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Article 3: NATURE AND CHOICE - THE SAD REALITY OF SIN
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when they were tempted by Satan. The result is that all human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Through God's saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.

Family Devotional for the Week
1 John 1:8-10 (Read as a Family)

Have you ever been to the doctor before? What was it like? What was your favorite food to eat when you were sick? What emotions did you feel? What did you need from your parents, siblings, friends?

According to 1 John 1:8-10, "sin" is not just something we do. Instead, it's more like a sickness or a disease, something that we've had from birth. Since Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3, we haven't ever been able to get things right; we've never been able to live the way we were created to live. We are constantly in need of help because we've always got this "sin-sickness" in us.

But Jesus' disciple, John, knew the good news! He tells us here that people who admit their sin-sickness and inability to cure themselves will find the Great Physician—Jesus— ready to forgive and to heal. So, if you've never admitted your sin-sickness and helplessness, today is the day to do that. For those of you who know you have received the forgiveness of God, take time to give thanks and praise to the God who loves us all.

As a family, answer these questions:

• What mistakes did you make today, or this week?
• What is the good news that John shares in these verses?

End your time in prayer, thanking God for his love and forgiveness.

~Jeff Liou and Annie Neufeld

Monday
Psalm 51

As a little boy, I remember falling to temptation big time. I saw this multi-colored yoyo and I had to have it. As you can imagine, I had no money, so out of lust and desire, I stole the yoyo. Of course, my parents found out and made me return the yoyo, apologize to the storeowner and ask for his forgiveness.

Yes, my sinful nature screamed out loud and clear. Just like Adam and Eve being tempted by Satan in the Garden of Eden, Satan tempted me in that store. Similar to Adam and Eve, I too was separated from God due to my sinful nature.

However, the good news is that we have a compassionate and merciful God who loves us more than we ever will know. He loved us so much He sent his Son, Jesus, here on earth to die on the cross for our sins so that we could be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.

In Psalm 51 we are reminded by David of His cries to be washed clean. We see words like, "Have mercy on me O God", "Cleanse me with hyssop", "Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins" or "Create within me a pure Heart". As a believer my cry should be the same as David's. Praise God our Heavenly Father had a plan in mind to ensure we had the opportunity to be washed clean.

Today, take time to ask your Heavenly Father where you need cleansing in your own life. Pray for His mercy and forgiveness to cover you and that you can experience His purifying spirit being poured moment by moment into your heart. This, brothers and sisters, is the ongoing saving work of Jesus.

~Bill Mead

Tuesday
Psalm 14:1-3

Ok. Honest answer now – How many of us have used the first verse of this passage without looking at the rest of the Psalm? I for one have used it like an instrument to whack over the heads of atheists or those who refuse to acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being who created the universe. And why should we not do this, since the Bible itself condones it – it calls all those who do not believe in God "fools"! Right? And why shouldn't we like holding it over their heads since it makes us feel so very righteous when we do it?

I'm afraid that in the process of using the first verse in this way, we've fallen into the very trap that Jesus warned us about.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matt 7:3-5)

The main gist of this passage tells us that all of humanity has sinned, that all human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, and as a result all of us are alienated from God. ALL. It doesn't just focus on one particular group of humans but rather says that all of us, no matter what we do, are condemned because of sin.

Now, it so happens that those of us who do not believe in God are more susceptible to committing sin because we tend to think that there will be no judgment for our actions, right or wrong. But before we criticize them for being foolish we need to look at ourselves to see how we have ourselves fallen short of God's standards. Just because we believe in God doesn't mean that we have mastered the sin that so easily entangles each of us. It's only when we begin to entrust our lives to Jesus that we begin the process of sanctification and we can draw near to God. It was Luther who said that Christians are merely sinners saved by grace.

Sin is a serious condition, and without God, we would be lost. Take this time to examine yourself. Do you sometimes feel that you are spiritually better than others? Take care of how you judge others "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged..." (Matt 7:2)

~Walter Alexander

Wednesday
Romans 6:23

If we were to spend any length of time together, you would probably hear me reference a mentor or two in my life. Some of them I lovingly refer to as 'dead mentors.' I think the more polite term is 'historical mentors' but I like 'dead mentor' because it reminds me more abruptly of the ongoing influence a life can have...even outliving its own physical presence. I write this because contemplating this 3rd article of our Statement of Faith regarding the nature and work of sin in our lives and in our world reminded me of something a dead mentor passed on to me and I in turn offer to you:

"At the beginning of life, we do not reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin. We take a rational view of life and say that we humans by controlling our instincts and educating ourselves can produce a life that slowly evolves into the life of God. But as we go on we find the presence of something, which we haven't taken into consideration...sin. Sin upsets all our calculations. Sin has made the basis of things wild and not rational. We have to recognize that sin is a fact, not a defect; sin is a red-handed mutiny against God. Either God or sin must die in my life... We have to reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin as the only explanation as to why Jesus Christ came and as the explanation of the grief and sorrow in life."  (Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest")

Society doesn't like to use the word sin. The Church doesn't like to use the word sin. I don't like to use the word sin, but until I do, I am pursuing the kind of rational denial that Chambers mentors we must rid ourselves of. Sin is the state of humanity and of me. Forgiveness is the gift of God resulting in a different state...a state of grace.

Do you need to own and not deflect the realities of sin?
What rationalizations do you to examine in regards to areas of ongoing sin?
How are you doing in the spiritual discipline of practicing gratitude in the area of sin forgiveness?

~Scott White

Thursday
1 John 1:8-10

Some years ago, I was told the true story of a middle-aged man who went into the doctor for a routine checkup. An anomaly was found somewhere in his endocrine system that had gone overlooked for what appeared to be decades. He had complained of fatigue, but had just chalked it up to the stresses of life. He was told that treating his hormonal imbalance would bring him new life and energy that he hadn't known for many years. His body would be working the way it was designed to! Can you imagine what it would be like to be given such a new lease on life?

According to 1 John 1:8-10, "sin" is not just something we do. Like a disease from birth, it's something we have. Since Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3, humanity has not known what life with holiness is like. In his gospel, John writes the same idea: "Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light..."

By contrast, from time to time, people ask me whether this or that action is "a sin." They want to know whether a pastor thinks they should or should not engage in some action that they are considering doing. This would be like saying we are basically good and "healthy" people who occasionally have moments of weakness or lapses in judgment. In reality, the news is much worse: we have a terminal sin-sickness.

But Jesus' disciple, John, knew the good news! People who acknowledge their sin-sickness and inability to cure themselves will find the Great Physician ready to forgive and to heal. So, if you have not acknowledged your sin-sickness and helplessness, today is the day to do that. For those of you who know you have received the forgiveness of God, take time to give thanks and praise to the God who loves us all.

~Jeff Liou

Friday
Romans 3:23

Few months into our marriage, I was at home relaxing after a long day of work. My wife came home later and disappeared into the bedroom. I waited patiently for her while watching TV. After a while, which felt like hours, I went to the bedroom looking for her. I was shocked to find out that her work clothes were ironed for the next day, she had already showered and brushed her teeth, and it looked like she was ready to go to sleep.

You see, quality time is very important to me. My interpretation of her actions was that her job came before me. I wanted her to drop everything and sit and talk to me right when she camehome. I felt rejected and unappreciated. I was too proud to bring it up at that time and didn't want to be perceived as a needy husband. Soon after, my resentment started to show in our communication.

My wife also interpreted my actions, fueled by my resentment, in her own way and distanced herself. We stopped working as a team. With the help of good friends, we realized that our way of connecting is different. My wife needs to have everything in order before she can relax and connect. I, on the other hand, enjoy spontaneity and like to deal with the next thing in front of me. We want the same things (connection, love, respect, etc.) but how we go about obtaining and expressing them is completely different.

This realization forces us to compromise and give each other the benefit of the doubt. I may not understand everything in our relationship but I have to remember that we are a team and I don't have all the facts.

Romans 3:23 reminds us that we all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. This truth helps me to rely on God's truth and not on my own understanding. I believe that God is on my team even though my current situation may look difficult. Knowing our limitations allows us to have a genuine relationship and look at the best in the other.

~Tsega Worku

Saturday
Proverbs 28:13

My kids love one of the Pasadena parks where there is a fun little water feature. They push a button and water flows down a path into a large sandbox. Their favorite activity is a game in which they try to put as much mud as possible at the end of the waterway in an attempt to trap the water above. They learn a number of lessons along the way:

The water backs up rather quickly.
They have to work hard and fast.
Water always finds ways to get around or cut through their designs.
It takes a lot of mud and muck to keep the game going.
They are a complete mess when it's all over.

You probably see where I'm going. Isn't this a lot like our attempts at keeping our sin from spilling over and being exposed. Concealing sin involves a lot of pressure and hard work. Sin seems to find ways to seep through our designs. We often pile on more poor decisions, guilt, and shame to keep up the charade. And at the end of it all we feel worse, defeated by the futility — often more upset at ourselves about the concealing act than the initial sin itself.

The confounding lesson of the Gospel is that the road to "shalom" (peace, wholeness, well-being) is found in exposing weakness, not in hiding it. So our striving to sin less should be equal to our commitment to confess more. What we find in Jesus is complete mercy.

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:6-9)

A great way to reflect on this powerful verse is by spending time in Psalm 32. It has long been seen as an expansion of this proverb.

~Jeremy Rose