The problem of sin

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. – Mark 2.9-11

The presence and the reality of sin has always been an issue for man. There seems to be an inborn knowledge of some sort of right and wrong. From the very start of recorded history, and probably before, man has sensed the presence of God and sensed his own inability to satisfy God. So, early on, man tried to find a way to placate God through rituals and religion.

Man has tried all kind of things to satisfy their gods. Sacrifices were done and sometimes when they were more brutal and vicious than we can imagine. Man has tried difficult trip and pilgrimages. Mankind has tried self-abuse to try and make their gods happy.

So man has always seen a need to deal with God and be right with Him. The other option is just to shunt God into the background and ignore thoughts of Him. Ecclesiastes 3.11 tells us that God has put a sense of eternity in man’s heart and it is something everyone has to deal with.

Fortunately there is an answer to all this. Man can have his eternity settled. Man can be sure that he has a right relationship with God. Jesus could say, with all authority, ‘your sins be forgiven you’ because He is the same God man has always been trying  to find. And He knew that He was going to pay the penalty for sin man had been trying to pay. No one can forgive sin and Jesus was God Himself.

The answer to the age old problem of sin is found only in faith in Christ, he alone can grant absolution for sin.