"As God as my witness...I thought turkeys could fly." This line (by Arthur Carlson), was my absolute favorite line from one of the funniest episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati (back in the day). Some of you might remember the thanksgiving episode where the cracked promotions department decided it would be good business to give away turkeys for thanksgiving. The only thing is, they decided to do so buy throwing live turkeys out of a helicopter - to disastrous results http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iafzqOCaxA4. (I think it's OK to laugh during lent ;) Clearly turkeys cannot fly, they were designed to do so, even though it looks like they should be able to - they are birds after all, and they have wings...but they cannot. Doing something that you were not created to do, will often necessarily lead to disastrous results.
The simple biblical truth I'd like us to think about today, is that humans were not designed nor were they created to sin. Though by all outward appearances it may seem as if we were well designed to sin (we do sin a lot after all) - the truth is that we were created to be holy and in relationship with a holy God. Humanity's chief function is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. So you see, when we sin, we are doing something that we were not created to do, and it will necessarily lead to disastrous results.
The consequences of sin are evident in our world - just turn on the evening news: death, pain, societal breakdown, hatred, war, famine, pestilence, jealousy etc. Clearly the sinfulness of humanity (from the smallest to the greatest sins) has consequences for the humans involved. It affects both the sinner and the ones sinned against, because sinning was never God's intention for us.
King David takes the consequences of sinning one step further though - as he humbly confesses his sin of adultery with Bathsheba to God. When we sin, ultimately, we sin against God. When I lie to my friend - I sin against God. When I think lustful thoughts - I sin against God. When I cheat someone in business - I sin against God. David hits on a really simple theological truth here - since God made us to be holy and to enjoy Him forever, anytime we sin (no matter how great or small) it is an affront to the one who made us. We reject His perfect design. Like Adam and Eve, we are telling God that His design and plan is not good enough, we know a better way. Bottom line here...no matter what the sin is, it is a huge problem of eternal consequences.
Thanks be to God, that He sent His Son to die for us turkey's and our futile attempts to fly. That He loved humanity enough, to restore in us to ability to be holy and function as He had always intended us to.
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