John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Recently my husband had a very serious infection. Its origin was unknown, but apparently, it had been incubating inside of him for a while, and then suddenly it made itself known by way of an elevated temperature. He had been given an antibiotic, but it was ineffective. The doctor tried a second antibiotic, but as the first, it yielded no positive results. The infection continued to rage on until finally my husband had to be hospitalized.
Once there, an IV was started and a third antibiotic was given, and like the two before, it failed to kill the infectious organism. During that first two days, various doctors visited, explaining the pathophysiology of sepsis (fancy word for whole body infection) and the treatment plan. They were still trying to isolate the offending bacteria by doing blood cultures, and when the organism grew, they were hopeful that they would be able to identify which antibiotic would be effective in destroying the pathogen. Meanwhile, they kept trying different medicines, but my husband’s fever continued to hover between 101-102 degrees.
Yesterday, one of the doctors came in and said they were able to finally identify the organism as a “highly-resistant” bacteria. The team of doctors changed my husband’s antibiotic to one that would target this super-bug. As we watched the steady drip, drip, drip of the new medicine, we prayed that God would give healing, and health would be restored.
This whole process reminded me of the way sin infects our lives. It starts by creeping in stealthily, and then it begins to grow, taking hold before we are truly aware of it. It will keep us from God, and eventually it will completely destroy us. Sin will keep us from ever having eternal life in heaven.
Because the ramifications of sin are so horrendous, people have tried various ways to atone for their sins. Some people rely on their good deeds. If their positive acts outweigh their negative acts of sin, they hope that will compensate for their ungodliness. Some people hope to attain forgiveness for their sins by giving money to church groups or charities, while others may get involved in self-sacrificial acts to absolve themselves of their sin. Sadly, many people find out too late that these efforts are useless.
Like my husband’s “super-bug,” which needed a specific medicine to defeat it, there is only one antidote for the sickness of sin, and that is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the sins of the world on His own body (1 Peter 2:24), and as He suffered, shed his blood, and died for us, He became the final sacrifice for our sins. When He rose from the dead three days later, He demonstrated that He truly was the Son of God, worthy to be our Saviour, and the only one who could forgive mankind of their sins. Nothing else could do what Jesus now could do. He is the only “antibiotic” that is effective against sin.
Everyone is infected by sin, and eventually, like my husband’s sepsis, if it is not dealt with, it will destroy you. Sin will keep you from an eternity in heaven with God unless you eradicate its stain from your life. My husband needed an IV with the right medicine to kill his super-bug. Humanity needs the right medicine for the forgiveness of sin, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes some time for earthly medicine to do its work, but God’s forgiveness of sin is immediate upon the asking. How can you have your sins forgiven? There is no scripted prayer for salvation. From your heart, you need only admit to God that you are a sinner in need of His forgiveness. If you believe that His Son, Jesus, died on the cross for your sins, rose from the dead to be your Saviour, and ask Him to forgive you, He will. With that forgiveness comes the free gift of eternal life forever in heaven with God (Ephesians 2:8-9)!
“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” (from “Nothing But the Blood” by Robert Lowry)
“… Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” – Acts 16:30-31
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If you’ve never asked Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Saviour, you can do that right now! He’s only a prayer away!
Praying for complete healing!
This is a good analogy of sin’s destructive “sickness” and the solution! Praise the Lord for “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)