The Problem of Sin and Its Eternal Remedy 

THE PROBLEM

There are three kinds of sin. The first one is inherited sin. The Bible says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). The sin of Adam was passed to all men. Everyone who came from Adam became an heir of Adam’s transgression. How terrible! But that’s the reality.

 The second one is “imputed sin.” Imputed sin is based on Law, and you may not be the guilty one. In Joshua 7, we read how the children of Israel paid dearly for the sin committed by just one man, Achan. Having recently conquered a greater nation, the children of Israel were preparing to go wipe out a smaller one. Before going to capture Jericho, God had instructed them, “When you get to that place, don’t keep anything that’s theirs; destroy everything” (Joshua 7:11 AMPC). But Achan took a coat and other items and hid them for himself (Joshua 7:20-21). And the result? The whole country (Israel) lost the battle. The man’s sin was imputed to the whole country. Aside from the inheritance, Adam’s transgression was also imputed to all men. You didn’t have to be guilty personally; it’s a class sin; everybody becomes part of it. It’s like when the President of your country signs a bad deal or initiates a bad policy; it affects the entire nation. 

The third class of sin is “personal sin.” This is the one that you committed by yourself. Clearly, everyone born into this world has the sin-nature and requires salvation. If a man says he’s free from personal sin, how about inherited sin, and or imputed sin? But thanks be unto God! Salvation—the deliverance of man from his fallen nature and the depravity of sin and its effects, the recreation of his spirit and the restoration of fellowship with God—is possible and available through Jesus Christ! He’s the only way out! This is why we preach the Gospel; that all men may believe in Jesus Christ and receive remission of sins and the life and nature of God. 

THE SOLUTION 
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). When you were born again, you were born and baptized into Christ. 
1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…” You were baptized into the body of Christ, a new man, a new creature with a new life. The King James Version uses the word “creature,” which is a lot more accurate than the word “creation” as used in some other translations. Being a “new creature” means you’re one of a kind; a special or peculiar being. But that’s not all; the latter part of our opening scripture says, “…old things are passed away; BEHOLD, all things are become new.”The underlined word, “behold” means a lot, even though not so many pay attention to its importance in that verse. It’s a word that calls your attention to a truth: God wants you to SEE that all things have become new. When you’re born again, you have a new life; you’re a new being; the old life and nature are supplanted by God’s divine nature. It wasn’t just a mere change that took place in you when you were born again; it was an actual recreation of your human spirit; there was an actual replacement of the life of which you were born of your parents, with the indestructible life of God. You’ve come alive to God through the New Birth. You’re not someone who has merely become religious; you’re a new person, with a new life, without a past.
 Understand when the Bible says, “…old things are passed away…”; it’s talking about the old nature that was subject to sin, defeat, sickness, failure and death—it’s dead and gone. All things have become new, and all these new things are of God (2 Corinthians 5:18). Everything about your life now carries divinity in it. There’s no connection between you and your “past,” because in actual fact, there’s no past: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). 

THE RESOLUTION

 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly (Proverbs 20:27). In the Old Testament, God gave Israel the tabernacle, which He divided into three parts. The first was the inner sanctuary, where the Ark of God was. It was also called the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. The second part was the outer sanctuary, which was called the Holy Place. The third part of the tabernacle was the outer court, where the brazen altar and laver were. This tabernacle of Moses gives us the picture of the human person: the spirit, soul, and body. Man’s body is the outer court, the soul is the first sanctuary, while the spirit is the inner sanctuary. The Holy Spirit resides in the inner sanctuary, which is the recreated human spirit. When a man is born again, his spirit is recreated; eternal life is imparted to his spirit and right away, the Ark of God is set up there. What was in the Ark in the Old Testament? It was the Word of God written on two tablets of stone (1 Kings 8:9, 2 Chronicles 5:10). Where is the Word of God today? It’s in our hearts, our spirits. The Lord said, “...this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts..." (Hebrews 8:10). No wonder Paul said we’re the words of Christ written by the Spirit, not on tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart (2 Corinthians 3:3). This shows us the importance of the human spirit. That’s where the Word of God is today. That’s where God lives. Being born again is the recreation of the inward man—the human spirit—to become God’s dwelling place; His holy tabernacle. The premium, therefore, must be on the education of your spirit, which is only achievable by receiving and meditating on the Word of God. 

CONCLUSION
 As long as a sinner will not receive Christ Jesus as Lord and saviour, no matter how much of good works he or she tries to do in any religion and the level of “Holy or Moral” life he or she tries to live he or she is still a sinner due to the Imputed sin or sin nature that is inherent in him or her. As long as a sinner has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, he or she has crossed from darkness into the light and has now become a saint due to the Righteousness of God which has been imputed in him or her through the faith he or she professed, confessed and accepted the moment he or she came into Christ.
 For the Believer to live a lifestyle pleasing to the Lord after he or she has become saved, the resolution is for him or her to study the Word of God, live in the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide his or her actions. Once he or she does this, he or she will prevail in life over all things.
 -GSW-