Do you have cancer? What is the likelihood that you will one day? Each day about 5,600 new cases are diagnosed in the USA alone! Those numbers are growing, too.
A report by the American Cancer Society indicated that one out of every two men in this country will get cancer during their lifetime. Sadly, I am in that club. It also tells that one in three women will have some type of cancer.
Cancer is not one single disease; it comes in may forms and attacks many different parts of our bodies. Fortunately, we live in a time that there is much being done in the way of treatments and many new medicines are being evaluated and approved by the FDA on a regular basis, so it is not always a death sentence as it once was. In fact, the type of cancer I have, prostate cancer, is very common, 1 in 7 men have it or will get this, but today we are more likely to die from heart disease or some other illness, even old age, than from prostate cancer! It’s likely we will die with the cancer rather than from the cancer!
Cancer is a disease where some of the body’s cells start growing out of control. Instead of growing, dividing, and dying in an orderly way, these cells keep multiplying and can form lumps called tumors or spread to other parts of the body, where they can cause damage.
In short: it’s when the body’s normal cell “rules” break, and cells grow when they shouldn’t.
Did you notice what I just said? Cancer occurs when our bodies cells break the rules!
Well, let me tell you about another type of cancer – one that 100% of people get. You were born with it, in fact, and there is nothing you can do to avoid it or overcome it. It affects everyone, everywhere.
This cancer has a specific name – it’s called SIN CANCER. Yes, SIN CANCER, or sin for short, is a problem we see everywhere in the world.
If happens when people break the rules of society, the rules of God, the TEN COMMANDMENTS, the rules of decency, the rules of social order, and even the rules of common sense!
Cancer happens when cells stop following the body’s rules. They act selfishly, grow for themselves, ignore limits, and eventually harm the whole body.
Sin, according to the Bible, is when a person stops following moral or spiritual rules. It often starts small, centers on self over others, ignores boundaries, and can spread—damaging the person and their relationships.
Cancer is to the body what sin is to the soul or community: a breakdown of order where something meant to serve the whole turns inward, grows unchecked, and causes harm if left untreated.
In Christianity, sin is not just “doing bad things,” but a corruption of what God created to be good (Genesis 1:31 says that when God was finished creating the heavens and the earth, the animals and Adam and Eve, “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!”)
You see, God did not create a sinful world. But because of the sin of Adam and Eve, sin entered into the world and created a condition called “corruption”. This condition – corruption – caused healthy bodies to begin to become unhealthy bodies. It caused normal cells to become abnormal.
According to Romans 3:23 it also means that all people are affected by this cancer called SIN.
Cancer works this way in the body:
• Healthy cells are created to serve the whole body.
• Cancer begins when a cell rebels against the order it was given.
• It stops obeying limits, grows for itself, and harms what it was meant to support.
Sin works similarly in the soul:
• Humans are created to live in right relationship with God and others.
• Sin begins when we turn inward, choosing our will over God’s will.
• Left unchecked, sin spreads, hardens the heart, and damages relationships and communities.
• James 1:14–15 says 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
There is a Need for intervention with both Cancer and Sin…..
Just as cancer requires decisive treatment, possibly surgery, radiation, chemo or other treatments, sin requires repentance, confession, and God’s grace. It is possible to have your sins forgiven and forgotten by God. Isaiah 1:18 says “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”
There is only one method for this as prescribed by God, who has been called “The Great Physician”.
Jesus Christ, God’s only son, said this. “I am the way, the truth and the life, NO ONE comes to the father except through me.” Christ offers us forgiveness of sin and a new fresh start in life.
We are not made perfect, but we are made clean, and given a new birth. If we follow His teaches, He will show us how to live out that new life to His glory and our benefits. If we don’t we may find ourselves mired back in the muck of sinful living all over again. For that there is no excuse!
There is one hopeful difference: Cancer must be fought from the outside. Sin is healed from the inside out. Christianity teaches that:
• We cannot cure sin by our own effort alone (Ephesians 2:8–9)
• Christ acts as the “great physician” (Mark 2:17)
• Grace doesn’t ignore sin—it removes it and restores what was damaged
• Grace is not denial. Grace is treatment.
• Through confession, repentance, and surrender, God does not discard what is sick—He redeems it.
• “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” I John 1:9
Cancer shows us how something within can turn against life. Sin shows us how the heart can turn from God. But the gospel reminds us that no sickness—of body or soul—is beyond the reach of the Great Physician. Call out to him today.
There is a 24 hour prayer hotline available to you — toll free – at 1-855-255-PRAY (7725) try it today!
If you are a prostate cancer patient and would like to talk to me about it, I have a lot of info I can share. Email me at the address below. Life is short, eternity is forever. Don’t miss it.
Whether you have any cancer, or not, remember, life is short, and there is a better world ahead (heaven) for those who have trusted Christ and found His forgiveness.
Craig Valley Baptist Church, next to Bibo’s at 171 Salem Ave in New Castle, welcomes you to visit and share in the forgiveness we have experienced. We meet Sundays at 11AM, with an upbeat service of music, sharing and preaching. You don’t need to dress up, and you won’t be asked to speak, so just come and hang out and meet new and old friends! Questions? Call 540-864-5667 or email pastor@cv-bc.com.
– Pastor Scott Gabrielson
