Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) Third Question

The Question of the Origin of Sin

Living in a world where it is not hard to find beauty or perfection, we have all wondered and asked the questions ... "Why is there sin? Why did God allow it? What IS sin?"

Sadhu Sundar Singh also asked the questions of Jesus and Jesus answered him.

WHAT is Sin ??
Sin is not something that is created, it is simply a state or condition- a delusive and destructive state of being.
A good Creator could not create sin, it would be against His nature, and there is no Creator but God. Therefore Satan, being himself a created being, cannot create, he can only spoil what has already been created.
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Light has existence but darkness not having existence in itself , is only a state of the absence of light.
So also sin or evil is simply the absence of good -- and good is always defined by God's character

Jesus defined sin this way, "Sin is to cast aside the will of God and to live according to one's own will."

Isa 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one to his own way."

Jesus, in His answer to Sandu, explained an interesting insight that I had not thought of in that way.
He stated that sin comes out of man's driving desire for happiness.

To desire happiness is not sin, because that is God's will for His creatures - that they enjoy true happiness! But when man tries to find happiness by seeking to fulfill his own will or desires, happiness becomes illusive -- neither does he attain it nor enjoy true pleasure.
Not only does he in the end not possess happiness but in his selfish grasping, sins, because he has chosen disobedience. He has chosen his own way, instead of God's.

How did this state of Sin come to be?
Sin came to be because first Satan and then man after him, sought to carry out their own desires.

Satan did not know pride existed until he found himself in that state of sin and was thrown out of heaven because of it.
Adam and Eve then fell prey to Satan's wiles because they did not know about such things as lies and deceit.

The question is often asked, "why would God create man with the ability to fall into the state of sin?"
The answer from an all wise God is that if He had created man like a machine that is limited in its doing to do only what it had been designed to do .... then man would never be able to reach the height of happiness that can only be achieved through action in accordance with one's own choice. And God desires the ultimate happiness for His children.

Therefore, He has given the state of sin a new aspect so that even from it He has brought forth the noblest results.
ONE -- It is because of the state of sin that God's boundless love was made manifest to man through the incarnation and redemption accomplished by Jesus.
Except for 'the state of sin' we would never have known the depths God's love would go to save us.

TWO--Because man has tasted the bitterness of sin , he will more richly enjoy the happiness of heaven. How easily we take take things for granted until we experience the lack of them.
Jesus said to Sadhu,
"In heaven they sin no more, but in meekness and obedient love they serve their Father God and abide with Him in joy for evermore."

I think this thought of relationship between suffering and capacity for joy, is aptly expressed in this verse,
1Pe 4:12.13 "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you ...... but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

What causes the Callousness of Man toward Sin ?
While some people are so sensitive to quickly turn from or repent from a committed sin, others appear to be completely unfeeling and callous to the fact that sin is present in their lives.

Jesus used the example of a leper, whose disease has made him completely insensitive to the things that are destroying his body. So also the heart and mind of man, by reason of unconfessed sin, become dull and unconscious of the disgust and pain sin awareness should bring him.

Jesus expressed a warning to Sandu. He pointed out that it is not necessary that every part of the body become weak or useless before death occurs. A blow on the head can suffice to cause death even though the rest of the body is in perfect health.
So also one sin can have such a poisonous effect on the mind and heart of man that it can ruin his spiritual life.

The Allure of Sin
Why is it that we struggle so hard against the temptation of sin?

Jesus used the example of a moth.
We have all watched a moth, fascinated by the brilliancy of a flame fly straight into it and die. It did not think or consider the burning and destructive power of the flame.
So man is like the moth. He too disregards the destructive poison of sin and feeling only its alluring power rushes in to his eternal destruction.

In contrast, Jesus, the Light of this world, desires to rescue the sinner who comes to His Light and to bestow upon him life and enduring happiness.

Does a loving God throw men into hell?
Jesus spoke of animals who have been removed from their natural kind and who become familiar with the man who has taken them into their home.
If at some point they are returned to their own kind, they are not accepted. They no longer fit in, their habits and ways have been irreparably changed.

Jesus explained that in the same way, men who have accepted the ways of this world and become comfortable living intimately with wicked men would never be accepted in heaven, nor would they themselves wish to be there. If they were uncomfortable associating with righteous men on earth how could they be happy in their company for all eternity ?

It is never God that turns anyone out of heaven and casts them into hell. It is rather the foul life of the sinner that brings him to hell. As he walks through his given time on earth he chooses either eternal heaven or eternal hell, according to the good or evil nature of his heart.

God's heart and desire for every man is that he choose life and not death ... that he may forever dwell in happiness with his Lord and Master.

2Pe 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. "
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next - Sadhu's Question - What is the Purpose of Prayer?
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Sadhu Sundar Singh - (cont'd) The Second Question

I know that you have , as I so often have.... prayed for unsaved loved ones. We have asked that God reveal Himself to them in some tangible way so that they will know without a doubt that He is real.

And we wait... and watch... and feel disappointment when nothing seems to change.

Sadhu had this same concern for the lost... He said to the Lord..."If you would only manifest Yourself by special revelation to the world then men would not longer doubt the existence of God and all would believe and enter on the path of righteousness."

I know Jesus' answer will encourage you in your faith, as it did me.

His answer doesn't really say anything we don't know from scripture , we know God has promised to answer our prayers.

Joh 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

But the enemy is soo quick to plant seeds of doubt in our minds... maybe we aren't asking right, maybe we are not asking according to His will.

God reveals Himself personally to every man

Jesus answered Sadhu assuring him that yes, indeed, there is no better way to bring people into the path of righteous than by a manifestation of Himself. Man was created that he might know God. A God who is not terrible and foreign but a God that is full of love and like him, for man was truly made in God's image.

Jesus explained that He is intimately acquainted with and understands the inner heart of every man, and to every man He makes Himself known according to his personal needs.

What will melt one person's heart will not melt another ... how precious of God to personally draw each person according to his personality or his life situation.

When we pray for God to reveal Himself to someone so they will know He is real... it is already His will to do so ! We can know without a shadow of a doubt that He will answer our prayer.

God has Revealed Himself to the World

While God manifests Himself to every man in a personal way ... .. He has revealed Himself to the world so that every man can find Him.

1< The Father is manifested in Jesus --- The Father cannot be seen so Jesus came to dwell among us , in the form of man so that we could see and understand Him. He said .."If you have seen Me , you have seen the Father."

2< God is manifested to man through love --- God is love and to all His creatures, especially man, He has given the faculty of love. It is as we love God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves that we allow ourselves to be melted and moulded in the fire of love ... and so be established in the Kingdom of God.

3>God has manifested Himself through nature -- His attributes are clearly seen in the things He has made.

4< God is manifested to man through His Word -- To those who seek Him with a sincere heart He gives the Holy Spirit through whom the spiritual language of His word is understood.

Does Doubt stand in the Way of Faith?

This statement is often made... "If only this or that doubt of mine could be removed, I would be ready to believe!"

Is doubt really a deterrent to faith ? Jesus explained that every man has been endowed with faith. It is man's choice who he fastens this faith to. If it is not fixed on God, it will be shattered by the shock of sin and transformed into doubt.
To ask to have the doubt removed is like someone with a broken arm asking the doctor to take away the pain before he sets the limb. The pain comes from the breaking of the limb and when that is set the pain will of itself go away.
Sin causes the breaking of man's tie with God and doubts are the resulting spiritual pains.
For the spiritual pain of doubts to disappear, union with God must first be renewed.

Just as the chick in the shell can not understand or believe the wonders of life outside its shell, even if it were told it, so also many people are uncertain about the future life or the existence of God because they cannot see beyond this shell-like body of flesh.
All the chick need do is receive life-giving warmth from the mother hen until it hatches from its shell.
So also we, if we receive by faith the life-giving warmth of the Holy Spirit, we will one day put off this body shell to enjoy eternal life.
Jesus said about those who believe on Him .. "I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand." John 10:28
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tomorrow.... Sadhu asks..."what is sin , and how did sin come to be?"
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Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) First Question

As Sadhu sat at Jesus' feet, he asked ..."Why do you hide yourself, O Master, from those that love you and long to see you?"

Is that not a question we have asked, sometimes envying the Old Testament saints who had such visual evidences of God and the people who lived when Jesus physically walked this earth?

Here is how Jesus answered Sadhu's question.

He said, "True happiness does not depend on physical sight, but rather on spiritual vision and depends on the heart."

He went on to speak of those who looked upon Him the years He lived among men but they did not all receive Him and gain happiness. Simply seeing Him with physical eyes is not enough, we must see Him with our spiritual eyes because God is a spiritual Being. We cannot see our own spirits, so how do we think we can see the Creator of them?

Jesus asked, "Do you think those who saw me in Palestine all had their spiritual eyes opened, or did I Myself become mortal?
The answer , of course, is that I took on a mortal body so that in it I might give a ranson for the sins of the world. When the work of salvation was completed for sinners then that of me that was immortal tranfigured what was mortal into glory! Therefore, after the resurrection only those who had received spiritual sight could see me."

Act 10:40,41 "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. "

Jesus spoke of how many people only know about Him but do not have a relationship with Him, do not know Him as their Lord and Savior.
You can talk to a blind man about colors. Tell him all about red and blue and yellow, yet he has no concept of the colours charm and beauty. His eyes being blind, he attaches no value to them.
In the same way, no matter how learned a man may be , until his spiritual eyes are opened he cannot know Jesus, he cannot behold His glory nor can he comprehend that He is God Incarnate.

To be aware of Jesus presence is not dependant on physical sight.
When the physical eye is clouded, medicene can be dropped into the eye , the eye does not see it but the presence of the medicene is felt cleansing the inner eye and promoting the power of sight.

"So also people cannot see the peace that I bring into the hearts of those who are born of Me, but they feel it and become happy in it. It is the same with the tongue and sweet food.
The sense of taste in the tongue and the sweet flavor in the food are both invisible yet they give pleasure.
In the same way I give of the hidden manna, which the world cannot see, to My children and give them life and joy!"

Rev 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

When we are sick, often our sense of taste is interfered with, and we lose our enjoyment of food. The food may be ever so tasty but the sick person has lost his appetite for it and turns away.
In the same way sin interferes with the taste for spiritual things. God's Word and presence lose their attraction to us and instead of profiting by them , we begin to argue about them and criticize.

Take a piece of charcoal and try to wash it. Scrub as hard as you can but it will never lose its 'blackness'. However, if you allow fire to enter it, the dark color vanishes.
So also the Holy Spirit in the hearts of God's children does His work and all the blackness of sin is driven away, and we are made lights to the world.
"As the fire in the charcoal, so I abide in My children and they in Me and through them I make Myself visible to the world."

Mat 3:11 " ...... He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
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tomorrow - Sadhu's request/question ... "If you would only manifest yourself by special revelation to the world then men would no longer doubt the existence of God and all would believe and enter on the path of righteousness."
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Sadhu Sundar Singh (cont'd) A Vision of Jesus

Early in Sandu Sundar Singh's Christian life, he developed a habit of walking into the forest after a long day at work. There he would sit on a favorite rock and spend time in prayer.

Sometimes he would see visions.

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One day after work, when he was sitting on his 'prayer rock', a being appeared before him. At first Sadhu's impression was that this being was a revered and devoted servant of God .... but when he spoke he seemed to breathe an odour of hell.

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This being addressed him ... "Holy and Honoured Sir, pardon me for interrupting your prayers......... " He went on to sympathize with him that he had not successfully influenced more than a few thousand Christians. He suggested that if only he would become a Hindu or a Mussulman he could become a great leader. People were looking for such a spiritual leader and if Sandu would accept this being's suggestion, he promised him hundreds of millions of followers who would render him reverent homage.

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Sadhu recognizing the being, was quick with his answer... " You, Satan ! get away from me! I knew immediately you were a wolf in sheep's clothing. You desire me to give up the narrow road in exchange for the broad way that leads to death.... My Master is my lot and my portion -- He gave His life for me and I can but give my life for Him. Get yourself gone for I have nothing to do with you !"

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The being left growling with rage.
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Sadhu, dissolved into tears and poured his heart out to God in prayer. Finally, he rose from his prayer and looking up saw a glowing Being arrayed in light and beauty standing before him. Such love flowed from this Being it filled his heart and bathed his soul. He knew it was none other than his beloved Savior.
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Jesus seated Himself on the very rock that Sadhu had just risen from, and with Sadhu seated at His feet, Jesus began to teach him.
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We know from scripture that the apostle Paul after his conversion was taught not by "flesh and blood" but by "revelation of Jesus Christ". (Gal.1:11-16) Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and taught him . If Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever .... then we should not be surprised if He still appears to people many years later.
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Although Sadhu echoed the words of Paul that heavenly things revealed to him were difficult to be explained in earthly tongues, he, being pressured by his friends set some of Jesus' teachings down on paper. His writings have been preserved for us today.
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Reading through his little book, I found nothing that contradicted or took away from the scriptures by which all other words must stand or fall. There is no other truth. But I found his teaching to be confirming and clarifying.
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Sadhu said, "When the truths set forth in this book were revealed to me by the Master they deeply affected my life and I used them in my sermons and addresses in Europe, America, Africa, Australia and Asia."
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His prayer was that "As God by His grace and mercy has blessed me by these truths, so also they may be a blessing to every reader."
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In the next several devotionals I want to share some of what he recorded as the words of Jesus to him. Because he writes in old English, which I know for many of you may to be difficult to follow, I will take the liberty of expressing in my own words the teaching he received.
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tomorrow- Jesus answers Sadhu's question ... "Why do you hide yourself, O Master, from those that love you and long to see you?"
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