“What Went Wrong In God’s Universe” — another look
at sin and its consequences in the larger setting of the Great Controversy.
The Bible describes sin as more than mere breaking of the rules. Sin involves a
breakdown of trust and trustworthiness, a stubborn and suspicious unwillingness to listen.
Left untreated, sin makes peace impossible. To set and keep things right, trust must
somehow be restored. God sent His Son to “deal with sin.”
Bible passages included:
1 John 3:4. “Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness; sin is
lawlessness.” (Williams)
James 4:17. “Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do
it, for him it is sin” (RSV)
Romans 14:23. “Any action that is not based on faith is a
sin.” (Moffat)
“Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (RSV)
“When we act apart from our faith we sin.” (Phillips)
Ezra 10:2. “We have broken faith with our God.” (RSV)
“We have been unfaithful to our God.” (NIV)
Numbers 20:12. “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the
Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.’” (NIV)
Romans 3:10-18. “As the Scriptures say: ‘There is no one who
is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they
have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one. Their words are full of
deadly deceit; wicked lies roll off their tongues, and dangerous threats, like
snake’s poison, from their lips; their speech is filled with bitter curses. They are
quick to hurt and kill; they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go. They have not
known the path of peace, nor have they learned reverence for God.’” (GNB)
Romans 1:21-24,28-32. “They know God, but they do not give him
the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become
complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say they are wise,
but they are fools; instead of worshipping the immortal God, they worship images made to
look like mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles...”
“Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has
given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.
They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of
jealousy, murder, fighting deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another;
they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do
evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their
promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. They know that God’s law says
that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these
very things, but they even approve of others who do them.” (GNB)
Hosea 4:16,17. “Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer. How
can the Lord feed them now like lambs in a broad meadow? Ephraim is wedded to idolatry,
let him alone.” (Phillips)
Hosea 5:4. “For their spirit is steeped in unfaithfulness and
they know nothing of the Lord.” (Phillips)
Hosea 4:1;5:6,12. “There is no honesty nor compassion nor
knowledge of God... My people! Asking advice from a piece of wood and consulting a staff
for instructions!.” (Phillips)
Romans 6:23. “Sin pays its servants: the wage is
death.” (Phillips)
“For sin pays its wage — death.” (GNB)
James 1:14,15. “No, a man’s temptation is due to the pull of
his own desires, which greatly attract him. It is his own desire which conceives and gives
birth to sin. And sin when fully gown produces death — make no mistake about that,
brothers of mine!” (Phillips)
Romans 3:4. “What if some of them did not have faith? Will their
lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all!.” (NIV)
Romans 8:3. “What the Law could not do...God did...by sending his
own Son...to do away with sin.” (GNB)
“God dealt with sin by sending his own Son” (Jerusalem)
Romans 5:1. “Now that we have been put right with God by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (GNB)
©1984 Graham Maxwell
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