Sin is a word with which few are or ever have been comfortable.  Sinners, being sinners, do not like to think of themselves as wrongdoers (especially after expending a lot of energy on moral relativism, rationalizing, excusing, and explaining away their guilt).  Want proof?  Bring up sin sometime and watch the speed with which conversation dies and the formerly chatty scatter.

For some, the problem is not clarity but confusion.  ‘If I admit that I’m a sinner, is that like saying I’m a bad person?  If I deny that I’m a sinner, is that like claiming that I’m perfect?  I don’t want to sound like I’m any better or any worse than the next person.  I mean, everybody makes a mistake from time-to-time, a poor choice, here or there.  I’m not a murderer or a thief or anything like THAT.  And who says I’m a sinner?  Some church-going hypocrite who likes to judge others?  I don’t do that.  I’m a good person.  God knows my heart.’

What IS sin, anyway?  According to the Bible, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (I John 3:4) 

Okay…so what does the musty old word, “transgress” mean?”  It means, to ‘violate established standards of behavior.’  To sin is to violate the law.  As the One who established the unchanging standard of the moral law, God is offended each time the law is broken.  This is why only He can forgive sin.  It is His law.

 Jesus Christ highlighted these principles when a paralytic was presented to Him for healing.  Rather than focus on the man’s physical well-being, as everyone else was doing, Jesus shocked the crowd by ignoring high hopes for a miraculous return of bodily health, prioritizing instead the man’s deeper and far more critical spiritual need.   Christ’s first words to the afflicted man were, “…Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee”. 

The reaction was swift and predictable: “And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, “This man blasphemeth.” [They understood that since only God can forgive sins, for Jesus to have said this was to claim to be God.]

“And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?  For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.  And he arose, and departed to his house.”  (Matthew 9:2-7) 

The gravity of sin can be difficult to convey to people who have grown accustomed to “getting away with” what they perceive to be small misdeeds—in thought, word or action.  When these “little” sins have no readily apparent consequences, a false sense of personal goodness develops and is reinforced over time.  Unable to discern the truth (that God is being patient with them, to allow time for repentance), they conclude that God cannot see, does not care about or cannot stop their sin, and may even sanction it.  Meanwhile, their consciences are untroubled by sins of omission, which they overlook completely, but which are just as offensive to God and just as damning.

This limited, incremental view of sin is hard to fathom, considering the catastrophic results of a single infraction by a couple you may have heard about called Adam, and Eve.  What was their experience?  A single broken command caused the tragic fall of the entire human race.

But sin is so much more than committing an infraction, as serious as that is.  Some of the synonyms for transgress are enlightening—words like “resist,” “defy,” “rebel.”  In its wider context, to sin is to act in a lawless manner, rejecting both the moral code and the One who established it.  

To sin is to show distrust of God’s character and motives.  It is to deny God’s authority to make the rules and His willingness and power to enforce them.  Sin is therefore a betrayal, reflecting an attitude of contempt and anarchy.  In the face of God’s undeniable goodness and generosity, it is treachery—treason, plain and simple.  Sin is the expression of a proud and disobedient heart, the product of a stubborn will and knees that will not bend, even before Almighty God.

It is manifestly clear that the Creator and the created do not see eye-to-eye on sin.  We consider sin a misdemeanor, a triviality, punishment for which, beyond a verbal reprimand or a slap on the wrist, is a travesty.  God sees sin as a capital offense, the punishment thereof a necessity, and for which high crimes death and damnation are the only appropriate penalties.

Sin attaches to us at conception, when we inherit a sinful nature from our parents.  Israel’s famous king David wrote: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)

Sin separates a person from a holy God and makes Him ‘deaf’ to the sinner’s prayers: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)  The presence of sinners and the absence of God make hell, hell.  The absence of sin and the presence of God are what makes heaven, heaven.

Sin is the root of all human misery.  It is the reason why humanity’s utopian schemes always go sideways, plagued with corruption and ending in violence and disaster.  We resolve to do better (and sometimes mean it), but because we are sinful, fail to follow through.  God warns against sin non-stop, swears by His own name that He means every word and has proven Himself proficient at giving justice to those who refuse mercy.

Sin kills eventually: “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12)

But there is good news.  There is hope.  The Apostle Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to write:

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (I Corinthians 15:1-4)

Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, sinless Son of the Holy One, stepped between us and the wrath of God, taking the punishment we deserved.  He suffered and died on the cross in our place to satisfy, not set aside, the law’s demand for justice.  In so doing, He broke sin’s stranglehold on us and set us free.  Just as Adam’s sin spread death to himself and his offspring, so Jesus’ guiltless sacrifice brings life to those who trust Him as Savior and receive Him as Lord.

The greatest news that there ever has been or ever could be, is that “…God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) But it is clear that God’s love for humanity does not save—else Jesus would not have had to actually come, actually suffer, actually die, actually be buried and actually resurrect. It is God’s grace (unmerited favor), acting through our faith, that saves. Such was God’s ingenious plan.  

Yet herein lies grave danger.  God’s outrage against sin is aroused and His righteous anger amplified exponentially toward those who reject Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf:

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  (Hebrews 10:26-31)

The Bible has much, much more to say about sin.  Some of it is very deep and there still remains some mystery about it.  This has been only a quick and shallow fly-by from interstellar space.  At best, it is only a summary of a few key facts—a “sin-opsis” one might say.  But it is sufficient for the purpose if it has awakened your concern without the use of guilt or fear.

So, my friend, I put the question to you: is sin a small matter in the eyes of God (especially since Christ has come)?  Can you afford to ignore the peril that your body and soul are in, if your sin is not covered by the blood of Christ, shed for you?  Or is it prudent under the circumstances, to repent and place yourself by faith, under Christ’s protection?  

Do you now understand the necessity of trusting in His mercy and grace, truly believing that if you confess and turn from your sins, God will keep His promise to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness?  Do you want the gift of pardon Jesus holds out to you, secured by His death, burial and resurrection?  I pray with all my heart that you do.  If that’s your heart’s desire, too, read on.

HOW TO BE SAVED:

• Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words, and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands).  This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
• Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
• Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can change you from the inside out.
• Trust His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams, and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  (Romans 10:9-10)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)
• “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31) 
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)