Conceived in Sin-Delivered in Christ

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me."  (Psalm 51:5)

David was not saying, of course, that his mother conceived him out of wedlock.  David was simply affirming the Biblical truth that all who ever lived, now live, and will ever live are sinners, born in sin, born in the genetic line of the first, "of these...who sinned against their own souls" (Numbers 16:38).  This passage always looms before me when I confess and repent of sin.  David says in Psalm 51 that it was, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight...."  According to Biblical Theology, however, I destroy myself in the process.  Maybe I should ask forgiveness also from myself.

Sin is disobedience, not just smoking, drinking, swearing, the outer stuff which others see, and so many in their own strength can "quit." Many who stop the aforementioned, never stop disobeying.  Religious life can be a sort of pick-and-choose of what we believe is acceptable behavior.  This is the reason for the prayer which I can never pray too often, "Search me, O God."  For many people, searching themselves does not bring up much.  When God searches, He gets it all.  Praise Him!

The reason so many Muslims are coming to Jesus Christ is that Islam teaches that you can never be assured of the forgiveness of sin.  In Jesus Christ, you can.  "....The blood of Jesus Christ...cleanses us from all sin....And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." Richard C. Trench, in his Synonyms of the New Testament, says that "Chrysostom, drawing attention to [the Greek word], observes that by [it] the Apostle would express the completeness of our redemption in Christ Jesus, a redemption which no later bondage should follow...." 

There you have it, my friend, "no later bondage should follow."  As David, "in sin my mother conceived me."  But no one on the planet has to stay a sinner.  "For if we have become united with [Jesus] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with [Jesus], in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin...." 

Father, in Jesus' Name, I can never add anything to what You say.  I just accept and receive it.  Amen.
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Somehow world events are dwarfed by this, but you can still go to:
www.apf327.blogspot.com

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2