Matthew
5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for
they will be comforted.”
In
my continuing small topical bible Study of the Beatitudes, the Gospel Coalition’s
Matt Smethurst explains that part of the problem today in society is that sin
in the late-modern Western culture is not grieved. Sin is not disapproved of. It’s not merely tolerated, it is celebrated. I’d
add that the shameful acts of inequity against God and mankind are viewed upon
as minor issues. One reason we fail to mourn sin is because we underestimate it
and turn it into “no bad deal” in our minds. But, sin is not trivial; it is treason,
an insurrection against heaven’s throne.
Romans
7:5, 12-13 “For when we were in
the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law (God’s
Law) were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and
good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By
no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used
what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment
sin might become utterly sinful.
My
1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Sin” as: The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude
or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or
violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive
act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to
obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such
command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil
thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or
law. Sinners neither enjoy the pleasures of nor the peace of piety. Among
divines, sin is original or actual. Actual sin, above defined, is the act of a
moral agent in violating a known rule of duty. Sin differs from crime, not in
nature, but in application. That which is a crime against society, is sin
against God. It is rebellion of sovereign God’s Law.
Psalm
51:1-4 “Have mercy on
me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot
out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is
always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in
your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
Smethurst
explains that we never committed a small sin because we have never offended a
small God. The brilliance of God’s grace must be set against the blackness of
sin. As the Puritan Thomas Watson said, “Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be
sweet.” Satan introduced sin into the world with a lie to Eve saying, “You will
not surely die”, and ever since for the God-rejecting secular world system, sin
is regressive and constricting, but for the true Christian, it is the pathway
to repentance, peaceful comfort and joy. The realization of the sinfulness of sin
against our Holy Creator Father, along with the sincere mourning of our
sinfulness, drives us to our Blessed Redeemer with a renting heart.
Romans
6:23 “For the wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”
Ultimately,
our comfort is anchored in the reality that Jesus Christ doesn’t just mourn
sin; He conquered it! He invites us into this moral vision – this blessed
kingdom – then dies in our place so we can enter it. May God make our hearts
tender to mourn our moral bankruptcy so that we can better marvel at His
comforting grace.
Blessed
in Christ
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