One thing I think we overlook as sin-natured beings is our willingness to put up with “good enough.” There’s really nothing we encounter in life that is truly perfect, God aside. Even the earth is cursed. Our whole perspective is imperfect, and it’s vital to understand that being good or “good enough” is still insufficient to bridge the gap between fallen humans and the perfect God.
The thing is, God cannot put up with any sin. He is holy, and anything flawed or stained cannot come near Him. The problem runs deep. It’s not just about what we did today, this week, or this year. It goes all the way down to our cores. At our very roots, we are sin-natured, and that can’t be made up for with good actions or intentions.
However, the Bible does tell us the solution to this problem. There is a way to pay for your sins. “For the wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23a). All it will cost is death. The toll must be paid in blood. You can’t pay for your sins by smiling at your neighbors and buying ethically made jeans. The only way to pay for sin is with death.
. . . being good or “good enough” is still insufficient to bridge the gap between fallen humans and the perfect God.
That’s why the sacrificial system was set up and, ultimately, why Jesus died on the cross. God can’t dwell with us as sinners (Ps 5:4), yet He loves us all the same, and He wants to be close to us. The Song of Solomon is a book of rather intimate poetry, and it is a metaphor for God’s love for us. Because of that love, He couldn’t just let us go on sinning without finding a solution – and there was already a solution. Death.
Maybe that sounds crazy, but remember that the Bible also says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) Jesus was telling us how great His love was. Laying down his life was the greatest form of love. It’s this love, this sacrifice, that solves the root problem of sin. We no longer have to cover up our bad roots with fake flowers or our sins with “good enoughs.” Jesus, the all-sufficient, all-powerful, all-loving God, has paid a toll that we could not afford, and in doing so, He doesn’t ask us to pay Him back. Rather, He asks us to follow Him, love Him, and obey His word, all the while acknowledging that our best efforts will never be enough to repay him.
