by Pastor Paul M. Sadler
Four of our grandchildren have a
large high-spirited dog named Molly. Molly is like most dogs; she loves to eat
and romp with the kids. But she also likes to roam the neighborhood, crashing
through the neighbor’s flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. Needless to say, a dog
her size could do a lot of damage in short order. To correct the problem, Kevin
and Jessica purchased an electronic collar. They merely set the transmitter in
the house to all the boundaries of the yard. When Molly approaches one of the
borders, her collar begins to beep, and then the unit gives her a mild shock
when she gets too close to the perimeter. It didn’t take Molly long to realize
that, when she hears a beeping sound, she knows to stop before she gets zapped.
Along these same lines, God has put
an invisible beeper, a conscience, inside every human being, which warns us
when we’re about to do something wrong. At his second appearance before the
Diet of Worms, Martin Luther stated about his stand, “To go against conscience
is neither right nor safe.”
“For until the
law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses” (Romans 5:13,14).
The term impute in this passage is
an accounting term; it simply means “to put to one’s account.” While men sinned
during the period between Adam and Moses, they were not held accountable for
those sins because God had not yet given the commandments that prohibited them.
This does not mean that they were any less guilty of sin or any less deserving
of eternal judgment. It is important to remember that, during this period, men
were living under the dispensation of conscience; therefore, they were without
excuse. This is what Paul means in Romans 2:
“For when the
Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law,
these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of
the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another” (Romans
2:14,15).
Conscience means “to know” or “with
knowledge.” Under that dispensation, conscience was to govern mankind. It
required men to do all known good, and abstain from all known evil.
After Adam and Eve had sinned, “they
knew that they were naked” and consequently, they sewed figs leaves together to
cover themselves (Genesis 3:7). In other words, their consciences were
activated to know the difference between good and evil, and right and wrong.
They knew they had sinned against God and felt guilty as a result of it.
Cain knew that God required a blood
sacrifice, but he did evil in the sight of the Lord and brought an offering
from the fruit of the ground. He sinned and had to deal with the guilt of his
decision (Genesis 4:5). God would not receive Cain’s offering because it came
from the earth, which had been cursed. Abel, on the other hand, responded to
God in faith and brought what God required of him.
God is teaching us that, even though
there was no Law between Adam and Moses, we are to understand that conscience
was their guide, for they were “a law unto themselves.” As a result, they were
without excuse. You see, God is demonstrating that, no matter what dispensation
He has placed man under—Conscience, Law, Grace—all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God.
With this in mind, Paul adds,
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses.” Even though the Law of Moses
hadn’t been implemented at that time, death still reigned supreme in that,
eventually the people died. But that raises this question: if the sins of men
were not charged to their account, why did death still have mastery over them?
Simple: they had sinned in Adam, which is true of the entire human race. Since
we are Adam’s posterity, we are all born in him. He is our federal head. What
was true of him is true of us as well.
God, in His infinite knowledge, sees
what we are unable to see. When Adam reached for that forbidden fruit, we were
in him; consequently, we are identified with his sin. Another example of this
principle is found in Hebrews 7:9,10. So then, the trio of death— physical,
spiritual and the possibility of eternal death—reigned because we have all
sinned in Adam. This also explains how a newborn, who has never committed one
sinful act, sometimes dies due to complications. They sinned in Adam!
Personally, I believe God has made a very special provision for these little
ones (II Samuel 12:22,23).
“Moreover the law entered, that the
offence might abound” (Romans 5:20). The Law magnified sin! It shined a
spotlight on it to show man how exceedingly sinful he really is. When the Law
says, “Thou shalt not steal,” man’s natural response is to question the law
rebelliously and disobey it. When you tell a toddler that he is not allowed to
open the basement door and then move out of their range of sight, he will put
his hand on the door knob and look to see if you’re watching. You see, it shows
us that there is a natural tendency to do wrong. God magnified that a
hundredfold when He gave the Law. Once again, it was to demonstrate that all
are sinners in word, thought, and deed.
From the beginning, conscience has
been woven through all the ages and dispensations. It is what’s known as a
trans-dispensational truth. But we find it interesting that there is very
little emphasis placed on conscience under the Mosaic system, which shouldn’t
surprise us (Heb. 9:9). The commandments served as the conscience of the people
of God in time past: “Thou shalt not…,” “This do and thou shalt live…,” “If you
hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His
statutes….” There was a law or statute to govern every step of their lives.
When we turn to the Gentile
epistles, Paul makes frequent references to the conscience under grace. Today
we have liberty in Christ, but we are never to use that liberty for an occasion
to the flesh, whether it’s to entertain impure thoughts or commit an immoral
act. Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. The Law demands;
grace beseeches! As God implores us to walk worthy of our calling, He uses His
Word, the Spirit, and our consciences as an early warning system, to assist us
in living a life that is well pleasing to Him. Remember and remember well: it’s
a dangerous thing to disobey your conscience.
Thank You Lord For Saving My Soul
How
God Saves Men
Believing
Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing
Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read
Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
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