As we celebrate Easter, the common purpose is the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to save us from our sins. We say that, we celebrate that, we believe that – but do we ever stop to think about the truly powerful meaning of that. Do we ever stop to think about what sin really is and what being “saved from our sins” really means? Most folks think of sin as doing something wrong, but “wrong” is defined differently by everyone. St. Augustine defined sin as "a word, deed, or desire in opposition to the eternal law of God."
When we really dig into God’s eternal law per His design of people and the world, we are informed about this mostly by what the Bible says as the owner’s manual for living. What happens when we think and do in opposition to that guidance? It is much like putting diesel fuel into a gasoline vehicle – a problem arises. So in reality, we could say that our problems in life result from sin – we don’t think or do as we were made to.
Life has many problems for individuals, families, communities, and nations. If we really examine our relationship problems, our financial problems, our health problems, etc. we will probably discover that these do indeed go back to sin – that thinking or doing that is in opposition to our divine design.
So when we think beneath the automatic statement about the reason for the Easter season – Jesus actually crucified the problems of life on the cross – He saved us from the consequences of sin and this is the problems of our lives.
I had a pastor once who constantly told the congregation “Saints, you are living beneath your inheritance.” When one of us becomes a Christian, do we really grab hold of what we become as a child of God? Do we ever leave that spiritual crib to embrace that problem-free life that is our inheritance – if we yield our operation in life to the design of our lives? Or do we stay stubborn to always do it “my way?”
