Hopefully you were able to read my last post, friend–because today, I want to go a step further into examining a little, three letter word named sin. I will be sharing my perspective on sin as a bible-believing Christian who lives my life with a biblical worldview. I believe the bible is the inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word of God.
What is sin? In simplest terms, sin is defined as disobedience to God. Sin are the actions of a person who is stepping outside of the will of God. Sin is the opposition of one’s being to what God has intended for man (In the bible, you will see sin referenced as iniquity and transgressions too. They all convey the similar idea of evil/lawlessness/disobedience, but they have slightly different meanings which you can read more about here)
Now that we have defined sin, let’s ask the question: Who is a sinner?
1. Is the murderer a sinner? Yes.
2. Is the rapist a sinner? Yes.
3. Is the teenage boy who’s fornicating a sinner? Yes.
4. Is the woman at your work who gossips and slanders her boss a sinner? Yes.
5. Is the man who gets drunk at football games a sinner? Yes.
6. Is the angry mother a sinner? Yes.
7. Is the young girl who gets jealous over her sister’s clothes a sinner? Yes.
8. Is the precious newborn child you just birthed into this world a sinner? Yes.
How do the first seven sinners compare to the last sinner I mentioned? I provided actions that we deem as sin, but with the newborn baby–how could he possibly be a sinner, one might ask? Well my friend, we are all sinners from the moment our mothers conceive us (Psalm 51:5). The act of conception does not make the child a sinner, but the fact that we are offspring from Adam and Eve does. Sin entered the world through one man–Adam (Romans 5:12). Understanding that there is no man that is good (Romans 3:10) and that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) is imperative to having a correct foundation for the gospel. (Why would we need a Savior if you believe that humanity is good?) You and I will never be good enough in the sight of God, but by the grace of our Lord–our Heavenly Father sent His one and only begotten Son to save us! (John 3:16)
Now, let’s talk about why it’s so easy to sin…
With the understanding that man, by nature, is a sinner–then answering why it’s so easy to sin is simple. Because it’s a part of who we are! In Mark 7:18-23, Jesus teaches how it’s not what enters a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him. It’s out of our heart that these evil thoughts, foolishness, and wickedness come from. All these evil things come from within us. Jeremiah 17:9-10 writes, “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” –sheesh! How can one claim we are good by nature when the bible completely obliterates that argument. Sin is a part of all of us, whether you like it or not; that’s the biblical worldview of it. So with sin a part of us, we must understand that the actions of sin then become a choice we make. We either live in sin, fulfilling the lusts of our flesh, or we live in righteousness and walk in the Spirit. The bible tells us in Galatians chapter 5 that these two things, our flesh and our Spirit, lust against one another. They are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish (Galatians 5:17).
We have free will here on earth. That’s why God has laid His existence on the conscience of His creation (man) so that we are without excuse (Romans 1:20), but have the free will to choose to follow Him or follow the world. If you read Romans 1:18-32, you will see the futility and blindness to those who serve the world over serving our Lord. It is the choices we freely make in our day to day lives that either glorify God or glorify our fleshly desires. The bible says in 1 John 2:16-17, “For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” These three things: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–make up our selfish desires when we choose walking in the flesh over walking in the Spirit, like I mentioned in the last paragraph. Verse 17 says, but those who do the will of God abide forever! We must be asking ourselves through prayer and wise counsel, if the actions we are doing are the will of God? When you read what the works of the flesh are versus the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:19-22, you should be able to discern the will of God for a follower of Christ. For example, some of the works of the flesh include: sexual immorality, idolatry, sorcery, jealousy, anger, drunkenness, orgies, and strife. Those are actions that go against the will of God. On the contrary, the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These actions, and way of living, are what pleases the Lord. Let’s also not forget another will of God for our lives written in Matthew 22:37-40: love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. When you dive into the Word of God (and prayer), you will learn more and more about what the Lord wills for His followers; however these verses that I mentioned are crucial and go back to our question about why it’s so easy to sin. When you don’t read God’s Word and you aren’t plugged into the Spirit, then falling into the works of the flesh (sin), comes more naturally than it would if you were always on guard walking in the Spirit and wearing your armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
My dear friend, the bottom line of this conversation is that we are all sinners in need of a Mighty Savior–Our Lord Jesus Christ! And if you are saved and have given your life to Christ, that doesn’t mean we should walk around willfully sinning our lives away. God knows your heart and He knows if you are being true to yourself. So whether you put on a facade for others or not, your heart belongs to God and He will know the truth that lies within you. Like John the Baptist along with our Savior once said, “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:15).
Repentance is another huge topic we need to be talking about in the Christian walk. (I’ll save it for another post!) But you don’t repent one time when you are saved and then move on with your life. You should be repenting daily for your shortcomings where you know you walked in the flesh and sinned against someone else and the Lord. These convictions are what believers call the Holy Spirit moving within us. And how do you stay in step with the Holy Spirit? By reading the bible, praying, and living a life that does not feed the flesh. Remember, the works of the flesh and the works of the Spirit are contrary. You’re fueling one more than the other on a daily basis. Let it always be the Spirit!
My last note on sin is that yes it’s easy to do, but it doesn’t mean it’s always easy to quit. If you are serious about your walk with the Lord, and are struggling with something that evidently goes against the will of God, then call on the body of Christ to help pray over you and encourage you to step out of the flesh and walk in the Spirit. It is only through the power of Christ that you will overcome. Each and every one of us believers may be struggling with something. Read this old post of mine to see a sin I struggled with (and occasionally still fall into!). I call on the power of Christ through prayer and His living Word to sharpen and mold me into His likeness. As a faithful believer, I don’t want anything to do with the ways of the world (the bible warns us that in James 4:4) I want to be set a part because I know this place isn’t my home. Praise be to the King of Kings!
Leave a Reply