, how can we remedy something that we are not aware of? It is impossible. It is only as we see ourselves for who we truly are that we begin to realize that we are in need of a physician.

Romans 3:20, NKJV

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The law tells us our condition. James calls it a mirror so that we can reflect and examine ourselves. It does not remedy the problem, but it does expose it. The same is true of the law of God. Separate from Christ, it only tells us of our lost condition. But in Christ, the law and the gospel become a dynamic duo.

“The law is the gospel embodied, and the gospel is the law unfolded. The law is the root, the gospel is the fragrant blossom and fruit which it bears.”[3]

The law is needed because it is a transcript of God’s character. When we look at the characteristics of the law, we are looking at the characteristics of God. So when we see God through the law, we say to ourselves, “I’m a sinner!” Then and only then can we long for deliverance through the gospel.

The Gospel

Once we understand what sin is and what the purpose of the law is, we can better understand the role of the gospel.

The gospel seeks to bring man and God back together. Ellen White said:

“The very essence of the gospel is restoration, and the Saviour would have us bid the sick, the hopeless, and the afflicted take hold upon His strength.”[4]

If sin is rebellion and distrust, then the gospel brings man into loving submission to God and His government by winning man’s trust once again.

Douglass remarked:

“The message from Genesis to Revelation is that God can be trusted.”[5]

Hence, the gospel is not just our entrance to heaven; it is concerned with securing the peace of the entire universe!

This is getting big and dramatic and all, but what does this have to do with me and my Christian walk? Well, one must ask: Am I trusting God with every area of my life? Do I know Him enough to give Him full control? Do I really believe that He has my best interests in mind? If yes, then we should and would want to stop running to things we think will give us happiness and start going to God for happiness!

Conclusion

Sin is a mystery. We can never fully explain it. But we can observe how it moves. It acts in rebellion against God and does not trust that He has our best interests in mind. The worst part? Sin has benumbed us to the point that we think we have no problem and that we are all right. It is only as we behold Jesus through the law that we see ourselves for who we truly are. We see that our rebellion is in vain. We see that we do not know what is best for us, and, like the prodigal son, we realize that our Father can be trusted; He, indeed, has our best interests in mind. Then and only then can the great controversy over sin and evil be closed.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it easier to see other people’s sins than our own?
2. Why do people sometimes see God’s law as restrictive instead of loving?
3. What is one area of life where it is hard to let God take control?
4. What is one practical step we can take this week to trust God more fully?

Endnotes

[1] Herbert Edgar Douglass, The Jesus Difference (Roseville, CA: Amazing Facts, 2008), Kindle edition, loc. 476.

[2] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, 2 vols., Library of Christian Classics 20–21 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 1:251 (2.1.8).

[3] Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1900), 128.

[4] Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Oakland, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1898), 824.

[5] Herbert E. Douglass, God at Risk: The Cost of Freedom in the Great Controversy Between God and Satan (Roseville, CA: Amazing Facts, 2004), Kindle edition, loc. 1600.