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| Sunday, June 7, 2020 Meeting at The Painter's Lounge and Zoom |
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This is the first time the word “sin” appears in the Bible. Notice that sin is depicted as a powerful, animal-like entity that is luring Cain to let his jealous anger turn into violence against his brother. It’s not just that Cain committed a sin, though that’s true. It’s that he gives himself over to the power of another story about human dignity––one that does not value the life of his brother. In Cain’s story, sin is a power that leads to a distorted view of ourselves and others. This distortion spreads to his family and community, illustrated in the story of his violent descendant Lamech. This is a profound portrait of sin that has immense potential to help us understand the power of sin in our own lives, families, and communities.
Re-read verse 10 Genesis 4:10 The Voice (VOICE)
Eternal One: 10 What have you done? Listen! I can hear the voice of your brother’s blood crying out to Me from the ground!
. What is it that God supposedly hears in this story, and what does that say about him?
1 John 1:5-2:2 The Voice (VOICE)
5 What we are telling you now is the very message we heard from Him: God is pure light, undimmed by darkness of any kind. 6 If we say we have an intimate connection with the Father but we continue stumbling around in darkness, then we are lying because we do not live according to truth. 7 If we walk step by step in the light, where the Father is, then we are ultimately connected to each other through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son. His blood purifies us from all our sins. 8 If we go around bragging, “We have no sin,” then we are fooling ourselves and are strangers to the truth. 9 But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” then we depict God as a liar and show that we have not let His word find its way into our hearts.
The word “sin” has virtually disappeared from modern conversation. Afraid of sounding judgmental, we call sin something else—a mistake, an addiction, a tendency, a bad decision—and ignore it as normal and natural behavior. But John is calling the church to a radical holiness where those in the church will regularly remember their sins and seek God’s forgiveness. Each sin, small and large, injures us or someone else; it imprints on our soul, makes us imperfect, and separates us from the perfect God. If we confess our sins to God each day, then He will purify our hearts and draw us closer to Him.
2 You are my little children, so I am writing these things to help you avoid sin. If, however, any believer does sin, we have a high-powereddefense lawyer—Jesus the Anointed, the righteous—arguing on our behalf before the Father. 2 It was through His sacrificial death that our sins were atoned. But He did not stop there—He died for the sins of the whole world.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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It can be difficult to be honest with ourselves and others about our failures. Take a moment to reflect on anything you need to bring out into the light, whether it’s something you have done, struggle with, or have felt ashamed about. Then think of a person you trust who you can share this with this week. You can trust that God will be faithful to forgive and cleanse you.
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