Introduction: Many people today don't believe in sin. Of course, if you are an atheist (12% of Americans) you won't believe in sin. But many religious people also deny the reality of sin. For example, listen to these comments from a recent survey:
"Sin is my middle name, baby!"
"I don't believe in sin. I've been doing therapy for years to get past all my stuff from childhood and the mention of sin just puts me right back into all my shame as a child who was told that I was bad and deserved punishment. I don't believe in a God that believes in sin."
"Sin is just another step on our ladder of personal progress."
"I'm a Wiccan, and we don't believe in sin. In order to sin, you have to transgress divine law. Since our deities don't give us laws, we can't possibly sin."
"I don't use the word sin. Sin is an act which is prohibited by Judeo-Christian religious institutions in order to control people."
"Sin is all the fun stuff other people tell us is bad."
"Sin is something that you feel is wrong."
"The main purpose of sin is to introduce clergy between you and God...It is the clergy who make up the rules of sin."
The Bible gives us several definitions of sin:
"Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law"(I John 3:4).
"An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin" (Prov. 21:4).
"The thought of foolishness is sin" (Prov. 24:9)
"Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23).
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
"All unrighteousness is sin" (I John 5:17).
What does the Christian Faith teach about sin?
I. Sin is Universal.
Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, sinned at the beginning of creation, and since then we have all inherited what theologians call "original sin." We come into this world with sinful hearts, even as little babies.
King David wrote in Psalm 51 about his own sinful nature:
Psa 51:2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Psa 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Psa 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
And Paul taught the Church about the universality of sin in the book of Romans:
Rom 3:9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
Rom 3:10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;
Rom 3:11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
Rom 3:12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
We are "children of wrath" by our very nature. Paul elaborated on that idea in his letter to the Ephesians:
Eph 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
Eph 2:2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Eph 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
II. Sin is Pervasive.
Not only are we all sinners, but almost everything we do is stained with sin, even the good things.
Isa 64:6 "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."
We may think that we are able to do good deeds that are pleasing to God. Most Americans think that when they die God will put their deeds in a balance, and weight the good ones against the bad ones. But that won't work. Why not? Three words.
"Motivation."
When a person who is rejecting Christ, and rejecting the Gospel does a good deed, what is he actually doing? For example, if Saddam Hussein had built a hospital for crippled children in Iraq. What could be the harm in that? Well, what was his motivation? Was it purely to be kind? Was it to please Jehovah? No. It would have been to somehow bring glory to himself, or to make himself feel that he was good.
Bringing this idea closer to home, the reason that many Americans go to church every now and then is often to ease a guilty conscience, or to somehow earn favor with God. Thus a good deed, because of selfish motivations, becomes a bad deed in God's eyes.
"Ignorance."
People are constantly committing sins without knowing it. As the old saying goes, ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Once while driving through Missouri I exited the interstate where the posted speed limit was 70 to another road, the speed limit of which was 55. I was ignorant about the drop in speed limit, but that didn't matter to the patrolman who pulled me over and gave me a ticket. I was ignorant, but that was not an acceptable excuse. I had broken the law, and had to pay the fine. We often commit sins, because we don't know what we are doing, or we are not thinking about the results of what we are doing.
"Conscience."
People often commit sins because their consciences have become unable to tell what is sinful and what is not sinful.
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" (Isaiah 5:20-21)
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron..." (I Timothy 4:1-2)
The Episcopalians earlier this year elected a practicing homosexual Bishop, and they call it a good thing, a Godly and righteous thing. The fact of the matter is, their consciences no longer work. They have become unable to distinguish between good and evil. Much of the sin in our society is based on this fact, that the consciences of many Americans have become broken, and no longer work reliably.
We may also be guilty of committing a sin of "omission." There are sins of "commission," and sins of "omission." Things we do, that we should not do; and things we don't do, and should be doing.
When Mark and Clarice Molenkof went to South Africa to be missionaries, they failed to pay South African income tax for a number of years, and now have a bill with the South African government for about $30,000! They did not DO something wrong, but they FAILED TO DO something that was required of them, and they didn't even know what they had failed to do! Likewise, people often OUGHT to be doing certain things that God requires, but omit the doing.
My point: sin is pervasive all around us, and often in our own lives. Unfortunately, we tend to see the sins of others, more than we see our own.
III. Sin is Deadly.
Sin is deadly for two reasons: 1) Sin is basically harmful to the sinner, and those around him. 2) Sin arouses God's wrath.
Sin is harmful to the sinner, and to society.
This is quite an obvious fact. If a person sins by being sexually promiscuous, he/she is very likely to catch a painful, and perhaps even deadly disease, and die. If a person sins by stealing from a bank, he may likely be shot by a guard, or imprisoned for a long time. All sins have consequences. "Be sure, your sins WILL find you out!"
It is also true that a person's sins are harmful to those around him. Murder, stealing, adultery, and so on, are obviously harmful. If a person is a drunkard, his sin will clearly be harmful to himself, but also to his wife and children. If a person gives in to the sin of over-indulgence in buying lottery tickets, his family may find themselves homeless and hungry. Remember this about sin: You WILL be caught. You WILL pay for your sins. Your family and others around you WILL ALSO suffer because of your sins.
More importantly, sin arouses the wrath of God.
We don't hear much about the wrath of God these days. God is to nice to have wrath. God is too nice to punish sin. God will just turn a blind eye, forgive everyone everything, and take every one to Heaven, or so we tend to think. However, the Bible tells us plainly that our sins make God very angry.
John the Baptist's message:
Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Mat 3:8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Mat 3:9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
Jesus said:
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.
Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness...
Rom 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
Rom 2:6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done."
Rom 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
Rom 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
The book of Revelation gives us a picture of the end times:
Rev 6:16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
Rev 6:17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
Adam and Eve sinned, and God cast them out of Eden. The world of Noah's time was sinful, and God killed the entire human race, except for Noah and his family. God is a God of holiness. He is extremely offended and angered by sin, which is repugnant and repulsive in His eyes. He is a holy God, and Heaven is a holy place, and nothing unclean or sinful can ever abide in Heaven.
IV. Sin is Paid For.
In the perfect sacrifice of His eternal Son, God has graciously paid for all the sins of all who will repent, and put their faith in Jesus only for salvation.
1 Th 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Th 5:10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
1 Th 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13).
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:18-19).
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev. 5:9).
Conclusion:
Are YOU one of the redeemed? Have you repented of your sins, and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If not, why not right now? As Paul and Silas said the the Philippian jailor: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved."