Post #3: Problems and Solutions Part 1

Part 1

So why do we need God in our lives at all?  Can’t we just be as good as possible?  Last time we met, we talked about how there’s a fundamental difference between just knowing about God and really knowing Him (relationship). In my opinion, these are the central questions of life that all people must ask and answer for themselves.  It’s incredibly deep and personal.  My contention is that we do need God.  Why? 

Because there are a few big problems that must be dealt with.  

Adam and Eve sinned against God by believing the lie from the chief of liars.  They bought into the myth that they could figure it all out on their own, and that their way was better than God’s. The Bible says that sin entered into the world through this one man, that all have sinned, and that the result of this sin is death. (See Romans 5:12).  Scripture says that this death is “earned.” (See Romans 6:23).  I don’t necessarily understand all that fully, but I know and believe that all people have messed up and lived less than perfect lives.

And we understand that because of this sin and death we are separated from God.  He is perfect and Holy.  We cannot be with Him when we are marked with sin and death.  Our own goodness, our own attempt at righteousness (which is just a fancy word for being right with God), is of no benefit.  In fact, God says our feeble attempts at goodness are nothing but “filthy rags.”  (See Isaiah 57:2 and 64:6).  But even further, the Bible tells us that this is a matter of the heart.  Our hearts have become dead through this sin.  It’s not just a matter of a right and wrong tally. We need to be made into a new creation.  We need a new heart.  Ezekiel 36:26 says that God will, “give you a new heart…and put His Spirit within you.”

So there you have it.  Sin, death, cold (stone) heart, and separation from God.  Big problems that we cannot overcome.

His original plan was that we were created “in His image,” with His spirit within us. Our sin messed that up. But it’s not all bad news and shame.  The realization of these problems just sets us up for the really good news.  First, we have to begin with how God sees us. How he sees you. I hope you can take a moment and soak this in:

You are deeply and completely loved 

Romans 8:38–39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You mean the whole world to him 

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

You are made in God’s Image 

Genesis 1:26-27: So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created them; male and female he created them.

You are handmade by God 

Psalm 139:13: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb

You are royalty 

Psalm 8:5-8: You have made [man] a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas

You are God’s masterpiece 

Ephesians 2:10: For we are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works

He is committed to your restoration 

Romans 8:29: For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

One of my favorite stories that Jesus told was the parable of the prodigal son.  You can read it in the book of Luke chapter 15.  It’s a story about a rich father who had two sons.  The younger son decided he wanted to leave his father, so he took his inheritance, and set out into the world to party.  But when his money ran out, he realized what a mistake he’d made.  Hungry and alone, he decided to try to come back, with the intention of just asking for a job as a servant.  But “while he was a long way off, his father saw him, and ran to him and embraced him.”  This is such an incredible picture of how our Heavenly Father sees us.  He is waiting for us to come home and be restored as His sons.

So how do we get these big problems fixed?  That’s for part 2.  But, spoiler alert, God did all the work for us.  It’s all teed up!  All that’s needed is our response.