Your Sin

Some people are saying, “Sin is an outdated word” and should be dropped from our
vocabulary. Today we’re going to talk about sin, something that affects all of us.

The Bible is the most important book that you’ll ever read. It’s the only book that tells you
where you came from, why you’re here, and what will happen after death. Scripture reveals
God’s love for mankind and how He’s dealt with our problem of sin. God’s desire for all men is
that they be saved from sin and live with Him eternally. Sin, however, keeps us from eternal life.
The Bible reveals the answer to sin and how we can live eternally with God.

Some people believe using the word “sinner” is offensive and a hindrance to Christianity.
Some claim that Jesus never called anyone a sinner. Several years ago, Dr. Karl Menninger saw
this change in attitude in American people and he wrote the book, Whatever Became of Sin?
More recently John MacArthur wrote the book, The Vanishing Conscience. Both of these men
realized that many had grown callous about their sin and had decided to ignore the concept of sin
altogether.

Does sin really exist? What does the Bible say about sin? What does it mean to be a sinner?
What’s the big deal about sin anyway? Is sin really so offensive that a person will spend an
eternity lost without God? Should we ever call anyone a sinner? In a politically correct world,
some have banned the word “sin” as being offensive. But, is the word “sin” really so bad that we
should never mention it? I realize some folks don’t want to hear about it, but sin is a real
problem! Ignoring sin won’t make it go away and it won’t turn something that is evil into
something that’s good.

Our reading today comes from the letter of James 1:13-16. “Let no one say when he is
tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does
not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he’s carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth
death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” Those are words from James, in the Word of
God, and we should take them seriously. Let’s pray together. Father, we’re grateful that You
love us and never tempt us. O Father, help us to keep in check and in control of our own desires.
May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The word “sin” is certainly a Biblical term. It’s used 221 times in the New Testament alone;
and the word “sinner” is used an additional 46 times. The Bible also uses other terms when
speaking of sin. Sin is sometimes described as an “error,” “iniquity,” “unrighteousness,” an
“evil,” a “trespass,” or a “transgression.” Sin is not some small thing that one can ignore or
dismiss. You’ll never find sin taken lightly in Scripture. You’ll never find Jesus saying that sin is
an outdated word. In fact, every time Jesus thought about sin, he called for repentance. He
recognized that sin was real.

You can hardly understand the purpose of Jesus without talking about sin. When Mary was
with child, the angel told Joseph, “she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he
will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). When John the Baptist introduced Jesus, he
said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29). More than
seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah who was to come.
He spoke about Jesus and how Jesus would bear our transgressions.

Isaiah 53:5-6 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our
iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we’ve turned every one to his own way; and the Lord
has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus died a cruel, ugly death upon a cross so that we
might be freed from sin. His suffering brought us forgiveness, grace, and peace. To suggest that
sin is an unimportant word makes a mockery of what Jesus did on the cross for you and for me. It
suggests that we don’t need His blood.

Sadly, some people don’t realize just how tragic sin truly is. Sin has caused much of our
greatest pain and has wasted countless lives. Sin, of some sort or another, is at the root of every
crime and every violent act; it’s brought so much guilt and shame, and so much pain. Calling sin
“outdated” doesn’t make it outdated. Relabeling sin only shows the attitude of the one who makes
this claim. God takes note of sin whether we do or not. When men sin, they sin against God—
they offend God. Sin is not merely a transgression against the law; it’s a transgression against
God’s law and God Himself, and it breaks his heart! There is no “victimless” sin for God is
always the victim.

Some people think of sin as something somebody else does. Nearly everyone can point to
someone they think is a worse sinner than themselves. But everyone sins. Paul said, “for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Every person who reaches the age
where he knows about God, and he knows about right and wrong, comes to that point where he
acts in defiance of God’s law and so sins. We all stand guilty before God.

Some people have categories of sin. They think “big” sins are really bad, but “little” sins are
no big deal. Or they figure others commit the big sins, while they themselves only commit little
ones. But all sins are bad. All sins transgress God’s law and break God’s heart. All sins go
against His will for our lives. Paul said, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and that
hasn’t changed. When he talks about death, he’s talking about spiritual death, that is separation
from God and from His grace.

Isaiah 59:1-2 explains, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his
ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your
God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” When people persist
in sin they build this barrier between themselves and God. This barrier means that God no longer
approves, that one doesn’t stand in His grace and receive His blessing.

Some people still don’t think they’ve sinned. However, John said, “If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not
sinned, why we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). People tend to lie to
themselves about many things. Some ignore warnings about the weather; others ignore warnings
about their souls.

When your sins aren’t forgiven, they will cost you your soul. Sin is no joke. Jesus said, “For
what will a man profit if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits his soul? Or what will a
man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His
Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:26-
27). Some people laugh about sin, but no one will be laughing when Jesus comes again. Then
they will weep with regret that they didn’t change their lives and come to the Lord.

Sin not only has eternal consequences, it also creates sorrow in this life. Sin deceives and
hardens people’s hearts. Hebrews 3:12-13 says, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one
of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another
day after day, as long as it’s still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the
deceitfulness of sin.” Most people sin because they think it feels good, or because it’s
pleasurable; but in the end sin will harden your heart and hurt you. It’s deceptive and it’s cruel.

Sin will make a person desert every member of his family just to feed a habit.
We generally think of taking drugs or getting drunk as addictive and destructive behaviors, but
actually all sins become addictive and destructive. A person can become addicted to lying, to
gossip, to stealing, to anger, to sexual sins, and even to violence. These behaviors not only hurt
the person who does them, they also hurt other people. How many families have been destroyed
or impoverished because somebody thought they could sin and get away with it. The prisons are
full of people who thought they could get away with their sins, or people who knew they’d
someday get caught but wouldn’t give up their sins.

There is an unalterable law in Scripture about the life we choose to live, and you can’t cheat
this law or change it. You can’t wish it away or ignore it. Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Do not be
deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who
sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will
from the Spirit reap eternal life.” When a writer says, “Do not be deceived,” it’s usually because
people fool themselves and lie to themselves about the lives that they’re living.

Oh, I hope you’re not kidding yourself, thinking that you can live an immoral lifestyle and
avoid any consequences. You simply can’t. Sometimes those consequences are physical diseases
if you abuse your body. Sometimes they are shortened life if you commit crimes. Sometimes sin
breaks up families and destroys friendships. Sometimes sin enslaves us financially with heavy
debts like gambling does. The choices that you make today may cost you far more than you ever
dreamed in your health; or the spiritual drain in guilt, in money and friendships. My friend, if you
continue in sin, you won’t be the exception. You will someday reap what you sow.

The prodigal son wanted his inheritance, and he wanted it so that he could waste it on his
pleasures. That’s what a prodigal is, one who wastes his resources with reckless living. You
remember the story. “And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country,
he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country,
who sent him into the fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs
ate, and no one was giving him anything” (Luke 15:14-16). I tell you, when you live a selfish,
sinful lifestyle, the time comes when you run out of friends. Selfish people are friends only when
they see some benefit. As long as the prodigal son paid the bill, he had friends.

It was only when the prodigal son was desperate and alone that he began to see clearly about
sin. Verses 17 to 19 continue: “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my
father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!’ He said, ‘I’ll
get up and I’ll go to my father, and I’ll say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in
your sight; and I’m no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.’”
Sin dulls the senses, but reality wakes us up. Sin makes a person feel small in his own eyes. He
no longer felt worthy to be called a son of his father.

While sin leads only to shame and guilt, the wonderful thing is how much God loves us even
in our sin and guilt. Verses 20 to 24 reveal, “So he got up and he came to his father. But while he
was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and he ran to him and he
embraced him and he kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven
and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves,
‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his
feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this my son was dead and
has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.” God
rejoices when his prodigal children come home. He ran to meet his ragged, dirty, but penitent
son. He embraced and kissed him. It was a time of celebration, for his son was now alive and
found! God wants to find you, too. Sin will hurt you and embarrass you; but God still waits for
you because He loves you. No matter what your past has been, God wants to forgive you as you
turn away from the old evil life and come home to Him. God’s love is greater than our sin.

Paul said, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered
me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor
and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the
grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ
Jesus. It’s a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. And yet for this reason I found mercy,
so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example
for those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:12-16). My friend, there is
hope for you. If you’ll believe in the Lord, if you’ll repent of your sins, if you’ll confess His
name, if you’ll be baptized (that is immersed in water) for the forgiveness of your sins, you too
will become a child of God and a member of the Lord’s church. The prodigal son came home;
Saul of Tarsus came home. They found forgiveness, and so can you. Let’s pray together. Father,
we’re so grateful that Your love and grace is more than abundant and greater than our sin.
Father, help us to come to You, to be obedient to Your Word, and to love You with all our heart
and soul and mind and strength. Father, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In
Jesus’ name, Amen!

We’ve seen that sin matters; it’s not trivial. Scripture tells us that unresolved sin costs people
their souls. You remember Paul said, “The wages of sin is death.” That hasn’t changed in all the
centuries. Now “death” here is a reference to separation from God which lasts for eternity. Don’t
let Satan or the world fool you into believing that sin is no big deal. It’s the critical threat to your
soul and will cost you everything when Jesus comes again if it’s left unforgiven. If sin weren’t
such a big deal, Jesus would never have gone to such great lengths to atone for your sins by his
cruel death on the cross. Sin is not trivial when you consider the cross of Christ. Jesus didn’t die
for a petty, unimportant problem. He died for you because your sins are the greatest problem that
you face.

When you consider the Lord’s suffering, you can readily see His love. There’s no greater love
that a man can have than to lay down his life for his friends. That’s what Jesus did for you. He
wanted you to be free from sin and to live with Him eternally in heaven. “The wages of sin is
death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Forgiveness is a gift from God; and I would hate for you never to know how much God loves you
and wants to forgive you. If God takes sin and your soul that seriously, shouldn’t you take it
seriously? Don’t let anything keep you from having all the blessings of the Lord? Love Him,
serve Him, and obey Him.

To become a Christian, believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, repent of sin that separates you
from God, confess Jesus before others, and be baptized into Christ. Baptism is an immersion in
water for the forgiveness of sins. You’ll never regret obeying the Lord. So, do it today!

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