Jerry C. Brewer
Sorrow is the handmaiden of sin. There is not a tear shed, a weeping mother at the grave of a child, a murder, a life ruined by drunkenness or drugs, a word of hatred that wounds the soul, or a disease that wastes a body that is not brought about by sin.
No, I don’t mean the sin of the person who is afflicted by the sorrow, but by the fact that sin is in the world. Innocent babes who die in a mother’s arms are not sinners, but their deaths are brought on because sin rages across our world.
The tragic consequences of Adam’s sin are visited upon mankind. Man is not born a sinner, but he suffers the consequences of Adam’s act. If we could see the awfulness of sin as God sees it, our tears would flow like rivers for the lost of the world. Not only do we suffer sin’s terrible consequences here, but unforgiven sin brings eternal loss, remorse, and separation from God.
Paul said “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The sin stains that we bear because of our own actions can never be removed by our own good works, or prayer, or a good moral life. Sin can only be removed by the blood of Jesus Christ when one hears the Gospel (Rom. 10:10), believes it (John 6:28-29), repents of his sins (Luke 13:3), and is baptized into the death of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:26-27).
Becoming a Christian won’t insulate you against the terrible consequences of sin in this life, but you will have your sins forgiven and have the hope of life eternal beyond this vale of tears. O, that you would seek the Lord while time and opportunity permit!
