How are we separated by a sin barrier?

We need Jesus desperately.  We need Him for salvation from sin and we need His abiding presence and transforming power in our daily lives.  But how can we come close to Him when we have sin and guilt in our life?  Doesn’t sin separate us from our Holy God?

Yes, sin does separate the human race from God.  It is the Great Sin Barrier.  But the wonderful Good News of the Gospel is that God Himself has made a way for the barrier to be removed – through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

And just as wonderful, once the sin barrier has been removed, God has provided a way for us to be continually cleansed from any daily sin that may entangle us.  We do not need to live with sin, guilt, and shame.  The door is open for us to walk without fear in sweet communion with Jesus Our Lord and Savior.

Do you yearn to be close to Jesus?  A major key is to understand the concept of righteousness.  The concept is relatively simple: God is righteous.  We are not. Yet through Christ, God has made a way for us to become righteous.

Overcoming the sin barrier starts here.

Our Holy God is righteous.  He is completely good, pure, and just.  There is no trace of darkness or wickedness in Him.  He does not compromise with sin and He cannot tolerate evil in His presence.  (Psalm 145:17; Habakkuk 1:13; 1 John 1:13)
[wpob id=”9″] We are not righteous. We have selfish motivations and attitudes.  Our minds harbor unclean thoughts.  Our words and actions harm others.  We are so stained with sin that we can never be good enough to conform to God’s perfect standard of holiness in our attitudes, thoughts, words, and behavior.

Sin is essentially self-will and rebellion against our Creator.  According to God’s perfect justice, sin must be punished.  The penalty is steep: death!  Death is eternal separation from God and unending torment in hell to pay for our sins.  That’s how bad sin is.

But God loves us.  He yearns for relationship with us.  His mercy and compassion moved Him to provide the only true remedy for sin.  He sent His sinless Son Jesus Christ, Himself God, to pay for our sins with His own precious blood.  Out of love for us, Jesus Christ voluntarily took the punishment for sin that should have been ours.  This is the only sacrifice for sin that God accepts.

The bridge to God is Jesus.

Jesus rescues us from hell – but only if we personally take the steps God lays out in His Word.  What are those steps?

To receive Jesus, you must recognize that God is righteous and you are not, and that you need Jesus to save you from the penalty of sin. You must humble yourself, turn from sin (repent), and accept Christ’s sacrifice for you personally.  You must choose to follow Christ.

At the moment you turn to Christ, God removes the Great Sin Barrier from your life and adopts you into His family.  God forgives your sin and washes it away.  He removes your guilt.  He takes away your old life and gives you new life in Christ. And amazingly, He declares you righteous – righteous through Christ!

How can that be?  Don’t your attitudes and behavior have to be perfect in order for God to accept you as righteous?  Remember that no human being can ever be good enough to conform to God’s perfect standard of righteousness.  Only Jesus the Son of God was perfectly righteous.

Who is the author of righteousness?

The righteousness that God gives you is Christ’s righteousness. He unites you with Christ and credits you with Christ’s righteousness. When God looks at you, He sees the perfect righteousness of His own Son. You can stand in His presence without condemnation.

Righteousness is your legal position with God.  Your legal position never changes.  God always accepts you because you are united with His Son and righteous “in Him”.

While your legal position with God never changes, God does intend for you to change. He intends for you to “grow up” in Christ and become more like Him in character and behavior.  His plan is for you to become more righteous in your attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions.  This is God’s plan for every one of His children.

Our responsibility plus His promise equals success.

Are you wondering how can you become more like Christ?  You must renew your mind with the Word of God (Romans 12:2).

God knows you can’t become like His Son in your own power.  For this reason, when you turn to Christ, He gives you His Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit teaches you as you study and reflect on the truth of God’s Word.  He gives you the power to obey God’s Word.  As you submit to His guidance, He transforms you to be more Christ-like in character and behavior.

Transformation is a process.  Sometimes you will sin.  What can you do about the daily sins that try to keep you apart from your Savior?

You must be willing to humble yourself and confess your sins to God.  According to His promise in 1 John 1:9, He will forgive and cleanse you.  However, He is still expecting you to do your part.  You must study and reflect on His Word…and obey it.  His Spirit will help you.

Believe what God says about you…and live close to Jesus.

God has removed the Great Sin Barrier.  He has made you righteous. Renew your mind with the following truths.  Believe what God says about you…and live close to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21   “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Your faith confession: I am righteous in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17   “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Your faith confession: I am a new creation in Christ.  The “old me” has passed away.

1 Corinthians 1:2    “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints [Or holy ones] by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:”
Your faith confession: God says that I am no longer a sinner, but a saint.  I am a “holy one”, set apart by God to live for His glory.

Isaiah 61:10   “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Your faith confession:  (Isaiah 61:10)

Romans 5:17    “For if by the transgression of the one [Adam], death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Your faith confession: I have received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness.  I reign in life through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119:9-11   “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping it according to Your word.  With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments.  Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.
Your faith confession:  (Psalm 119:9-11)

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Thank you!
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