Search
Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:17; 3:12; 4:3; 25:30; Luke 15:18; John 3:18; 16:9; Acts 2:36-38; Rom. 1:21, 24, 26, 28; 3:10, 23
This morning, by the grace of God, I would like to deliver a gospel message to you. My focus today is on the one unique sin in the Bible. It is very strange that man's view concerning sin is completely different from God's view. It is unfortunate that in preaching the gospel, some have presented the principle of sin in a wrong way. They say that man needs a Savior because he has sinned, and if man had not sinned, he would not have needed a Savior. But what kind of sin has man committed? Sin is a general term. You have your sin, and I have my sin. If we have not committed the same sin, why do we need the same Savior?
The Bible focuses on only one sin from the first to the last page. Whether or not man receives eternal life depends on how he deals with this one sin. Whether or not a man will perish depends on how he deals with this one sin. Man's position before God depends on the way he deals with this one sin. The biblical emphasis is not on thousands of sins. Even if thousands of sins are dealt with, if this one sin is not dealt with, a person is still a sinner. What is this one sin? This sin is the failure of man to have a proper relationship with God. Something has gone wrong between God and man, and there is a kind of disruption. Sin is not just lying, pride, or jealousy. Although lying is a sin, and being proud or jealous is also a sin, these can only be considered as miscellaneous sins. There is only one sin that the Bible cares for; this is the sin that leads to perdition. You may not have committed many sins, but as long as you have committed this one sin, you are qualified to go to hell.
We may not have committed fornication, and we may not have gambled. But we all have committed the sin of failing to have a proper relationship with God. Something has gone wrong between us and God. Suppose that there is a man or woman who is very clean, but who has committed the sin of being wrong in his or her relationship with God. If there is anyone here who has not believed in the Lord, you may not have committed any other sin, but you are a sinner already. We have all committed the common sin of being wrong with God. As long as we have this sin, we are a sinner.
There are many names to sin. Enumerating all these names would take more than three days and three nights. You may not have committed any of these sins which would be enumerated during the three days and three nights. But you cannot deny one sin, the sin of having a breakdown in your relationship with God. If you do not have Christ today, you are a sinner. What is sin? It is being in a position of having no fellowship with God. What is sin? It is being in a position that is in opposition to God. Sin is not murder, arson, pride, or jealousy. Sin is to be wrong with God.
Let me give you an illustration to show you the critical nature of this sin. Suppose a man has brothers, sisters, and parents at home and also has colleagues at work. In addition, he has many relatives and friends. Perhaps he is married and has children. He may be a very good brother at home. He may be a very good husband and father. He may be blameless in the way he handles business and very faithful to his friends. He may be an excellent person among his relatives. He may be good at everything. He does not smoke, drink, lie, and is not jealous of others. He abides by all the moral laws; indeed, he is a gentleman and a good person. However, he has one shortcoming: he hates his parents. He can get along with everyone but his parents. He is civil to everyone but his parents. He is polite to everyone but his parents. He can forgive anyone, but he is mad at his parents whenever he sees them. By himself, he is morally good in every aspect; he is good to his brothers, friends, and relatives. He has not committed any of the sins that men ordinarily commit. But he has committed one great sin, which is being wrong in his relationship with his parents. He has not committed sins which are commonly committed, but the one unique sin he has committed is being wrong with his parents.
This is where the whole world stands today. If you ask many people whether or not they are a sinner, they will say that they have not sinned very much. In man's eyes they are gentlemen, and they are moral and courteous people. Their conscience seems to testify that they are good people. But I have to ask one thing: is there any problem between you and God? It may be true that you have no problem with men and no problem with your relatives. You may be moral and courteous. But I have to ask: is there something wrong between you and God? There is not only a relationship between you and your wife, children, friends, and relatives; there is also a relationship between you and God!
Man is a sinner for no other reason than not having a proper relationship with God. A man is a sinner not because he has murdered, committed arson, or been darkened in his conscience. He is a sinner because he is not right with God; he is standing in a position that opposes God. He is a sinner because there is no communication between him and God. You can excuse yourself by saying that you have not committed this and that sin, but there is one sin which you surely have committed. You can say that you have not committed a hundred and one sins, but you cannot excuse yourself from this one sin. This one sin makes us all sinners.
Friends, I am not asking how you are doing in your homes. You may be a good son at home. I am not asking if you get along well with your brothers. You may not have fought and gone to court with your brothers over your inheritance. I am not asking about your relationship with your colleagues. They may honor and respect you very much. I am not asking if you are a good citizen. You may be very faithful to your country, pay your tax faithfully, obey your government, and may have never engaged in any kind of activity that overturns the government. But I have to ask you one thing: can you say that there is no problem between you and God? What is your relationship with God? God is not asking about your relationship with your wife, brother, and colleagues. He is not asking if you have murdered anyone or if you have committed arson. He is asking about your relationship with Him. You may have handled many problems with the world properly, but if your relationship with God is not proper, there is still one problem that is unsolved, and you are still a sinner.
The Bible has clear teachings concerning this sin. How did sin enter the world? Sin entered the world not through murder nor through someone calling his wife his sister nor through someone usurping another's wife and sending the husband to be killed in the battlefield. Sin entered the world simply by the eating of a piece of fruit. Sin did not enter the first time through prostitution, gambling, pride, jealousy, murder, or arson. Sin entered the world through man eating one fruit that he should not have eaten.
God said to Adam, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). I will not go into the reason the Lord said this. I will only point out the fact that man overturned God's word. God commanded that he not eat of the tree. This meant that he should not eat of it. Yet he ate what God had commanded him not to eat. The result was frustration for God and opposition against God. Once Adam ate of the fruit, he hid himself among the trees in the garden; he took up a position that was hidden from God. What is sin? Sin is having a wrong relationship with God; it is standing in an improper position in relation to God.
It was sin for Cain to murder Abel, but sin was already present before he murdered his brother. God did not reject Cain because he killed his brother. When Cain was offering the produce of the land, God was not pleased with him; He was already shaking His head. Cain was rejected because his relationship with God was wrong. He wanted to please God. He would be what we commonly call a religious man. He worked hard to offer the produce of the field to God in order to try to please God. But sin was already in the world, and he should have stood on the ground of the blood. When he did not stand on the ground of the blood, he could not please God. His position was wrong.
Many of us are familiar with the story of the prodigal son. What sin did the prodigal son commit? Some have said that the prodigal son wasted his father's possessions; he squandered and wasted all that he was given and became a prodigal son. But I have to tell you that the first day he took his father's possessions, while he was yet rich, he was already a prodigal son. He did not become a prodigal son after he became destitute. The minute he left his father, he became a prodigal son. The day he left his father's house, he was a prodigal son. When he journeyed to a far land, he was a prodigal son. He did not become a prodigal son after he failed, spent all his money, and was feeding the pigs. As soon as he left his father, he was a prodigal son whether or not he still had money. He became a prodigal son due to one mistake and one mistake only: his departure from his father. Had he made a fortune and doubled his wealth from five thousand to ten thousand, his father could not have said to him: "Well done, you good and faithful son." Even if he had struck a fortune, he was still a prodigal son. The question is not whether the prodigal son was destitute, feeding the pigs, or hungry. The question is whether or not there was a problem between him and his father. As long as he was in a far country, he was a prodigal son. When the prodigal son came to himself, he did not resolve to be more diligent, save more money, or turn back from rags to become rich again. When he came to himself, what did he say? He said, "I will rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you" (Luke 15:18). He did not go back for food because he was hungry. He did not go back for shoes because he was without shoes. He did not go back for clothing because he did not have anything to wear. He said, "I will rise up and go to my father."
Being saved is having a proper relationship with God. Having eternal life is having a proper relationship with God. John 17:3 says, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ."
If there was no problem between the prodigal son and his father, he would not have left even if the father had driven him away. Those who leave their homes are prodigal sons; those who leave their fathers are prodigal sons. When the prodigal son returned, in the eyes of the father, the son who was dead, was now alive; the son who was lost, was now found.
We are not sinners because we have committed many different miscellaneous sins. We are sinners because we cannot face God. I am not saying that the many miscellaneous sins are not sins. I am saying that the unique sin is being wrong with God.
Paul shows us clearly in the first three chapters of Romans what the qualifications of a sinner are. He shows us the kind of sin we need to commit before we can be called a sinner. In other words, he tells us the way to be accredited a sinner, or the way to have the title of a sinner conferred upon us. Romans 1 through 3 shows us that the one sin a sinner commits is being wrong with God. In chapter one, there are three references to the fact that God "gave them up." Let us consider these instances one by one.
Chapter one, verse 21 says, "Because though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or thank Him, but rather became vain in their reasonings, and their heart, lacking understanding, was darkened." "They" refers to men in general. Men know that God is God, but they do not want to call God God. They know God, but they do not glorify Him as God. All the other miscellaneous sins are not the underlying sin. All the miscellaneous sins come from one unique sin. Because men do not consider God to be God, their understanding is darkened. Once the understanding is darkened, all the other sins follow.
Verse 24 says, "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, so that they dishonor their bodies among themselves." "Therefore" means that this is a continuation of the preceding verses. Because men changed God's glory into the likeness of idols, God gave them up. Consequently, they act in uncleanness according to the lusts of their hearts. Please remember that man's first sin was not his acting in uncleanness according to the lusts of his heart. The first sin was not his dishonoring his own body among other men. The first sin of man was his being wrong with God. Once man develops a problem with God, all the subsequent sins follow. Today we think that lying, pride, jealousy, fornication, murder, and arson are sins. Actually they are all symptoms of a sickness; they are not the sickness itself. Those who deal only with the symptoms are not good doctors. A good doctor is one who prescribes medicine according to the actual sickness. Man's unique sin is being wrong with God.
Verse 25 says, "Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator." This shows that man has become more and more wrong with God, and is further and further away from Him.
Verse 26 says, "Therefore God gave them up..." The word "therefore" again shows that this verse is a continuation of what preceded it. This is the second mention of God giving them up. The sins have multiplied by now: "God gave them up to passions of dishonor." Man commits these sins because he has not worshipped the Creator. These sins are the fruits; they are not the root.
Verse 28 says, "And even as they did not approve of holding God in their full knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things which are not fitting." This is the third mention of God giving them up. Following this, more sins are mentioned.
Verses 29 through 32 say, "Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, senseless, faithless, affectionless, merciless; who, though fully knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but also have fellow delight in those who practice them." How did these sins come about? They came about because men "did not approve of holding God in their full knowledge." Man sins because he purposely refuses to know God. Man sins because there is a problem between him and God. Once the relationship between man and God is wrong, all other sins will follow.
Man's unique sin is being wrong with God. The only question today is whether or not there is a problem between you and God, and whether your relationship with God is proper. The first man sinned because he ate of the fruit. There was no murder, arson, lying, pride, fornication, or jealousy. None of these sins appeared there. There was only one sin at the beginning, which was his having a wrong relationship with God. God asked man, "Where are you?" Alas, man is no longer in his original position. His position is wrong; his relationship with God is wrong. Therefore, thousands and millions of sins are produced. Do not think that you are all right just because you have dealt with smaller sins.
If you ask a man if he is a sinner, he may answer that he has not committed many sins. But I would ask all these "sinless" sinners, "What is your relationship with God?" I am not asking about your relationship with your brother, wife, or children. I am not asking about your relationship with your friends and colleagues. I am asking about your relationship with God the Father. From the beginning, Cain was not accepted by God because he was standing on the wrong ground. He did not lose God's favor after he killed his brother. Rather, he killed his brother because he had lost God's favor. Abel gained God's favor and did not kill his brother. Only those who are accepted by God have the ability to not commit subsequent sins.
There was another man who fought with his brother even before he was out of his mother's womb. He was truly a very wicked person. He deceived his father, uncle, and brothers-in-law. He did whatever it took to benefit himself. He was a morally evil person. Who was this person? He was Jacob. His brother Esau was a straight and honest man. Although Esau wanted to kill his brother in his anger, he let him go once he saw that his brother had humbled himself before him. Esau was a nice man, yet God was not pleased with him. Although Jacob was evil, he had a proper relationship with God. Although his methods were wrong, his goal was right. He wanted the covenant which God had established with Abraham and Isaac, and he cared for the birthright. God's establishment of a covenant with Abraham and Isaac meant that they had established a proper relationship with God, and Jacob wanted this. What about Esau? He appeared to be a gentleman and was willing to give in on everything. But he was cut off from God. He did not care for his relationship with God, and he belittled his place before God. Therefore, he lost the kingdom. Although Jacob was wicked, his relationship with God was proper.
I must confess one thing before all of you. There are many believers who are morally less honorable than unbelievers. But I can testify one thing for them, which I cannot testify for the unbelievers: their relationship with God is right. Friends, you may be courteous, and you may do things correctly; others may commend you. But I have to ask you one thing: what is your relationship with God? Perhaps other believers are not as moral as you, but they are better than you in one thing: their relationship with God is proper. Their conscience is bold before God, and they can come boldly before Him. This is very precious.
Who among us today is still a sinner? Please ask yourself if there is something wrong between you and God? Can you face God? What is your relationship with Him? Will you perish? Perhaps you think that you are physically well — neither your heart nor lungs are sick — and will not perish. But you have to realize that this is only your appearance before men. You have to consider what you are before God. The Bible pays much attention to only one sin. All of us have to deal with this one sin. We have to ask: What is our relationship with God? Is there a problem between us and God?
The Scripture says, "There is none righteous, not even one" (Rom. 3:10). Everyone is a sinner. Because men do not seek after God, they have turned aside and together they have become useless. The cause of sin is the failure to seek after God and understand Him. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (v. 23).
God has revealed Himself and come down to earth. He was incarnated on the earth, and He revealed Himself to the world through Jesus of Nazareth. God has lived on the earth and been manifested among us for the last two thousand years. He is preached among us. Today He is asking what kind of relationship we have with Jesus of Nazareth. In the past we did not know what kind of God our God was; He appeared to be mysterious. But thank the Lord that He has come to the world and is now living among us. He is not only God, but He is also a man. He was incarnated and crucified on the cross to redeem us. Today this Jesus of Nazareth is asking: What is your relationship with God? This man from Nazareth is still living on the earth today. We have to make a decision today. What is our attitude toward Him? Our attitude toward this man from Nazareth becomes our attitude toward God, because Jesus of Nazareth is the Word becoming flesh; He is God coming to the world in the form of the flesh. Therefore, the way men treat Him is the way they treat God.
Here is a precious thing for all of us! From now on, men will go to hell not for the many miscellaneous sins. For what reason then will men go to hell? In the future many will go to hell without knowing why. Men will go to hell not because they have lied, murdered, or committed arson. Whoever is in hell is there because they have committed only one sin, the sin of not believing in the Son of God. "He who believes into Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18). A man is condemned not because he has murdered or committed arson. He is condemned for only one thing: not believing in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Not believing in the name of the Son of God is having an improper relationship with God. This is the Bible's logic: Unbelievers are condemned because they do not believe. This is the sin that God emphasizes.
How do you treat Christ today? What is your attitude toward Him? God cares for your attitude toward Christ, because He is the way that bridges the barrier between God and man. He is God as well as man. Today God in Christ is living among us. The way men treat Christ is the way they treat God. Once I shook hands with a friend. He said, "Let me take off my gloves first." I said, "There is no need. I am shaking your hand anyway; I am not shaking your glove." The same is true with Christ. He is God, and He has merely put on a human body. The hand is there; the only addition is a glove. Therefore, the way you treat Christ is the way you treat God. The Lord said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father...I am in the Father and the Father is in Me" (14:9-10). He also said, "I and the Father are one" (10:30).
The Bible shows us that since the time the Lord was born, the Holy Spirit has been convicting men for only one sin, the sin of unbelief. "And when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe into Me" (16:8-9). The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin because they do not believe. Not believing is failing to have a proper relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts men not for their murder, arson, pride, or jealousy. The Holy Spirit convicts men because they do not have a proper relationship with Christ.
Friends, I have to mention one thing. I am speaking especially to the believers. In the church today, there are many wrong teachings: They not only teach concerning the Savior in a wrong way, they teach redemption in a wrong way; not only do they teach salvation in a wrong way, they teach sin in a wrong way. Men have preached sin in a wrong way. This is not my teaching. Man has no authority to invent a teaching; he can only discover a teaching. There is only one sin that man has committed for which he deserves to be in hell. This one sin is his failure to have a proper relationship with Christ. Most people prove man's sinfulness by pointing out the murder, arson, fornication, pride, lying, and jealousy, etc. Of course, we need to deal with these sins. Once we confess these sins before God, they are forgiven. But even if all these sins were forgiven, if we did not deal with God concerning the one unique sin, we could not be saved. Unfortunately, we do not pay attention to the one sin that the Holy Spirit emphasizes. The unique sin that the work of the Spirit is convicting us of is the very sin that is neglected by us. It is true that murder, arson, pride, jealousy, etc., are sins, but the root of sin is unbelief. The Bible tells us that the most important sin is unbelief. Therefore, when we preach the gospel, we should not merely exhort others to refrain from murder, arson, pride, or jealousy. Even if a man has not committed murder or arson, and is not proud or jealous, he cannot be saved from perdition and receive eternal life. There are many like him who will eventually go to hell. We must repeatedly ask whether or not there is a problem between you and Christ. If there is not a proper relationship between you and Christ, you are still a sinner.
Friends, I know what I am talking about. Satan wants to destroy the work of Christ by changing the focus of sin. Our focus is on the many miscellaneous sins; we do not pay attention to the root of sin. If a man only pays attention to miscellaneous sins without paying attention to the root of sin, he is overturning the work of Christ. His salvation is merely a mental salvation and moral improvement; it is not a change in life or the gaining of life. A wrong emphasis on sin will not save men. Sin is a wrong relationship between God and man. The prodigal son was prodigal because there was a problem between him and God. Once there is a problem between you and God, you have sinned. I hope none of us would be wrong with God.
Acts 2:36 through 38 says, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified. And when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, What should we do, brothers? And Peter said to them, Repent and each one of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The first time the Holy Spirit worked at Pentecost, those who heard the words were pricked in their heart. What did they hear? They heard that "God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified." This means that there was a problem between them and Christ; they did not have a proper relationship with Christ. There was a problem between them and God. Christ was appointed by God, yet they killed Him and came into conflict with God. When the people heard this, they were pricked in their heart. They were pricked in their heart not because they did not make peace with their brothers, or because they gambled, fought, murdered, or committed arson. They were pricked because their relationship with Christ was not proper.
They were pricked in their heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What should we do?" We should pay attention to Peter's answer: "Repent and each one of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ." Peter told them to first repent and then be baptized.
What is the meaning of repentance? Some have said, "Should we not repent?" It is true that we should repent, but we must ask, What is the reason for our repentance? Should we repent because we have murdered and do not want to murder anymore? Should we repent because we have committed arson and do not want to commit arson anymore? Should we repent because we have lied and do not want to lie anymore? Should we repent because we were proud and do not want to be proud anymore? Does repentance mean only repentance from these sins? No, repentance is to repent of our relationship with God. We should repent for only one thing: our relationship with God was wrong, and now we repent of it. This is why the apostle said, "Repentance unto God" (20:21).
Being baptized means coming out of everything; it means coming out of the world and coming out of Adam. How can we come out of the world and Adam? The only way is by death. Once we die, everything is over. Yesterday I read in the newspaper of a man who requested a change in his nationality. He has to be approved by the Department of the Interior before he can be exempt from taxes and before his name can be removed from the census. However, once a man is dead, he is free from these things. When a man has died, he will not be drafted into the army, and he will not be taxed. When a census is taken, his name will not be included. Being baptized is overturning our former position; it is acknowledging that when Christ died, we were brought to the cross as well. Crucifixion is Christ's work, whereas baptism is a testimony of this work. Baptism is the final chapter of our history. Death is not the end; burial is the end. Man comes out of dust and must return to dust before he reaches his end. Burial terminates everything in Adam. It is the last page in a man's history, and it concludes the history of a man. At the end of a book, the words "The End" are often present. Baptism is "The End" of a man's history.
Friends, please remember that the Bible only emphasizes the sin of not believing in Christ. If you have not dealt with this sin, that is, if you have not received Christ as your Savior, you have failed. If a man will deal with this sin, it will be easy for him to deal with all the other miscellaneous sins. But if he does not deal with this sin, he will go to hell even if he deals with all the other miscellaneous sins. May God grant us a proper relationship with Christ, and may God lead us to properly deal with sin. We thank the Lord that His view concerning sin is different from the world's view. May we also have the same proper emphasis on sin.
