Sin

Sin

MY QUESTIONS for GOD

Isn’t sin kind of an outdated word? What exactly is sin, anyway?

A MOMENT with GOD

All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.

Romans 3:12

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness.

Galatians 5:19-21

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

James 4:17

The words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.

Matthew 15:18-19

Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

Sin will always be an offensive word. We can talk openly and impersonally about crimes like rape and murder; we can calculate statistics about adultery, unwed mothers, and divorce; we can trivialize greed, selfishness, and lust (or even raise them as cultural values)—but to call anything sin makes us uncomfortable. The word sin implies the violation of an objective, absolute standard of behavior established by God. We almost instinctively feel like this is an infringement on our rights. Yet that reaction displays a terrible misunderstanding of sin and an underestimation of God. When a doctor correctly diagnoses a disease in your body, you do not accuse him of impinging on your freedom; rather, you are grateful because he can treat the disease before it destroys your life. The Bible teaches that sin is a disease of the soul. It will destroy your life and lead to spiritual death if you do not treat it. God’s standards of behavior are like preventative medicine; he prescribes them not to limit your freedom but to curtail the disease of sin. Not only is the antidote for sin free, but it also comes with the gift of eternal life.

DIVINE PROMISE

If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:9