An extremely familiar word heard these days is the word CANCELED, used in relation to events that are canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic. It is certainly not a word that we necessarily want to hear, because there are many of these events that we really don’t want to see canceled. Of course, the reason these events are being canceled is out of a concern for social distancing.
“Words from Above” in the Bible tell us that there is something that we benefit from when it is canceled. That something is a common condition of the human soul with which all of us are born, and that condition is sin. Due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, this condition has spread throughout the human race. There is no one who is immune to this condition, and there is no medicine or vaccine for its cure. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” There are some people who do well in hiding the symptoms of this spiritual condition from others, but no one can hide it from the Lord, because He can see exactly what is in our hearts. We may even succeed in convincing ourselves that we are not infected with sin, but we are only deceiving ourselves.
This all sounds hopeless, but the truth of the matter is that God has actually done something about by sending His Son Jesus to this earth to live among us and to die for us. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary to become the Savior of all the people of the world. His death on the Cross paid the penalty for the sins of all people, but only those who accept His payment are delivered from the affects of sin. Once they accept His payment for the penalty of their sins, and invite Jesus into their lives, God gives them the free gift of salvation and eternal life.
The message of Romans 3:23 is thereby replaced by the message of Romans 6:23, which says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is everlasting life.” This means that are sins are canceled, and they are never to be remembered against us ever again. The Bible tells us that they are cast into the deepest sea because they have been covered by the blood that Jesus shed on the Cross. To help us from falling back into sin, Hebrews 8 tells us that God put His laws into their minds, and wrote them in their hearts, so that He could be a God to us, and that He will be to us a people.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
