God is magnificent, Holy and good and is the measure of all that is good. Sin is any deviation from the goodness and Holiness of God. God became man in Jesus Christ and is the standard by which we measure our goodness. None of us measure up to the glorious goodness of Jesus. Therefore, we all fall short of God’s glory and are sinners separated from God and His Holiness. Sin in you will destroy you in the presence of God’s Holiness. This is a dilemma for you have been created for a loving relationship with God.
God also has an enemy, ruling an alternative kingdom to His Holy Kingdom. The devil is the tempter attempting to seduce you into disobeying God.
When you give into temptation to sin, you sin against God and become a slave of the devil’s kingdom. We are all sinners, deserving of God’s justice and judgement as we fall short of His glory.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Computer virus
How can we understand sin? Think of computer software that has been perfectly designed and functions as it should. Then someone maliciously creates a virus that corrupts what was originally made perfect. God’s creation was originally made good until the virus of sin was introduced into it, corrupting what was functioning perfectly.
Thankfully there is a separation between God’s heavenly Kingdom that has a “firewall” protecting it from the virus of sin.
But then the question is, is there an antivirus that can save us, because all of us, have been infected by sin?
The solution to our fallen condition is what Jesus achieved on the cross. He was perfect, lived the life we should have lived. On the cross He became the lawful substitute for our judgement. He paid the debt of sin with His own life, and defeated all the powers of God’s enemy, the devil. He offers you forgiveness for your sin and all you ever did wrong.
He offers you the gift of salvation if you will trust Him and all He accomplished on the cross for you.
“…by cancelling the record of debt (sin) that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it (your sin) to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Bank account
When you sin, you accumulate a debt, like you do if you take a bank loan. The debt must be paid. But if you are in debt, then you cannot pay the debt of someone else. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. Jesus lived a sinless life, yet he died. In this way he gained a credit of life that can be exchanged for our debt. There is more to it than that, but simply put, this is what Jesus accomplished on the cross. His death is a substitute for the death we deserve. A spiritual death not just physical, meaning eternal separation from God.
Another way of thinking about what Jesus did, He provided the antivirus for sin.
Roman General parading a defeated enemy.
When a General of a Roman Army defeated an enemy, he would bind the king and his army in chains and parade them through the streets of Rome showing that their enemy was defeated. In this verse in Colossians, the writer, Paul, is using this Roman practice to illustrate how God’s enemy was defeated by Jesus when He died on the cross and rose again on the third day.
It's like doing more than just providing an antivirus, it’s like prosecuting the culprit who created the virus in the first place.
If Jesus has paid for our sin and defeated His enemy, then how can we access His provision for paying our debt? Step 3 outlines the answer to this question.
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Here’s a link to an online Bible website where you can look up these Bible Verses for further study.
THE CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE OF SIN