Why do people hurt each other in so many ways? Why do we have so much anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, and envy? Why have none of us lived the way we know we should? Why don't we start doing everything right from this day on? If we want to do right, why don't we do what is right? 

Many people have made claims about the cause of all our societal ills. Politicians often claim that meeting everyone's basic needs will solve all our problems. In the 1960s, social programs aimed to end PID: poverty, ignorance, and disease. If we lifted everyone out of poverty, we'd be a happy, wonderful society. That was the promise. Over $15 trillion later, the government has only made matters worse.

The problem is not external. It's not PID, it's not the gun, it's not the knife, it's not the alcohol or drugs. The problem is the sin in our hearts. I am the problem. I have a sinful and corrupt heart. So do you. That is a problem many do not want to admit. 

Something has broken us inside. The heart is '"desperately wicked" (Jer. 9:27). The NIV says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." None of us can cure our hearts no matter how hard we try. We can want to do right. We can try to do right, but we will still do wrong. We are sin-sick, and Jesus is the only physician who can heal us. When Jesus heals us, He purges our spirits of our sins, beginning our restoration back into the image of God.

Our outward man continues to perish in this life (2Co. 4:16). The redemption of the body comes sometime in the future (Rom. 8:23). While we continue to live in the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8:21). We rejoice because, by His stripes, He has healed our inward man. God removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (1Pe 2:24, Psa 103:12).  

This is the beginning. After God forgives us, we still carry damage from all our sins. The renewing of the Spirit begins the day we receive the gift of the Spirit in baptism (Ac. 2:38, Ti. 3:5). The renewal process continues until God completes our transformation into His image (Phil. 1:6, Rom. 8:19).

No matter your beliefs about Adam's sin, we have all sinned against God. Our own sins condemn us. The good news of the gospel is that we can heal and become the righteousness of God (2Co. 5:21). Renewing us back into the image of God is the purpose of the gospel (2Th. 2:14). It is such a wonderful message that Satan works hard to get people to miss it (2Cor. 4:4).

God's holiness requires the destruction of all that is sinful. Sin cannot live in the presence of the Holy One. Jesus bore all the penalty for all our sins—past, present, and future. Jesus offers to take the complete penalty of our sin on Himself if we will accept His free gift. He bore God's wrath in a way we can't fully grasp. We will be thankful for it forever.

Only a man could pay the penalty of sin for another man, but a mere man could only pay the penalty for one other man. The good news is that Jesus is much more than a man; He is also God in the flesh. After suffering through the three hours of darkness on the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished!" (Jn 19:30). The full penalty for mankind's sins was completely paid. 

Whatever Jesus suffered on the cross, it satisfied the Father. Jesus paid the complete penalty for all mankind's eternal damnation in hell (Isa. 53:11). Only man could pay the penalty of sin for man. Only an infinite God could suffer the infinite penalty for mankind's sin in a finite period of time. 

Christianity is all about how Jesus came to save us from our sin (1Cor. 15:3, 1Jo. 2:2, 4:10). Sin caused us to lose the image of God. God, in His love and mercy, paid the penalty of sin to restore us to His image. 

The world still acts like the crowds who came for the loaves (John 6:26). People flock for free food, entertainment, and promises of fun. But Jesus offers us something far greater. Like the crippled man who wanted to walk, we must learn to be of good cheer. We should rejoice in the greatness of God's forgiveness of our sins (Matt. 9:2). 

To become like Jesus, we must learn to hate sin like He hates sin (Heb. 1:9). Jesus wasn't amused by sin; He didn't laugh at sin, ignore sin, or excuse sin. He hated sin. God has such a perfect hatred for sin that evil cannot tempt Him. 1:13). The more we learn to hate sin, the less it will tempt us. 

Our God is seeking people who want to be holy and righteous on the inside. We are to be growing into the purity of God (1Jo. 3:3). It is the pure in heart who will see God (Mat. 5:8). We strive for the purity that brings every thought into captivity to Christ (2Co. 10:5). 

Have we grown to that point? None of us has, but we must keep working on it.   

God commands us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 13:14). This includes abhorring evil and clinging to what is good (Rom 12:9). We hate empty religion as God does. We can't pretend to serve God. We must practice justice and righteousness (Amos 5:21-24). We do not tolerate those who mistreat others and are not honest (Zec. 8:16-17). When we see half-hearted, lukewarm service to God, it should make us nauseated just as it makes our Lord feel sick (Rev. 3:16).

We must worship God in spirit and truth (Jn. 4.24). We worship God His way according to His directions, and we praise and thank Him from our hearts. We eat the bread of life (Joh. 6:48), and drink the water of life (Joh. 7:38-39) so He can become part of us. We learn to bear the fruit of the Spirit and have Christ in us, which gives us our real and only hope of glory (Gal. 5:22-24, Col. 1:27).

When Christ is restored in each one of us, the church will be what God intended. One should see the beauty and attraction of the church in the love (Joh. 13:35), unity (Joh. 17:21), and hope (1Pe 3:15) in our lives. We want what Jesus has. The world should want what we have. Are we purging our sin to be more like the Son of God so others see Christ in us? 

We must be part of the biblical Church of Christ. It is God's assembly, transforming i nto the image of Christ. If we are not transforming closer to the image of God, we are pretending to be disciples of Christ. 

 Questions? Comments?