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| Sin |
| Introduction Definition: Isaiah 59:2 Matthew 12:31-32 & Mark 3:28-29 1 John 3:4 Matthew 12:10-12 Matthew 22:34-40 Conclusion |
| Sin is a term that is often misunderstood by many today, or simply a topic that is ignored. As Christians, we must understand what Sin is and what God says about it. In the Bible, the Hebrew and Greek words translated as Sin actually have the meaning of 'transgression' or 'missing the mark.' An analogy of a transgression is to go beyond a set boundary in a sports competition. In Exodus 20:14 God set the boundary in marriage 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' An analogy of 'missing the mark' would be like that of an archer missing the bulls-eye of the target. The archer hits the target, but the shot is less than perfect. Jesus clearly illustrates this in Matthew 5:28 'But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.' Has the man carried out the physical act of adultery? No, but he has still missed the mark of perfection. Many today shy away from the word 'hate.' So many focus on love and feel uneasy about hate. Yet, it must be remembered that God hates sin. God loves each and every one of us, but it is sin that separates us from Him. The Apostle Paul states that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God does not hate a sinner, but He does hate the act of sin. And when we sin, we very much earn a sentence of death. Thankfully, we have Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as atonement for our sin if we are willing to repent. All sins are forgivable but for the sin of 'blaspheming the Holy Spirit.' Blaspheming is to slander or curse someone. Since the Holy Spirit is part of the triune Godhead, slandering the Holy Spirit is in fact slandering God himself. Obviously this is someone who has rejected the authority of God and has never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When we sin, we are rebelling against the authority of God and breaking the rules that God has made for us. Often times we feel that we are doing good because our sins are only 'small sins.' But whether we tell a 'little white lie' or we murder someone, we are rebelling against God. We believe that we are justified in telling a 'white lie' because we believe we know what is best. Yet, the person who goes on a killing spree and murders someone also feels justified in their action. With that said, it should be remembered that the consequences for our sins may be very different depending on what sin we have committed. The consequences for telling someone a 'white lie' are very different from the consequences for murder. The Old Testament law stated that you were to work six days but that on the seventh day you were to rest. The Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus had taken upon themselves to decide that 'healing' was 'work' and therefore a sin. Jesus showed them the error of their thinking. From time to time, we all take a legalist view of sin. How often do we condemn a tradition that differs from our own? How often do we broadly condemn some activity or item as sin? Romans 14:2-3 gives us a good example of not judging someone. It is without question that we all miss this mark that Jesus set before us. We sin against these two great commandments for we have pride, envy, lust, and hatred. Some may question whether these two commandments supersede the Old Testament's 10 Commandments. In fact, these two commandments place the 10 Commandments into two distinct groups. The first four commandments (ban on other gods, graven images, taking the Lords name in vain, and breaking the Sabbath) go to the heart of loving the Lord with all you heart, soul, and mind. The last six commandments (ban on dishonoring you parents, murder, adultery, stealing, perjury, and coveting) go to the heart of loving your neighbor. Sin separates us from God. Throughout the Bible there are clear illustrations of what God expects of us and when we fall short then we have sinned. Yet, the Bible is not a set of rules God has set before us to live by. It is a book about our relationship with God and our fellow man. In all things, the Lord is our guide in what is and what is not sin. |
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