Sin and Life

Sin and Life



Main references: Rv 21:1-7

referenes -- Is 65: 17-25; Jas 1:15; Gn 2:7; Jn 1:1-4; Jn 5:24-25; Gn 5; Jn 6:40, 47-57; Jn 8:51-55; Jn 11:25-27; Rv 22:1-5

People who lived in Adam’s time were able to live for almost 1,000 years (Gn 5). Now that roughly 6,000 years have passed, modern people are lucky to live over 80 years. Why has human life-expectancy fallen so dramatically?

At one point, God, who was and is the source of life, decided to leave Adam’s world (Gn 6). Adam’s world had to face death when God left his people (Gn 3:19). The Bible testifies that when God returns, God’s people will again enjoy longevity in the place to which God returns (Rv 21:1-4). Ultimately, however, God will only return to SCJ—the new heaven and new earth (Is 65:17-25; Rv 21:1-3). God left Adam’s world because of sin, so he could only return after the problem of sin was resolved by Jesus’ cross. If the new heaven and new earth, which were prophesied in Is 65, appear in Rv 21, then that is when people will again enjoy longevity—beginning in the time of Revelation’s fulfillment. At that time, death will no longer reign as king, but life will be victorious over death (1 Cor 15:51-54; Rv 20:6).

James 1:15 says, “When desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.” Thus, it is clear that death has come to exist because of sin. The people of Adam’s generation were able to live almost 1,000 years because of the breath of life they received from God in the beginning. As time went by, however, the hereditary sins of their ancestors and people’s personal sins piled up on top of Adam’s original sin. This accumulation of sin caused the breath of life to fade away and their life-expectancy to fall to 70-80 years. This dramatic decrease is obvious just by looking at the genealogies in the Bible beginning with Adam.

If sin increases, life decreases. If sin is taken away, however, life increases. When people’s sins are washed away, God can finally return to us. Since God is the source of life, his return will surely bring life back to us, adding years to our lives. Jesus bore the cross to resolve the fundamental problem of sin (Is 53; Jn 1:29). Jesus bore the cross, which signifies death, on our behalf and he died as a ransom for us. By believing in Jesus, our debts (sins) are nullified; we are redeemed from death. This is the new covenant established through Jesus’ blood (Mt 26:26-29; Lk 22:14-20). God, the source of life, will be with those who keep this new covenant (Heb 8:10-13).

Jesus was life himself because he had no sin and God dwelled within him (Jn 1:1-14; Jn 5:24-26). Since Jesus bore the cross, he has been dwelling within us (Jn 14:20; Rv 3:20). Because Jesus lives in us, we, too, have life and will be long-lived.

If anyone desires to be freed from sin and to enjoy longevity, please join us in SCJ. I sincerely pray that all of us will be blessed by serving God and Jesus in SCJ.



SHINCHEONJI: Healing All Nations  


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