Monday, December 11, 2006
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
HE COMES FOR SINNERS
Is there anything good about being a sinner? In the truest sense, there is nothing good about sin or being a sinner. Sin is always a departure from God's good and holy will. The end of sin is death.
However, in a certain light you may be able to say that there is something good about being a sinner; not the sin, of course, but something else -- some good news.
Consider this example. If I go to the hospital because I am terribly sick, even fatally sick, my sickness is never going to be a good thing. In fact, I would be much better off having never contracted it. However, at the point that I am in a hospital bed, suffering and dying, never having had the disease in the first place is no longer an option. In this case I can only hope that there is a cure for my condition.
According to the medical capabilities of this world, depending on my disease, sometimes there will be a cure -- and sometimes there won't. This being the case, I may actually consider it a good thing to have a certain disease if I am told that the disease is treatable. It is not the disease that is good. It is the fact there is a cure for my disease that is good news.
And so it is with our condition of sin. Once again, sin is never good. We are always better off apart from sin. And yet, at the end of the day, each one of us must admit that we are a sinner -- even the "chief of sinners". However, there is good news for sinners! There is a cure! Jesus has come into the world to save sinners. By His perfect life and innocent death, He has taken our place in God's sight and given us the forgiveness of sins and the hope for eternal life.
Sinners, be glad! Jesus has come for us.
