Sin Canyon: Romans 3:23-24
I grew up 82 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I’ve been there many times and it still takes my breath away! If you hiked through the canyon from the South Rim to the North Rim you would be taking a tough 21-mile hike that would take you two days. If you decided to drive, you would take a 215-mile trip around to the North Rim! It can’t be stepped across! Think of the Grand Canyon as the Sin Canyon. God is on one side and mankind is on the other. Sin Canyon can’t be stepped across. It’s somewhat like the Grand Canyon.
Romans 3:23 defines Sin Canyon for us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (ESV) We have all rebelled against God and have sinned, falling completely short of His glory putting us on one side of Sin Canyon and God on the other. We’re separated by a Sin Canyon that can’t be stepped across!
Smart people are like God and look for solutions to problems! God decided He would come to earth as His Son and solve the problem of how to get mankind over sin canyon and back to God so we could all know Him and share His Heaven for eternity!
Romans 3:24 defines God’s solution to crossing Sin Canyon, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (ESV) Two issues come along. First, we’re justified by His grace as a gift.
God’s grace is a gift given to us we don’t deserve! That gift is that He substituted for us at our execution for sin. He stood in for me, instead of me dying on the cross! Imagine someone coming along and telling the hangman to hang him instead of you at your execution for your sin. That’s what Jesus did for you. It’s a gift that He gave that’s totally undeserved! He died in your place!
When you and I come to faith in Christ we’re justified by His gift of grace on the cross! What does it mean to be justified? It means that we’re declared legally “not guilty.” Why are we declared “not guilty?” Because the penalty for our sin has been paid in full! Sin costs the giving of life and the shedding of blood. When Jesus went to the cross, He gave His life and shed His blood in place of you and I giving our life and shedding our blood.
When you and I say “yes” to Jesus as Lord what He paid for us at the cross takes effect and the judge slams the gavel down and pronounces us “not guilty!” That is justification! If you have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have officially been declared “not guilty in God’s supreme court!”
The other picture of God’s solution for getting mankind over Sin Canyon is “redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” What does redemption mean? Imagine you have been abducted and are in slavery to a foreign power. The only payment that power will take for your release is for someone to die for you as that payment! Either you remain as a slave and serve for the rest of your life, or someone must come along and die as payment for your release.
Jesus’ death on the cross pays the price for your redemption and buys you out of slavery to sin and moves you across Sin Canyon!
What Jesus paid for you and me at the cross declares us not guilty, and buys us out of slavery to sin and gives us the capacity to cross Sin Canyon.
About this time in 1968 I was right in the middle of Basic Combat Training at Ford Ord, Calif. One day we went on a 12mile forced march. On a forced march you march in formation at regular time half of the time, and the rest of the time the drill sergeant will call double time and you run in formation. You take a break at 6-miles to change socks. My heel had fallen apart, and I poured blood out of my boot at 6-miles. Not wanting to have to start basic training over I changed socks and finished the march.
About 100 yards to the end of the march my pal behind me in formation started yelling about his knee giving out, and he was not able to keep going. I told him to grab the strap to my backpack and I would pull him in! He grabbed my back strap and I pulled him in with both of us finishing the 12-mile forced march!
When we trust Jesus His justification and redemption by way of grace will pull us across the Sin Canyon. Look to Jesus in faith and grab on in faith and He will pull you across Sin Canyon and you will finish the course! Encourage as many other people as you can to grab on with you. He will get you and them across Sin Canyon!
Tom West is a retired pastor working in Advanced Planning with Myers Funeral Service in Porterville. You can reach Tom on his cell number at 602.758.1168.