By: Louis Rushmore, Editor

Last Saturday night, I fell and damaged a few things on my way to the floor. One of the wounded items was a small globe, which at one time, suspended magically, it seemed, in the air without touching anything else; magnets provided an invisible push/pull effect on the sphere.

Now, this little world bears indentations from being crushed. Sorry about that Canada and Alaska, the Arctic, Russia, China and Scandinavia. Sorry about that Antarctica and the southern third of South America.

Of course, those places in the real world were not affected simply because my little globe has a series of dents. However, in a spiritual sense, the real world in which we live is dented or damaged because of sin in the lives of people worldwide (Romans 3:10, 23). Sin committed by Adam and Eve resulted in changes to the created world and a damaged relationship of the first pair with God (Genesis 3:16–22). Since then to the present, sin has continued to be a separator between mankind and God (Isaiah 59:1–2). Similarly to the consequences of Adam and Eve, sins multiplied along with the increasing human population until God decided to bring about a universal flood in the days of Noah, which involved the ultimate climate change of all time, as well as the topographical reshaping of planet Earth (Genesis 8:20–21). On the spiritual side of things, God essentially pushed the reset button and restarted human population with Noah’s family (Genesis 6–8).

Throughout the balance of the Old Testament through the first century and up to the present, mankind has continued to distance himself from God through the practice of every imaginable form of sin. New Testament catalogs of sins sample the wide variety of iniquities characteristic of human behavior long ago and presently, too. Repetition of many of the same types of sins in each of the lists of sins demonstrates the universality of especially some sinful activities.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. (Acts 15:28–29)

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9–10)

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19–21)

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:25–32)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. (Ephesians 5:11–12)

Thankfully, however, God has a recovery program from the very sins that separate sinners from fellowship with Him. To the Corinthian Christians, the apostle Paul wrote, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Turning back to God through repentance (Acts 17:30) can reconnect a wayward child of God with fellowship of God. One who has never become a Christian also can turn from sinful ways through repentance (Luke 13:3), which necessarily must be preceded by knowledge of God’s Word (Romans 10:17) and faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God—the Christ and Savior (John 8:24). Following repentance, someone desiring to become a Christian needs to confess or to acknowledge belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Romans 10:9–10) and to be baptized—immersed—in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:15–16; Acts 2:38).

Yes, even as faithful Christians, we must live in a dented world, which is diminished spiritually. Yet, we don’t have to live like unforgiven sinners rather than as forgiven sinners, whose way of life no longer pursues sinfulness. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14–16).

Author: Louis Rushmore