Freedom from Sin
I’ve been captivated by a current event that’s garnered international news attention.
No, it’s not Covid-19; instead, it is the story surrounding the giant container ship, Ever Given, which ran aground in the Suez Canal on Tuesday, March 23, blocking this vital shipping lane and delaying billions of dollars of goods from reaching its intended destination.
Everyone has asked an obvious question, how can such a large vessel get stuck in the Suez Canal? Was there a weather-related event that caused the ship to veer off course? Was there a mechanical failure of some sort? Or was this caused by a human error?
I’m sure authorities will do an investigation to get to the bottom of these questions, and thankful, workers dislodged the ship from the sandy banks of the Suez Canal at the time of writing this article.
The unfortunate plight of the ship Ever Given reminded me of another troubling theological predicament we all find ourselves in today—the sinful condition of our lives. I make this statement with no great joy, much like I’m sure the captain of the ship Ever Given had when he made a distress call for his boat’s condition.
Yet the scripture clearly states, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NLT).
I’ll be the first to confess that I don’t like this declaration from the Bible. So what are we to do? Should we dismiss this claim as rubbish? Should we ignore this problem in hopes that it goes away on its own? Should we remain in our sinful distress with no hope of rescue? NO!
The glorious news of the Gospel is that we can be set free. You see, God saw our stuck and sinful condition (Romans 5:8), and God willingly gave Jesus as an expression of His great love for us (John 3:16).
Jesus lived and ultimately died a substitutionary death purchasing our freedom from sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18), and He rose from the dead, guaranteeing that all who call upon Him can be saved (Romans 10:9-10). What glorious news!
Therefore, I encourage you to contemplate the significance of Jesus this Easter season. I pray the Holy Spirit will draw our hearts and minds to the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He lived, died, and rose again so that all who believe can be lifted from the mire of sin and have a right relationship with God the Father.