The worst sinner ever on earth

 You know there is one who holds the record as the worst sinner ever.  Never one worse before him nor after him. There couldn't be.   He was so bad, every descendent was condemned with equal condemnation with him.  Every seed, every off spring, ever descendent, condemned.  Who was it?  Of course, ADAM.  Adam was a perfect man who committed the sin of a perfect man.   After his sin in the garden, Adam could have never sinned another sin and he would still be lost.  He could have sinned a million times more and would not have been anymore lost.  By this one man, the Bible declares, all were made sinners.  You see, it is not our petty sins, the sins of the imperfect men we have become, but the sin of a perfect man that condemns us. This is why the murderer and the occasional liar stand equally condemned by Adam's sin. 

    How could this be?  The gravity of sin, in the mind of God, is measured by the absence of reason for committing that sin.  Adam was perfect, had all knowledge, all authority, free access to God, dominion over everything with absolutely no reason to sin.  He could have simply rebuked the serpent, and he didn't.  He could have removed the evil tree, but he didn't.  In my opinion, he could have even admitted and repented of his sin and God would have been merciful and forgiving, but he didn't.  He hid.  Smart, right?  Hiding from God.  It worked, sort of, for God came looking "Adam where are you?".  But, I think God knew where he was, he wanted Adam to step out on his own and deal with the matter, but Adam hid.  Just like so many today.  And, even when we do step out, we cover ourselves with fig leaves, the emblem of religion, and play church.

   There was no way for redemption until God could bring another perfect man into the world to pay the price of that first perfect man.   And, He did!  He became that man.  He became what He created!  How incredible is that?  He called Himself Emmanuel, God in the Flesh.  He called Himself Jesus.  A million of us could have died on a cross and it would not have been enough to pay the price of Adam's sin.  Millions of dollars worth of lamb's blood spilt in temporary atonement was not enough either.  One estimate of the cost of the lambs shed in atoning sacrifice under the law, was approximately sixty billion dollars.  To pay the price for one perfect man's sin, it took the blood of another perfect man. Only a perfect man could redeem a perfect man. And, Jesus was that perfect man and He was without sin.  He paid the price.

   People worry over whether God can forgive them of what they think is their awful sin.  Don't they know that by the shedding of the precious blood of the perfect man, Jesus, for the sin of that other perfect man,  God is now propitiated.?  That is a word that means something done whereby anger is turned to mercy.  In our pride, we think God is going to curse us for our sin, that we are too bad for His mercy.  That assumes we are perfect men sinning the sin only a perfect man could sin, and thus expecting the same reaction from God.  We could not be more wrong.  God knows quite well we are fleshly and weak.  We are not perfect men.  To think such thoughts is abased pride.  God is not randomly punishing us with earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis either.  All punishment for sin has been laid on Jesus.  Accept Jesus, price paid!  Ransom paid! It is a done deal. Refuse Jesus, and you will suffer hell's fire.  All these matters are decided in Christ and Christ alone. Court has been held, sentence has been passed, penalty paid. In Christ!

   People love to say "Jesus died for my sins"  That is not true, the way most understand it.  It is true in effect, but Jesus died to propitiate, to pay the penalty price for the sin of a perfect man.  He was the Father's ram.  He died for the Father and we are blessed as a result.  He was not a substitute.  Substitution is actually an Old Testament idea, where as a substitution for the blood of Jesus, a lamb was slain. By it, sin was atoned or covered over and God's judgment and wrath temporarily postponed.  Atonement is not a New Testament word (it is in the KJV one time by mistake).  Jesus did not come to atone or cover our sins. He is as John said "the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the word".   You see, from the beginning, it was not sin that was the real problem anyway. It was God's wrath, God demand for justice. God's penalty for original sin. from a perfect man.  There was no one to pay the price.  And, then came Jesus!

   The Bible says "while we were still sinners God commended His love to us"  and that is so real and wonderful.  That "biggie" sin, the sin of a perfect man, has been dealt with by precious blood.   To forgive us now, from God's view, is a snap.  Wrath is gone.  Trespasses not even imputed. Handwriting of all that was against us blotted out.  A price has been paid sufficient for the whole world. And, the word from the cross is "be ye reconciled".  Come on back, God calls to us.  Oh, yeah, even with the smell of the pigpen of religion and the world, come on back.  "lets make merry".