Sin

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:22-23

This week I was thinking about sin and the devastating eternal consequences of it.  I hate sin!  I hate that which is within me that motivates me to sin.  I hate sin in other people and the consequences of sin. 

It’s ironic…but when we are tempted to sin…when we choose to go down that wrong path…we don’t think beyond the moment.  We don’t see how it will impact us in the future and harm others too…like our spouses, children, friends, neighbors and co-workers. 

We blame God for sin when we say that He made us that way.  Well…no He didn’t.  Our sinful natures are a consequence of the fall.  God didn’t make us sinful…He paid the penalty for our sin through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  He paid the price so we don’t have to suffer the eternal consequences. 

• Sin is motivated by our selfish and prideful nature.
• We are willfully blinded to the cost of sin and the long term effect.
• We are no more like Satan than when we purposefully and willfully choose to sin against God and man. 
• We engage in it.
• We refuse to repent of it.
• We applaud others who engage in sin.
• We laugh at sin.
• We feel better about our own sin when we see someone who is more sinful. 
• We ignore it.
• We are too timid to confront others who are engaged in sin.
• We turn a blind eye to sin.
• We fail to recognize it on our own lives.
• We view sin as entertainment when it comes in the form in movies, books, TV and music. 
• We make excuses for sin.
• We call sin something other than what it is.
• We fail to recognize that sin is more than just the outward actions, but it starts and comes from within.
• What’s going on in my heart and my thought life is every bit as sinful as the person engaged in blatant outward sin
• Most people agree that murder, adultery and stealing are sinful.  But what about gossip or spreading a bad report?  What about murmuring or complaining?
• Unbelief is a sin…just ask the Jews who wandered in the desert for 40 years.  What about an ungrateful heart?
• We fail to grasp the eternal consequences of sin for those who refuse to accept God’s remedy through Christ Jesus our Lord.
• We put hell out of our mind and don’t think about eternal suffering and separation from God. 
• We cooperate with Satan when we sin.
• Satan delights in seeing a Christian sin because of the reproach it brings upon Jesus Christ. 
• Satan desires to keep humans created in God’s image out of heaven. 
• Hell is what we deserve…but if we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and His death on the cross as payment in full…we will be given that which we don’t deserve.