The Gospel Is For Runaways | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

The Gospel Is For Runaways

The Thorns That Choke Us, Part 3

21
The Gospel Is For Runaways
Alex Rojas

We all have a default mode of running from God. Our natural bent is towards sin. It doesn't always seem that obvious. It's easy to deny it. After all, we're "good people," but doing good things is never enough. Robert Thune and Will Walker write, "Sin is not primarily an action; it's a disposition. It's our soul's aversion to God." We're born runaways. A lot of times, though, it's simpler to live in denial, to ignore it. We go back again and again to the same old ways, like addicts returning to our cocaine. It's an old familiar thorn, our desire for other things.

Adam and Eve were the first ones to feel its ugly sting. They desired "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life" before God (1 John 2:16). They turned from God and rebelled, and then they ran away. They tried to hide their sin and their nakedness from God by hiding behind a bush and covering themselves up with fig leaves. Their subterfuge is so flimsy, considering that they're hiding from the all-knowing, omnipresent God. Somehow, despite the fact that I'm a sinner of the same order, I never identified with them. Yet, they're me. I turn from God, and I run away, as if He cannot see. I try to hide in the idols of my heart. Thune and Walker say this about sin: "When we turn from God, we turn to other things to find our life, our identity, our meaning, and our happiness. These things become substitute gods- what the Bible calls idols- and they soon enslave us, demanding our time, our energy, our loyalty, our money- everything we have."

That's the nature of sin. That's the trap we find ourselves in every day. How can we be set free from our very natures? We can't go against our natural bent. It's impossible. We need new hearts and minds. We need new life. In Ezekiel, God tells the people of Israel "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules"(Ezekiel 36:25-27). That's the gospel. In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you keep reading after Adam and Eve run away, you see that God finds them. In His righteousness, He can no longer live with them because of their sin, but before Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden, something amazing happens. It seems so trivial, you almost miss it. Genesis 3:21 says, "And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and clothed them. He covered their nakedness and clothed them. It's such a picture of the gospel! You see, the fig leaves of our righteousness are too flimsy to cover our sin. We try to hide and run away, but God still sees and knows. We are deserving of His condemnation. Yet, the amazing thing is that He loves us. Just like God had to kill an animal to clothe Adam and Eve, God's Son had to die to cover us with His blood and clothe us in His righteousness. Sin demands a punishment, and that punishment is death and God's rightful wrath. Jesus took all of that upon Himself.

We need the gospel every day. You need it. I definitely need it. We've been running in the wrong direction. We've been hiding in the wrong places. We're tainted. We're addicts. What God does is He draws us close to Him by the cross. He sent His Son to live the perfect life on our behalf. Where we ran away, Jesus stayed close. He died for us, terrible and broken and messed up as we are! So, we don't have to stay that way. We don't have to run anymore. We can turn to Jesus. You and I can be hidden safe in His righteousness. All He asks is that we trust in Him. He did it all!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

The Unwritten Rules Of "Talking"

What is "talking?" How does one "talk?"

7236
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774925
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

2127
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments