What is Sin?
Mark 7:20-23 - "He went on: 'What comes out of person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come -- sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person'" (NIV).
Luke 18:18-22 - "A certain ruler asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered. 'No one is good -- except God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.' 'All these I have kept since I was a boy,' he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me'" (NIV).
James 1:13-15 - "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (NIV).
In referring to problems with sin, we hear the common phrases, "I keep making the same mistake," or "I need to kick this bad habit," or "I just fell into sin," or "No one's perfect." With these phrases running through our minds and mouths, do we really understand what sin is? Is sin one of those annoying habits we keep going back to? It is that roadblock the enemy keeps throwing in our way?
What is God's perspective? Sin is rebellion against God. Our instructions from God are always clear. He is a good Father. Our choice to rebel against God and His ways is called sin. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve tried to blame their evil choices on each other and the serpent. But, God was clear that they had made a rebellious choice (Gen. 3:14-19). The devil never made them do it! In the same way, we sin when we feed our evil desires and then make the choice to turn against the most perfect, loving One in the universe. How foolish sin is! James 1:14-15 says, "…each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (NIV). This shows us the ultimate end of sin left unchecked… death. It is clear that sin is not a mistake or a bad habit. Rather, it is a wilful choice to reject God's word and ways. It is a choice that leads to death.
Why do I sin? Because I love it more than God. When we obey the call of sin, we reveal our heart's loyalty to it. Jesus said, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching" (John 14:23 NIV). So, it is our obedience that reveals our love. When we obey our sinful flesh, we show that we love our sin. It is our heart that desires sin… that chooses to latch on with affection. "For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come -- sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly" (Mark 7:21-22 NIV).
There are many categories and lists of sins in the Bible. They are listed below in the "For Further Study" section. It is clear from these passages that sin always has devastating consequences on our relationship with God, others and ourselves. And sin left unchecked ultimately leads to death - physical and spiritual death. When we don't understand the damage that our sin causes, we tend to treat it lightly… like a bad habit that needs to be kicked. A clear understanding of sin and the destructive consequences that it leaves behind should cause us to flee sin at all costs.
For More Study
Thoughts and Questions for Application
Memorization
James 1:13-15 - "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (NIV).
Luke 18:18-22 - "A certain ruler asked him, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered. 'No one is good -- except God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.' 'All these I have kept since I was a boy,' he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me'" (NIV).
James 1:13-15 - "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (NIV).
In referring to problems with sin, we hear the common phrases, "I keep making the same mistake," or "I need to kick this bad habit," or "I just fell into sin," or "No one's perfect." With these phrases running through our minds and mouths, do we really understand what sin is? Is sin one of those annoying habits we keep going back to? It is that roadblock the enemy keeps throwing in our way?
What is God's perspective? Sin is rebellion against God. Our instructions from God are always clear. He is a good Father. Our choice to rebel against God and His ways is called sin. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve tried to blame their evil choices on each other and the serpent. But, God was clear that they had made a rebellious choice (Gen. 3:14-19). The devil never made them do it! In the same way, we sin when we feed our evil desires and then make the choice to turn against the most perfect, loving One in the universe. How foolish sin is! James 1:14-15 says, "…each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (NIV). This shows us the ultimate end of sin left unchecked… death. It is clear that sin is not a mistake or a bad habit. Rather, it is a wilful choice to reject God's word and ways. It is a choice that leads to death.
Why do I sin? Because I love it more than God. When we obey the call of sin, we reveal our heart's loyalty to it. Jesus said, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching" (John 14:23 NIV). So, it is our obedience that reveals our love. When we obey our sinful flesh, we show that we love our sin. It is our heart that desires sin… that chooses to latch on with affection. "For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come -- sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly" (Mark 7:21-22 NIV).
There are many categories and lists of sins in the Bible. They are listed below in the "For Further Study" section. It is clear from these passages that sin always has devastating consequences on our relationship with God, others and ourselves. And sin left unchecked ultimately leads to death - physical and spiritual death. When we don't understand the damage that our sin causes, we tend to treat it lightly… like a bad habit that needs to be kicked. A clear understanding of sin and the destructive consequences that it leaves behind should cause us to flee sin at all costs.
For More Study
- Mark 7:20-23
- Rom. 1:28-32
- 1 Cor. 6:9-10
- Gal. 5:19-21
- Eph. 4:29 – 5:5
- 1 Tim. 1:9-11
- Rev. 21:8
Thoughts and Questions for Application
- Are there certain sins in your life that you tend to excuse as a bad habit or mistakes that you keep making?
- Do you agree that you sin because you love it more than God?
- As you read through the passages above, can you identify some of those sins in your own life?
Memorization
James 1:13-15 - "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (NIV).
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