Sin & Forgiveness

Because we are not intimately familiar with the Old Testament and don’t immediately make the
connection that Jews steeped in the Torah and the prophets would have made, we might miss something very important about our Lord words and actions. Throughout the Old Testament, sin and sickness are frequently connected, as is forgiveness and healing. The same linkage between healing and forgiveness can be found in Psalm 103:3 where the psalmist praises God, “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Likewise in Psalm 147:3 we read
that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” The same kind of language is found
throughout the prophecy of Isaiah. In Isaiah 19:22 we read, “The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague;
he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and
heal them.” Similarly in Isaiah 58:16-19, we find these words, “I will not accuse forever, nor will I
always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me—the breath of man that I have
created. I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in
his willful ways. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him,
creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near," says the
LORD. `And I will heal them.’” Then, there are a number of passages in which healing and forgiveness
are virtually interchangeable terms.4 This can be seen in a text such as Psalm 41:4–“I said, `O LORD,
have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.’”
Therefore, when Jesus tells this poor paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven he is getting to the root
cause of this man’s problem. Paralysis (for whatever reason) is an outward sign that our race is fallen.
The overturning of the curse–brought upon us all because of Adam’s act of rebellion in Eden–is the
mission that Jesus came to perform. By forgiving the man’s sin, Jesus is making the direct connection
between sin and sickness as cause and effect. Although as soon as we utter these words we also must
point out that the Bible never says that we suffer in relation to how many sins we have committed. We
need to be clear about this. Many times God calls the righteous to suffer and allows the wicked to
prosper. This is part of his purpose and remains a mystery to us, other than to say that God alone has the
power and purpose to turn everything to our good, even our sickness and suffering.
In fact, Jesus makes this exact point in Luke 13:1-4, “Now there were some present at that time who told
Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, `Do you
think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this
way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the
tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’” The point is that we do not necessarily
suffer or get sick in direct proportion to our sins.5 We do live in a fallen world. We are all born guilty
for Adam’s sin. We all inherit a corrupt and sinful nature. And then we all commit acts of sin, which
may, or may not, bring down God’s punishment upon us. Therefore, our sin in Adam lies at the root of
all our suffering. This is Jesus’ point. Our restoration begins with forgiveness. --Kim Riddlebarger...
It seems like i remember similar themes and good stuff from Stott when i preached Acts 4-- yep here it is