What About Sin?
Sin is a power word. “Crime” is a strong word, but not as strong as sin. Crimes are committed against society, sin is against God. Crimes are fairly easy to avoid. Sin is unavoidable.
Can We Take Sin Seriously?
The word sin is rarely used today except jokingly. The idea of sin has almost been abandoned, as revealed in the title of a famous book, Whatever Became Of Sin?
Judgmental people love to use this word to make pronouncements on others. Many of us became tired of its overuse by media preachers.
Sin implies a moral significance to our actions which some people refuse to admit. But we must take sin seriously. Sin is the major obstacle to knowing God.
Confusion Over Sin
Many people don’t really know what sin is. They confuse it with a vague sense of guilt. Sin doesn’t mean you think, “I’m a bad person,” in scripture, sin is specific. People knew what they had done wrong. The early books of the Bible are careful to specify what constitutes sin.
What Is Sin?
Sin involves both being and doing (or not doing). The Bible tells us sin is a product of our human nature (e.g., Ephesians 2:3). Through sin we are alienated from God until enlightened and given new life.
Sin also involves doing or not doing God’s will. God’s ideal is love. When we act in unloving ways, or fail to act lovingly, we’ve sinned.
What Sin Does To Our Relationships
The word sin is personal and means “to miss the target.” God has set a mark for your life; an ideal. When you miss His mark, you “sin” against Him (Psalms 51:4). Sin creates distance between you and God.
Sin disrupts our relationship with other people. Sins such as lying, cheating, and stealing hurt others. Sin also causes us to be alienated from others by hiding from, avoiding, and devaluing them.
What Sin Does To Us
Sin is destructive (the words “damage” and “damn” come from the same Latin source). It damages our spirit, our health, and our relationship to God.
Sin is also destructive to the natural world. It “pollutes” our environment (Numbers 35:33). It is a form of slavery (addiction) and spiritual suicide (Romans 6:23; James 1:15).
The Solution To Sin
The New Testament explains how the problem of sin is resolved. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Titus 1:15). The consequence of sin is real guilt–not merely guilt-feelings, which can be excessive or unreal. We are accountable for our actions.
Through the death of Jesus the guilt of sin can be removed and God’s justice maintained. Peter said Jesus “bore our sins” on the cross (1Peter 2:24). Jesus identified Himself with our sins and guilt, then took them with Him to His death.
The answer to sin is forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is available to you through confession and repentance.
Copyright © 1996 Capo Beach Calvary