I’ve got some alarming news: You are dying.
Well, technically, everyone is dying, so don’t panic just yet.
We can’t help it.
Our immune systems combat the trend toward entropy as best they can, but we all eventually lose the battle.
No living thing escapes the iron grip of death — not even the beautifully efficient and organic machines we call bodies.
But I’m not talking medicine yet. I’m talking some serious, metaphysical Bible stuff here.
If you’re a human, chances are you have a congenital “heart” condition called sin.
The bad news is it’s 100 percent fatal.
Think of sin like a spiritual disease, stealing life from and eventually killing its host.
You might scoff at the notion, but the Bible isn’t the only piece of literature arguing that something is terribly wrong with us.
Take a walk down the self-help aisle of any bookstore on the planet.
We know we’re screwed up, even if we don’t want to face the implications of our guilt.
Some would say our moral disease is akin to the common cold.
Their remedy: rest up a bit, drink some philosophical orange juice and give it a week or two before things get better.
Others would liken our moral disease to influenza: You’ll feel the pain of recovery as your body fights off the infection, but most get better, even if there are casualties along the way.
We’ve greatly underestimated sin, though.
We look at our pride, lust, deception and arrogance and think that we’ll magically recover by willing ourselves to be better.
But infection doesn’t work quite that way, and it seems that God is the only one who really understands how deadly a force is within us.
Sin is cancer.
Those who have it face death, unless they take drastic measures.
The good news is that sin is not the end of the story.
Enter Jesus Christ, deus ex machina incarnate.
He was perfection clothed in human flesh and far more than just a moral teacher.
He was God, the answer to the prayers of a dying world, even if the people weren’t aware of it.
Jesus knew that humankind deserved God’s wrath.
He was aware of our brutality and murder, our lying and lust, and the rebellion that made us God’s enemies.
He saw the wickedness of our condemned hearts before we could act on it, and all of it grieved him.
Jesus knew justice demanded payment for our sin, so he paid the price.
He was executed in horrific fashion, taking the punishment of criminals even though he wasn’t guilty.
He was whipped and beaten, nailed to a cross and died as he was forsaken by his father.
The real pain came when he was laden with all of our sin and its consequences, suffering the weight of all of our evil.
He paid the price because he knew that we couldn’t.
Jesus’ message is this: I was so bad that he had to die, but I am so loved that he gladly did.
When was the last time you saw a superhero story where the hero dies for the villain?
It’s a loaded concept for a limited column, but in effect, the God of the mountain comes down to carry mankind to the top.
This is the means by which a loving God reconciles his people.
This is the method that allows for the removal of our cancerous hearts to be replaced by the pristine heart of God.
It is the overturning of the death sentence and the guarantee of life, should one decide to admit his or her guilt and accept this gift.
I don’t know what you’ve heard about Jesus, but that is really good news.
Ryan Galloway is a religion senior at UF. His column appears on Wednesdays. You can contact him via opinions@alligator.org.
