Alētheia: Truth

Tag: sin


  • As a diabetic, I must spend an enormous amount of time trying to maintain my blood glucose levels to the acceptable numbers set by the doctor(s). Twice a day, I test my blood, inject insulin and take an oral medication. I must eat the “right” foods and exercise. All this to be healthy. Diabetes is a horrible disease that will kill you slowly from the inside out. It can destroy all your internal organs, cause nerve damage which leads to loss of feeling in your extremities and can cause heart attacks and strokes.

    There is a distinct correlation between having diabetes (or any other disease) and sin. Diabetes is a disease of the flesh. Sin, on the other hand, not only destroys the body but also the soul.

    You cannot control sin without the work of the “great physician” Jesus Christ. We must first accept the fact that we are sinners, that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and by faith accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We must then live by the spirit and not in the flesh. We must daily go through the delightful protocol of our faith.

    First, we must spend time in God’s word – the Bible which like the blood test for diabetes, shows the Holiness of God and the lack of holiness in our own life. The bible is also the “insulin” for the soul – “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17.) When you “inject” God’s word into your life it will penetrate down to the bone and expose any and all sin (Hebrews 4:12). Then, we can confess that sin, be forgiven and be cleansed from our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

    Second, we must spend time in prayer. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. There is soul satisfying joy in communing with God in prayer.

    Third, we must share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. The rise of diabetes in our culture today has led to a great effort in awareness and education. Many people don’t realize they have diabetes which is why they call it the “silent killer” and it’s the same with sin. Sharing the gospel will expose this eternally deadly disease of sin and brings hope for every man, woman and child regardless of race.

    I am not saying that sin and diabetes (or any other disease) are equal. Sin destroys the soul for eternity – diabetes only destroys your health and makes life difficult. Sin is the ultimate disease in our lives. Sin must be dealt with through the life changing grace of Jesus and the price he paid on the cross. And if you ignore the warning signs – you will die forever.

  • God’s Love and His Pursuit


    In the book of Hosea, we see an awesome picture of God’s love, and pursuit of  his people. This is clearly illustrated in the marriage between Hosea and his wife Gomer.

    Gomer would stray from her marriage to Hosea and become a prostitute and eventually be sold into slavery. Hosea would pursue her and “buy her back.” This is not only a beautiful picture of God’s grace towards his covenant people Israel – for Israel had strayed from God and was committing spiritual adultery by worshiping Baal –  but also for sinners as Jesus would pay the price for our sin on the cross and buy back his “bride” – the body of Christ from the bondage of sin and death.

    There is a great parallel between Israel then and the United States of America today. While Israel was in captivity in Egypt for 400 years, they worshiped the Lord and held on to the promise of deliverance. After Israel had been set free, It wasn’t long before Israel was enjoying political peace and prosperity that she was soon forgetting about God and began worshiping Baal and the ingenuity of their own hands. As a nation, they no longer humbled themselves before the one true God and worshiped him alone.

    Our Nation Today

    It seems clear to me that the USA is just like Israel in the time of Hosea’s prophecy. We have become the most prosperous nation that has ever existed and it seems that we, as a nation, have forgotten about God, and his love for us, that while we were yet sinners, he sent his son Jesus to die for us and bring us back to Him (Romans 5:8).

    My fear is that the United States as a nation may have gone to far down that wide road which leads to destruction – straying from God and worshiping other god’s of today. In the day of Hosea, it was Baal that Israel worshiped. Today its sports; computers, tv, relationships and idols that we worship. We have traded God’s glory for man-made images (Romans 1:23).

    I pray that it’s not too late. However, if it is too late for the US as a nation to return to God, I know it’s not too late for true believers to share the Gospel – God’s glorious love and grace for His people through his Son Jesus Christ – with this lost and dying world. As long as you and I are still here on this earth, there is still time to be the “fragrance of Christ” and share this great “love” that God has shown us and to glorify His name in all the earth.

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    James 4:17 (ESV)

    “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

    During a season of difficulty, my accountability partner shared this verse with me. It really hit home. This verse helps us to know when the Holy Spirit is telling us to do something in our hearts, and we don’t do it, it becomes a sin to us.

    Now that I know this verse by memory, I am more aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life. This verse is just another illustration of  how alive God’s word is to us and how important it is to hide God’s word in our hearts.

    “The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.” – A.W. Tozer