“All have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 AMP)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 AMP)
What is Sin?
Sin entered God’s perfect creation causing it to become temporarily imperfect. Adam, the first man, also became the first man to “rebel” against God. Created in God’s image, Adam possessed the free will to either obey or disobey Him. His choice to sin marked the introduction of “evil” into the world through sin and death and from the very moment we were born into sin, our bodies began to die.
Even though it was Eve who sinned first, God had directly commanded Adam with the warning, “for when you eat from it, you will certainly die” and it was he who bore the full responsibility for sin. God had commanded it. It was not a suggestion.
According to the Bible, as descendants of Adam, we all share the curse of sinning and falling short of God’s glory. The consequence of one sin, any sin, all sin is death and eternal separation from God in a place where God will not be. Despite having not signed up for sin and its consequences, we all inherited the sin nature. We all became sinners. (Romans 3:23 & 6:23)
Our sin provokes God’s wrath, a powerful and just anger. When we sin, it not only angers God but also places us under His rightful judgment. This doesn’t imply that God is malicious, ill-tempered, or vindictive. Instead, it signifies His hatred for evil, his refusal to compromise with it and his unwillingness to tolerate it.
This simple three-letter word carries a significant meaning. In the Bible, sin is defined as breaking God’s law, an act of disobedience or rebellion against God and a declaration of independence from God. But having an independent spirit creates a bigger problem: it severs our connection with God. You were made by God, and even the next beat of your heart relies on Him. In reality, you’re not independent from God, no matter what you might believe. Most crucially, when you die, you will inevitably face Him in judgement. How helpful will your independent attitude be then?
Sin is, at its core, an act of insulting and displaying contempt for God. It reveals that humanity considers sin more desirable than God. In the midst of sin, our selfish desires take precedence over His goodness.
Sin is also described as “missing the mark” of God’s holy standard of righteousness, that which is right, moral and just. But simply put, sin means doing anything that does not please God. Just think of the many things we do that if we just asked ourselves “Does this please God? Is what I’m doing right now pleasing to God in any way?” If the answer is “no” and you do it anyway while being fully aware of your lack of reverence for God, then we must understand His wrath. Sinful man has a heart problem.
“For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make man unclean.” (Mark: 7:21-23) The list of sins is endless.
As a sinner, you sin because you want to sin. You freely choose to sin no matter what the consequences are. By choosing to sin you choose to openly reject Christ for all to see.
Choosing to sin signifies that, at that moment, your urge and desire to commit the sin outweigh your desire to obey Jesus. If following Christ were a higher priority, you would do everything to refrain from sinning. In every choice, we tend to align with our strongest inclinations and desires. Stating that sin holds a stronger sway than Christ reveals a lot about your true priorities and character.
The problem with sinners isn’t a loss of the ability to make right choices after their fall. Sinners still have the capacity to think and make right choices. With an inherent inclination towards evil and a desire for sin, individuals often give in to sinful actions.
According to the Bible, people are in bondage, ensnared by sin, resulting in a loss of moral freedom. Although we can still make choices, our tendencies lean toward wrongdoing rather than doing what is right. No one is entirely good or free from sin. It’s not the quantity of sin or the magnitude of sin, but any sin at all, that creates a separation from God, revealing an internal issue. The solution lies in exchanging our sin-damaged heart for a new one, which only his Holy Spirit can do through salvation as we are born again.
Sin is real and holds great significance. We are all sinners, by our own choices and there are “eternal” consequences for them.
If sin separates us from God and leads to death, how can we break free from its curse? Here’s the bad news first: There is nothing that sinful man can do to save themselves from the wrath of God and his justice; not works of any kind. But the Good News is this: God offers a solution through his Son, Jesus Christ, providing believers a way to seek redemption; to be saved only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ!
There is no other way.
Next Page (God’s Plan of Redemption)
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