Author: Gary Witcher

Freedom from Sin (1)

There is a little, three-letter word that many people would like to remove from the English language.
For these people, the concept of "sin” is something that they would rather live without. We have mentioned before that modern society seems to be trying to rid itself of the idea of "right" and "wrong."  The feeling about "sin" fits in the same category.
The basic idea is that, if there is no such thing as "wrong" or "sin," then everyone is free to do as he pleases.
Of course, the concept remains regardless of what society chooses to believe.  Some things are right.  Some things are wrong.   And sin does exist.
What is sin?  The dictionary definition of the original word is to "miss the mark."  It carries the idea of an arrow that misses the target.  Sin could also be defined as disobedience to God.
There are many passages in the Bible that deal with sin.  Let's look at a few of them to help us better understand what sin is all about.
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save; neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear," Isaiah 59:1,2 explains. "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, so that He does not hear."
"Their feet run to evil,” Isaiah says about sinners in verses 7,8 of the same chapter, "and they hasten to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, devastation and destruction are in their highways.
"They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks; they have made their paths crooked; whoever treads on them does not know peace."
"Transgression and denying the Lord,” the prophet continues in verses 13-15, “and turning away from God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.
"And justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.
"Yes, truth is lacking; and he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey.  Now the Lord saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice."
Solomon informs us of seven sins with his list in Proverbs 6:16-19.
"There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers."
	John gives us another list in Revelation 21:8.
"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
And Paul provides us with still another list in 1 Corinthians 6:9,l0.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?" he explains.  "Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
Sin often involves giving in to the desires of the flesh.
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carryout the desire of the flesh," Paul advises in Galatians 5:16,17.  "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident," he points out in verses 19-21, "which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
What does sin have to do with us?  We have already seen in Isaiah 59 that sin has created a separation between God and us.  There was a time when mankind lived in a much closer relationship with God.  But sin entered the world and changed everything.  There was a time in each of our own lives when, as children, we enjoyed a closer relationship with God.   But sin entered each of our lives and changed everything.
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin," Paul notes in Romans 5:12,13,  "and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."
"What then?  Are we better than they?" Paul asks his Jewish brothers in Romans 3:9. "Not at all," he replies, "for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin."
Paul states it even more simply in verse 23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
So, sin does exist, whether or not the world wants to acknowledge it.  And, more than that, all of us are guilty of sin.  As a result of sin, we are separated from God.

Sin does exist, whether or not the world wants to acknowledge it.  And, more than that, all of us are guilty of sin.  As a result of sin, we are separated from God.

But we still haven’t explained what consequence this separation from God through sin means for us.
"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience," Paul states in Romans 6:16, "you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?"
It doesn't sound like such a difficult choice, does it?  The language of this chapter makes   it clear there are just two possibilities.  Jesus points out in Matthew 6:24 that we can serve only one of these two masters.  Paul tells us here in Romans that the consequence of one is death, while the outcome of the other is life.
"For the outcome of those things is death," Paul says in verse 21 of what is done as a slave of sin.
"For the wages of sin is death,” he explains in the first part of verse 23.
So the result of sin is spiritual death. God told Adam and Eve from the beginning that they would "surely die" if they disobeyed Him.
Satan has said from the beginning that those who disobey God "would not surely die." Has he changed his tactics much over the years?
"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once," Hebrews 9:27 reminds us,  "and after this comes the judgment."
Verses 26,27 and 31 of the next chapter complete the picture.
"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth," it says, "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
"It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
What have we learned so far?  There was a time when we had a close relationship with God. But sin entered the picture and created a separation between our Maker and us. All are guilty of sin.  The consequence of sin is death.  After death comes the judgment, and this judgment will be a terrible thing for anyone who is separated from God.
Of course, this is only one side of the picture.  We all know that there is something that is able to set us free from all this.
Be sure and listen next week when we will discuss, Lord willing, what happens when the truth sets us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."