Sunday, June
7, 2015 am
GOING ON TO PERFECTION
(19)
The Christian and Sin
Throughout this year, we have addressed various attitudes that formulate
the mindset of a Christian.
We have also noted what it means to be a Christian by examining various
descriptions we find in the New Testament.
It is now time to begin making some practical applications.
As
Christians, at the very foundation of our faith ought to be a desire to
please God. We please God by
not sinning. Therefore it
ought to be our desire to learn everything we can about sin so that we
can overcome it. So this month we are going to address the subject of
sin. Today we will define
what sin is and notice its consequences.
Next week we will talk about temptation.
Then we will address repentance and overcoming sin.
Finally we will discuss the conscience and discerning between
good and evil.
a.
In our society, sin is a
challenge to define. Not
because we do not have a definition, but because of the refusal to see
sin for what it really is.
Far too often today, man has sought to redefine sin.
They rename various sins to make them seem less offensive, they
attribute them to illnesses and conditions, they legalize and legitimize
it, and they reinterpret what the Bible says about sin, including
villainizing those who condemn sinful behavior, just to name a few ways.
Man has also mocked at sin, trivialized it, and even glorified it.
Beyond that, man has also redefined the consequences of sin.
But all of this does NOT change what the Bible says about sin.
b.
Defined –The word for
sin in the New Testament (ἁμαρτία,
hamartia) is defined as, “a departure from either human or divine
standards of uprightness.” (BDAG)
Louw & Nida defines it as, “to act contrary to the will and law of God.”
(L&N, 88.289)
Vines defines the term as, “a missing of the mark.”
It is an archery term which gives us a good idea of the term.
Imagine shooting arrows at a target.
If you overshoot it or undershoot it, or veer to the right or the
left, you have missed the mark.
Similarly, many sin by going beyond its boundaries and doing what
it forbids, others fall short by failing to do what is commanded, still
others veer away the truth of God’s word, some adding to it and others
taking away from it. In all
cases we have sin.
c.
1 John 3:4, “Whoever
commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”
The Bible plainly defines the word as to act without law
(authority).
One observation about sin that we find in this text is that is does not
put degrees upon sin. Man
has a tendency to think some sins are worse than others, but in the
Bible there is no real distinction.
If you break God’s laws you have sinned.
The very first sin, Genesis 3, was simply eating a piece of forbidden
fruit. A presumptuous
statement kept Moses out of the land of Canaan.
False fire caused Nadab and Abihu to be burned to death.
Uzziah died for simply touching the Ark of the Covenant. Ananias
and Saphira were struck dead for a lie.
In each of these instances, what we might call a minor
infraction, resulted in severe consequences.
God does not view sin in degrees.
James 2:10 tells us that whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in
one point is guilty of the whole law.
d.
Sin is a universal
problem. It spans all times
of history and social barriers.
In scripture we find this to be all who are of accountable age have
sinned. The only exception
to that is Jesus. Romans
3:23 tells us that all have sinned. This
is the conclusion of Paul describing both Jews and Gentiles as under
sin.
1 John 1:8-10 tells us that if we deny that we are sinners we deceive
ourselves, even to lying.
e.
There are 3 types of sin
–
1) commission - 1 John 3:4, 1 John 5:17 – all unrighteousness is sin.
2) omission, (James 4:17)
3) sins of conscience – acting with doubt (Romans 14:23)
f.
In the Bible sin is
described as darkness – John 3:19-20, like a cancer (2 Tim. 2:17), and
that which enslaves us (Rom. 6:17-20)
g.
Sin is so terrible it
required the blood of Jesus to achieve forgiveness.
The story of the Bible is one of redemption.
It begins with the fall of man in Genesis 3.
Following that, a plan is announced to deal with sin (Gen. 3:15).
The pages of scripture show the development, fulfilment and
implementation of that plan.
It is an incredible account within itself.
We sometimes call it, “the scheme of redemption.”
h.
We must be careful to
not view sin as man does. We
need to view it from God’s perspective in His word.
Until we fully understand sin, we will not fully deal with it
(both in attitude and action)
a.
National consequences – Prov. 14:34, “Righteousness
exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.”
Often sins contribute to the downfall of a nation.
As nations become more and more ungodly, their demise becomes
more likely.
b.
Societal consequences
– similar to national consequences.
Where there is sin within a society, there will be all sorts of
ungodly problems – higher crime, selfishness, immoral behaviors, broken
families, etc. Often, as
society grows worse, its leaders grow equally corrupt. “Because the
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Ecclesiastes
8:11, NKJV)
c.
Physical consequences – often times there are physical consequences to sin.
Ungodly attitudes often result in unhealthy behaviors and
increased physical and mental problems.
Many sins carry actual consequences as well.
AND, lest we forget, physical death is a consequence of sin –
Gen. 3:17-19, Romans 5:12 – death spread to all men because of sin in
the world.
Furthermore, sin can enslave us – Romans 6:12,
tells us to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies. Rom. 6:16
warns of being enslaved to sin
d.
Mental consequences
– sin often results in mental misery.
How many mental attitudes such as hatred, bitterness, jealousy,
resentment, anger, etc. are elevated because of ungodly behavior and at
times become the ungodly behavior themselves.
When our conscience is working properly, we WILL feel guilty as we sin
until we take care of it (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 – godly sorrow
produces repentance, Heb. 10:22 – having a pure conscience).
NOTE: The conscience can be damaged – 1 Tim. 4:2, 1 Tim. 1:19 –
rejected, 1 Cor. 8:7
e.
Spiritual consequences
– ultimately, sin puts us at enmity with God and brings about spiritual
death (separation).
Isaiah 59:1-2 speaks of our iniquities separating us from our God.
In Genesis 3:23-24, after the sin of Adam and Even they were driven out
of the garden and from the presence of God.
It can also affect our spiritual relationship with our brethren (cf. 1
Corinthians 5:3-5)
It affects our fellowship with God – 1 John 1:6-7.
f.
Eternal consequences
i.
Death – Romans 6:23
tells us the wages of sin is death.
IF not addressed in this life, the result will be eternal death.
ii.
In numerous lists of
sins we are told the consequence is we will not inherit the kingdom of
God. Galatians 5:21 – those
who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
That means we will be eternally lost and face the wrath of God.
Matt. 25:46, 2 Thess. 1:8-9, etc.
g.
Sin will always…
take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to
stay and cost you more than you want to pay
a.
God sent Jesus to die for our sins – John 3:16, Romans 5:6-8. Ephesians 2:8 – God “by grace”
saved us – that is He did His part (c. 2:1-10).
b.
We must be forgiven
– that means we must come in contact with His blood.
1 Peter 1:18-19 tells us we are redeemed with the precious blood
of Christ.
If you have never obeyed, become a Christian – Acts 22:16, 2:38.
If as a Christian, you become unfaithful or sin against God – take care
of it – 1 John 1:9
c.
We must put to death the man of sin – Not only have we been forgiven of our sins, we have
been freed from our sins. We
don’t have to live in sin anymore.
We can choose to stop sinning and we must!
Romans 6:7-14 – it no
longer has dominion over us.
Gal. 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ…,
Col. 3:9-10 –we have put to death the old man with his deeds.
We need to adequately understand repentance (a study later this month)
d.
Realize we do NOT have
to sin!
1 John 3:4-9 also emphasizes this.
As Christians we are told we CANNOT sin!
1 Cor. 10:13 is a strong verse that tells us sin is always a choice.
Yes there are times obedience is difficult or comes with a strong
price, but NEVER do we HAVE TO sin!
James 4:7 tells us to submit to God and to resist the devil and he will
flee from you. (cf. 1 Peter 5:8-9)
And
thus we have an introduction to sin.
As Christians, if we are to go on to perfection we MUST deal with
the problem of sin. It is
here and it will not go away.
But we can keep it out of our lives if we have the mindset to do
so. What is your attitude
toward sin?