If we surveyed a thousand people, asking, "What is the biggest problem that faces mankind today?" the answers would be many. Suggestions would include homeland security, war in Iraq, violence, corruption in high places, the economy, poverty, disregard for human life, basic human rights, racial tension, pollution, our mortality, and the list could go on and on. Each of these is a huge problem, and man would be hard pressed to resolve any one of them.

But man’s #1 biggest problem is not listed above, though it’s related to each of them. Our biggest problem is sin. That’s man’s biggest problem in the world. If you stop and think about it, you would have to admit that the selfishness of sin is behind every one of the problems listed above. Man’s #2 biggest problem is that he either doesn’t know, or he doesn’t care that sin is his #1 problem! This is true of mankind in general, and most individuals in particular.

God has not left us in the dark about sin. It’s not that we have to figure it out on our own. It’s not that you have to take this pastor’s word for it. You can read all about it in the scriptures. Sin is universal. Romans 3:10 tells us, "There is no one righteous, not even one..." Romans 3:23 further declares, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." If we then read the first part of Romans 6:23 we find that not only is all mankind guilty, but we’re all under penalty of death, because of our sin. "For the wages of sin is death..." Sin is not only a tragic reality, and we are not only all guilty, but as a result we all deserve death because of our sin.

The introduction of sin came through the first man, Adam. In the beginning, Adam and Eve had it made. They were without sin. They lived in a paradise, the Garden of Eden. They had access to the tree of life. God had put only one restriction upon them and that was to abstain from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The day came when they chose to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit. Because of that foolish choice and action, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. They were denied access to the tree of life. Mortality began to take its toll. They began to die, just as each of us is dying every day. Read all about it in Genesis 3. Romans 5:12 then sums it up, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned."

Sin came through Adam. Death came through sin. Death has come upon all men for we are all sinners. This is our biggest problem. But, even when we die, our sin is not yet paid for, in the eyes of God. We die because we are mortal, because of Adam’s sin. The first death does not remove the sinner’s guilt. The Bible in fact speaks of a second death. This would be after the resurrection of the dead and the judgment. Revelation 21:8 says, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death." This is the consequence of sin – judgment and destruction in the lake of fire.

Isaiah 64:6 tells us, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Like the wind, our sins sweep us away. Some one has said there are three things sin will always do. (1) It will always take you farther than you want to go. (2) It will always keep you longer than you want to stay. (3) It will always cost you more than you want to pay. We should surely pray as Jesus instructed, "Lead us not into temptation, but away from evil." The universality of sin, selfishness, mortality, judgment, second death in the lake of fire are all bad news.

But there’s good news as well. Earlier we read the first part of Romans 6:23 about the wages of sin being death. But the verse goes on, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." You see, man’s biggest problem is sin, and his next biggest problem is not knowing or caring about it. But God knows, and he cares. In fact he has offered the solution. Romans 5:8 explains, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." II Corinthians 5:21 explains, "God made him who had no sin [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." You see, Jesus takes on our sin, and we take on righteousness. We exchange places. Jesus died on the cross. He suffered God’s judgment on sin, so we might live forever in his kingdom.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches there are many reasons why we must acknowledge our thanks unto Almighty God. Chief among them must be the good news God offers his creation. In future articles we’ll expound upon the good news God offers us all. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" Join us at Timberland Bible Church this Sunday morning at 10:30. Bring your family and friends. We’ll sing praise unto God and his Son Jesus Christ. There will be a message from God’s word. We welcome your comments, questions, and visits.