When we think about our mission to make disciples for the Glory of Christ we want to be as effective as possible, right? Assuming you answered "yes" and I am sure you did since you are such an outstanding person who reads this blog, there are a few things we should consider in order to become effective. What do we know about who we are working with? What obstacles need to be overcome? What are their strengths and their weaknesses? What is the nature of the problem that they face? These are but a few considerations.
Today I would like to raise and try to answer a question about sin. The question goes like this, and just beware, it's a real doozy: "In what way does sin impact an individual?" I'll admit, at first glance it doesn't seem like a whole lot but it may be easy to assume that we know the answer when we really haven't given it much thought. If you stew on it for little bit you might come to agree that it it's worth some special consideration (consideraysh for short). Here are a few things we can say to build our understanding of sin's impact on our kids (and everyone else):
-The image of God in a child is distorted but not destroyed. Every human being, from childhood on, are by nature born as children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) and are headed for destruction.
-The good news is that there remains, until death, the potential of regeneration and re-creation in the moral likeness of Christ to the Glory of God (Ephesians 2:5-10; 4:24; John 3:3-8).
-We believe, with God’s help, that children can become men or women whose lives are immensely significant, because they bring glory to God and great good to their fellow human beings.
-We believe that the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is understandable to a child. We believe that the Holy Spirit of God can be active in the heart and mind of a child just as with an adult. We believe that a child can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and be saved from their sins.
-However, we also believe that children are born with a sin nature and this means they are morally incapable of seeking God (Psalm 14:1-3) and unable to submit to God or please God (Romans 8:7-8; Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:6). In other words, children will not realize the goal of their existence, to know God and bring glory to him (Isaiah 43:7; Revelation 21:3) if they are left to their own moral resources (Ephesians 2:3; John 3:6). Conversion to Christ must precede a life of eternal significance.
There is one more point that should be made that greatly helps our understanding of how sin has particularly damaged an individual. Drumroll please....:
-“Nous” is the Greek word for mind and sin has therefore corrupted the individual’s ability to perceive, understand and judge, particularly in recognizing what is good and what is evil. Thus, the key way sin has damaged the individual is in their mind and their ability to rightly know the nature of God or themselves (Romans 1:28, 7:23-25). Without the Bible helping children they will not come to understand themselves as sinners who are in great need of God’s grace.
This clarification of sin definitely applies to making disciples of anyone and everyone, not just children. Perhaps the greatest takeaway from sin's devastation on the mind is the way it affirms the need for God's Word to be present in discipleship. Sin has corrupted our ability to know, which means that humankind is utterly dependent upon outside revelation help our understanding on what is right and wrong, what is true and what is false, what is good and what is evil. The Bible is this revelation. Children need the Bible. Mentors need the Bible. Adults need the Bible. This becomes especially evident when understand the answer to our question: "In what way does sin impact an individual?" It distorts the mind and greatly interferes with their ability to know God and know themselves, even though they may not even realize it.
When we say we need the Bible we should clarify that we don't just need to bring the Bible with us to church. We don't just need a Bible in our favorite color so it looks good on the desk in our room. We need to open the Bible and read it. We need to read the Bible and hear what it is saying. We need to hear what it is saying and carefully consider how we should respond to it. This is true for children as well as adults.
Thus, when we think about making disciples for the glory of Christ we need the Bible. The Bible is constantly washing away our sullied minds by the corruption of sin and renewing them in the correct, divinely revealed knowledge of God. The Bible helps us to think higher of God and lesser of ourselves. The Bible tells us the truth about who God is and how we should respond to him in faith. The Bible, when it is taught and revealed with clarity is aided with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and empower faith in the heart.
In short, we need the Bible because of the way have been corrupted by sin.
Thankfully, God has provided His Word.
Here is to year to treasuring God's Word and making disciples for the Glory of Christ.
Pastor Kevin
Comments
Post a Comment