This We Believe: HUMAN CONDITION

This post is part of our “THIS WE BELIEVE” series in conjunction with the “From the Desk” video blog.  You can see the latest entry at the end of this post.
 
Article 3: The Human Condition We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
 
As we talked about in the first Article, the Gospel story begins with our creator-God as the origin of all things.  Out of nothing he spoke all things into being, and as that originator he defines what is Good, what is Righteous, and what is not.
 
Sin means to miss the mark.  God set the target, the goal, and when we miss it we Sin.  Paul clearly showed us that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s defined righteousness (Romans 3:23).  None of us have avoided this action, and none of us can avoid the consequence of that sin.  FEFC’s statement of faith reminds us we are all sinners both by nature and by choice; we are none blameless, not one, and rightly have earned the consequence of that Sin.  Separation from God and ultimately an eternity under the just wrath of the righteous God.
 
Thank God that as great as the reality of our sin and the enormity of the consequence, His mercy is More.  Through Jesus’ saving work on the cross, our earned punishment was transferred to one who did not deserve it.  Through His suffering, we are reconciled to a God we had been immeasurably distanced from and called a Child of God.  Through His resurrection we can be confident that we, too have put to death our old rebellious self and are renewed into Christ’s likeness.
 
Perhaps that is why I love the song “His Mercy is More” from Matt Boswell and Matt Papa.  Introduced earlier this year, it reminds us of who God is and the enormity of our sin while simultaneously declaring to one another that  “Our sins they are many / His mercy is more.”  We cannot talk about the good new of the Gospel without recognizing our sin, but we should also remind ourselves continually that God’s mercy and grace completely surpass our own failing.  PRAISE GOD!

For His Glory,
-Pastor Zach​