THE WAY OUT

God created a perfect world. We created the problem, and like Adam who knew something was amiss and sought to solve it, so too we try out many inventions in the bid to solve our self-imposed problems. If God were okay with Adam’s solution, He would have accepted it. But He was not, so He
provided an alternative, the only solution acceptable to Him (Genesis 3. 21). Certainly, garments of skin were better than fig leaves for clothing. That is saying that our solution to our sin problem is not acceptable to God. We have no personal credentials to present before God, for, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags before God” (Isaiah 64. 6)

The solution to our sin problem lies with God. He has to do something to help or we are finished. But please note that it is not obligatory on God to act, as though He were responsible for our sins.  If He chooses to do anything, that would be an act of pure grace and goodness on His part. Poor sinful wretches like us can only respond with a grateful Amen.

So, has God acted?

Certainly.

 He started out by telling us in the Bible that He loves us. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31. 3). “God so loved the world” (John 3. 16). “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us” (First John 4. 10).

You see, dear friend, you just have to believe that God loves you. Whether you judge yourself a success or failure in life, God loves you. Whether you believe things are going well with you or not, God loves you. This love is unconditional, that is, it does not depend on you. Our love for one another is often conditional. Usually people would love you for what they can get out of you, including the fame of being your benefactors! But God’s love is different. He loves you, however you are. He loves you in spite of your sins. He loves you but hates your sins. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59. 2), and God just does not like that. He would have you separate from your sins rather than from Him. God knew you could not help yourself hence decided to help you. He did this by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you. You deserved to die because of your sins, because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6. 23). But God’s love for you compelled Him, so to speak, to send His Son to die in your stead. Jesus Christ suffered untold abuses and was crucified on the Cross of Calvary where He died for your sins (Remember, the wages of sins is death). He was buried, but on the third day rose from the dead. By His death He paid the penalty for your sins. By His blood He washes away your sins. By His resurrection, He justifies you before God. The Bible says, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3. 16). “God loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (First John 4. 10). “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5. 8).

This is grace, pure grace. It is telling us that God did not wait for us to clean up our lives first before deciding to help us. It was when we were still stinking in our sins that He drew near to help. And in making the way for us to get out of our sins, or better put, get out of death into life, He left no stone unturned. He did it with what the Bible calls ‘the zeal of the Lord’ (Isaiah 9. 7). No wonder Jesus Himself said “It is finished” (John 19. 30). Truly, “the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 4. 3). To be able to live the Christian life, you must start out well by acknowledging your failure and accepting God’s solution in Christ. That is the way out of the problem.