Give It Up

March 10

God can do anything but wink at sin. In spite of His great love for mankind, He cannot simply treat our sin as though we have not committed it. Part of His immutable law is that all transgression must be punished. The Word, which cannot lie, says, “The wage of sin is death…” Romans 6:23.

Yet that verse goes on to say, “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.” Because our Holy God who cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13) loves us so much, He took the sin He cannot tolerate upon His own sinless person and bore it to the cross where He died to set us free from the punishment of death that sin requires!

Amazing love! What absolutely amazing love! This is no small thing that the Creator of the universe has done in our behalf! As the Apostle who tested the Lord’s patience so many times stated, “You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but by the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb without spot or wrinkle,” I Peter 1:18,19.

Paul reiterates the same thought in Hebrews 9:12 where he says, “Christ did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” And to the Colossians (1:13, 14) Paul said, “God has rescued us from the kingdom of sin and brought us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, through whom we have forgiveness from all our sin.” He hates sin enough to die for it. Do we hate it enough to give it up?