Does God Care About Sin? Part 2

On Sunday during worship I happened to be thinking about a recent reflection on sin, which was titled "Does God Care About Sin?" (Link to it here: https://amomentwithgod-srh.blogspot.com/2023/03/does-god-care-about-sin.html ) As I was thinking more about that I realized that I needed to spend some time considering the other side of that topic, the flip-side of that coin. 

I will start with a single verse from Paul's letter to the Romans 4:25 NIV:  "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."

One could say that God cared so much about sin, that Jesus came and died for the sins of all!  He gave the most valuable life of all time, as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  That is how much He cares about sin!  His death was an eternal event, paying forward for all the sins committed in the future, as well as the sins in the past,  once and for all paying the ultimate price.  

Peter wrote the following -  "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit." ( 1 Peter 3:18 NIV)  Originally it was sin that caused the separation between God and men and women, according to Genesis.  We were created to be in relationship with God, and our sin caused us to break that relationship, and Jesus in coming to earth and paying for even that sin, restored to us the opportunity to once more live in relationship with God.   

Continuing that theme, John writes that the following - "The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." ( 1 John 3:8 NIV ).  One could say that ultimately the sin is the devil's work, and Jesus destroyed its affect on us.

According to the Old Testament model, sin was cleansed and forgiven through the shedding of blood.  The author of Hebrews wrote,  "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. ( Hebrews 9:22 NIV)  The following verses are a beautiful litany of how Jesus' blood cleanses us of our sin.

Ephesians 1:7 NIV:  "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace..."

Romans 5:9 NIV:  "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"

1 John 1:7 NIV:  "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

Revelation 1:5 NIV: ... "and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,"

Jesus' most precious blood was poured out for our sins, and by His blood we are washed clean!  He bled and died for love of us!  He desired to set us free form the power of sin and death, and sacrificed Himself to do so!  Now through Him, and through His blood we are forgiven and restored to relationship, should we choose to accept His salvation, the greatest gift ever given.  

God cares greatly about our sins, so much so that He made the greatest sacrifice in eternity to set us free!  I am wholly unable to fully present the wonderfulness of what God did in paying for our sins, and cleansing us with Jesus' blood.  There are whole books written about the Precious Blood of Jesus, one quote I came across was penned by Frederick Faber in his book, "The Precious Blood: or the Price of Our Salvation"

"But who can estimate the wonderfulness of such a gift ? It is the Blood of God. It is not the giving to us of new hearts, or of immensely increased powers, or of the ability to work miracles and raise the dead. It is not the bestowing upon us of angelic natures. It is something of far greater price than all this would be. It is the Blood of God. It is the created life of the Uncreated. It is a human fountain opened as it were in the very centre of the Divine Nature. It is a finite thing, with a known origin and an ascertained date, of a price as infinite as the Divine Person who has assumed it. To us creatures the adorable majesty of the Undivided Trinity is an inexhaustible treasure-house of gifts. They are poured out upon us in the most lavish prodigality, and with the most affecting display of love. They are beautiful beyond compare; and they are endlessly diversified, yet endlessly adapted to the singularities of each heart and soul. Yet what gift do the Divine Persons give us, which has more of their own sweetness in it, than the Precious Blood ? It has in it that yearning and tenderness which belong to the power of the Father, that magnificent prodigality which marks the wisdom of the Son, and that refreshing fire which characterizes the love of the Holy Ghost. It is also a revelation to us of the character of God. Nothing on earth tells us so much of him, or tells it so plainly and so endearingly."

His blood is the price He was willing to pay for forgiveness of our sins, washing us clean that we might be restored to fellowship with Him. Upon His death on the Cross the veil in the Temple, that which separated the sinful from the Pure and Holy One was torn in two (Matt 27:51), and a way was made open!  

In closing, we have this great encouragement from the letter to the Hebrews 10:19-23 NIV:

[19] "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, [21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Amen and Amen!