“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Sin is targeted to the individual, subtle, pervasive and deadly.
When the early church father Chrysostom remarked, “I fear nothing but sin,” he correctly identified sin as the greatest threat any person faces. Sin mars all the relationships people are involved in: with other people, with themselves, and, most significantly, with God. Sin causes suffering, disease, and death in the physical realm and also causes spiritual death — eternal separation from God in Hell.
Because sin is so deadly, we need to carefully define it, so we can understand and avoid it. First John 3:4 sums up the essence of sin when it says, “Sin is lawlessness.” Sin is refusing to obey God’s law; it is rejecting God’s standards; it is, in fact, living as if God did not exist.
In 1 John 5:17, the apostle John adds to his definition of sin, describing it as “unrighteousness.” James defines sin as failing to do what is good (James 4:17). Paul defines it as lack of faith (Romans 14:23). Sin is the ultimate act of ingratitude toward the God “who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).
Sin pollutes the sinner, prompting Paul to refer to it as that “defilement of flesh and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1) from which sinners are in desperate need of cleansing. No amount of human effort, however, can cleanse a person of sin. Such self-effort is as futile as attempting to change the color of one’s skin (Jeremiah 13:23). Only through the death of Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12), is forgiveness and cleansing available (1 John 1:7).
Sin is the only thing that God hates (cf. Jeremiah 44:4), and so must believers (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:15). The great Puritan writer Thomas Watson noted that a prerequisite for sanctification is such hatred for sin. Renew your commitment today to grow in your relationship with the Lord by hating evil (Proverbs 8:13).
Pray for yourself and others that you would not be deceived by the subtleness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).
Prayer
Lord, I am a sinful human being, surrounded by the sin in this world. Grant me Your grace and mercy and forgive me of my sin. Protect me from the sin of this world, and strengthen me so that my focus is always on You.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
