The Seriousness of

Sin!

Each day we are reminded of the negative aspects of life that would harm or destroy us. Bacteria and viruses may invade our bodies and bring physical illness. Storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires may injure us and destroy our possessions. Speeding drivers may cause us a serious or even fatal accident. Neighborhood children may vandalize our property. Thieves may break into our homes and steal our possessions. Unethical salesmen may swindle money from us and utility companies may overcharge us. Newspapers, magazines, television, and the radio may harm our mind and soul. Even certain foods may undermine our health and bring long-term physical disease. Certain practices like smoking and taking drugs may harm our physical bodies and take us to an early grave.

We are all aware of these factors in the world that may be called "enemies" to our peace, safety, and security. If we are wise, we seek to protect ourselves from many of these harmful influences. We carefully spend money, time and effort to insure our health and welfare—as much as we can.

However, there is an "enemy" far more evil and destructive than anything we have mentioned. This enemy has deceived all of us to some degree in the past and most people are thoroughly deceived by it even today. This is the greatest enemy we will ever face in life—an enemy that will drag the vast majority of us to hell and eternal punishment. We refer to the enemy of SIN!

People joke about sin today and treat it casually. Some smilingly say, "Everything I like is either sinful, immoral, or fattening!" Most take sin for granted and realize that many things they do are sinful in the sight of God. Others are thoroughly deceived and are unaware that numerous things they do are sinful. We must admit that very few people today deeply grieve over their sins and seek to rid themselves of every aspect of this dreadful enemy of their soul.

God tells us that we sin in thought, attitude, word, and deed. We sin both knowingly and unknowingly. We sin unconsciously as well as deliberately. We sin by doing what we should not do and sin by failing to do what we should do. Sin is a dreadful enemy of our heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. Sin not only separates us from God presently, it will also separate us from God eternally!

If sin is such a terrible enemy, why do we cherish it so much? Why do we enjoy sin and long for it? Why do we freely participate in it and become captivated by it? Why is it that even churchgoing people or professing Christians seem to have a careless attitude toward sinning? Why is it that people—even religious people—can knowingly, purposely, and deliberately walk into sinful behavior and remain in such behavior? Why are they willing to remain in sin and wallow in it without seeking to run from it? Why do they not grieve over their sins, weep over them, repent of them, and forsake them?

There are many answers to these questions. Some simply do not believe what God has said regarding sin in His written Word. Some find so much pleasure in sin that they refuse to leave it. Others are so enslaved to sin that they find it too difficult to escape its confining chains. Still others wrongly believe that since Jesus died for sin, they need not be too concerned about conquering their own sin. Some may think they can superficially ask God for His forgiveness and this entitles them to continue in the same sin! There are people who ignorantly think of sin as a friend rather than the enemy that it is. People have devised numerous ways of justifying their life of sin and their casual attitude toward this destructive enemy. Sin definitely is deceptive!

What does the Bible say about sin? What are some of the reasons we should avoid sinning? God has provided us with many answers to this question. One reason should be sufficient—but He has given us dozens of them! Please thoughtfully consider the following and pray that God will help you to view sin as He does.

We Should Not Sin Because . . .

• The result of sin is death (Romans 6:16,21,23; 8:13).
  
• The Holy Spirit is grieved when one sins (Eph. 4:30).
  
• The Lord Jesus came to save us from sins (Matt. 1:21).
  
• Sin separates us from God (Col. 1:21; Isaiah 59:2).
  
• The one who sins is a slave of sin (John 8:34).
  
• The one who dies in sin cannot go to be with Jesus (John 8:21,24).
  
• The one who sins does not have eternal life (Rom. 6:22).
  
• The one who sins will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5).
  
• The Lord Jesus appeared to take away sins (1 John 3:5).
  
• The one who abides in Christ does not sin (1 John 3:6).
  
• The one who practices sin is of the devil (1 John 3:8).
  
• The one who sins will not dwell in the heavenly city (Rev. 21:27).
  
• The one who is born of God does not practice sin (1 John 3:9).
  
• The one who sins is a child of the devil (John 8:44; 1 John 3:10).
  
• The one who sins proves that he doesn’t love Jesus (Jn. 14:23-24).
  
• The one who sins does not abide in Jesus’ love (John 15:10).
  
• The one who goes on sinning willfully no longer has a sacrifice for
  sins but a terrifying expectation of judgment (Heb. 10:26-27).
  
• The one who sins will have a part in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8).
  
• Sin proceeds from within and defiles a person (Mark 7:21-23).
  
• Sin is not proper among saints (Eph. 5:3).
  
• Sin is hostility toward God (Rom. 8:7).
  
• The one who sins is under the wrath of God (Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:5-6; Rom. 1:18).
  
• The one who sins is walking in darkness and not walking as a child of light (Eph. 5:8).
  
• The one who sins is not alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11,13).
  
• The one who sins is condemned (Rom. 14:23).
  
• The one who deliberately sins insults the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29).
  
• The one who sins will receive the consequences of the wrong he has done (Col. 3:25).
  
• Sin is so serious that it is better to cut off our right hand or tear out our right eye than to sin and be thrown into the eternal fire of hell (Matt. 5:29-30; 18:8-9).
  
• The one who yields to temptation and sins will die (James 1:15).
  
• God will judge the one who sins (Heb. 13:4).
  
• When one sins, he violates the will of God (1 Thess. 4:3).
  
• One may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13).
  
• Christ came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb. 9:26).
  
• Christ came to bear our sins (Heb. 9:28).
  
• The God who called us is holy and sinless (1 Pet. 1:15-16).
  
• The one who sins does not know God (1 John 2:4).
  
• The love of God has not been perfected in the one who sins (1 John 2:5).
  
• The Christian has laid aside the old self of sin and has put on the new self of righteousness (Col. 3:9-10; Eph. 4:23-24).
  
• The Christian is to live as the sinless Christ lived (1 John 2:6).
  
• Christ is returning for His pure and undefiled bride, the community of saints (Eph. 5:26-27).
  
• The Christian is to imitate God who does not sin (Eph. 5:1).
  
• The one who overcomes sin will be clothed in white, have his name in the book of life, and be confessed before God in heaven (Rev. 3:4-5).

Are you able to see now why we must run from sin? Can you understand why willful, deliberate sin is so devastating? Do you see why we must hate and despise sin, renounce sin, and forsake all sin in our life? Paul declares, "Stop sinning" (1 Cor. 15:34). Will you personally come to God for His gracious forgiveness that is offered to you in Christ?

Richard Hollerman