QUALIFYING SIN
Blinded By Ignorance
People do not seem to enjoy hearing sermons about sin; perhaps that is why we seldom take the time to really preach on the definition of sin. We leave people with an unclear perspective on sin in their lives. As a result, people consider sinning to be something others say is wrong; or sin might be doing what the law says is wrong; or perhaps it is just stuff the church says is wrong. In fact, things have gotten so bad that Christian even question if there is such a thing as sin. This situation is deplorable, and it is the preachers and teachers fault. While it is true that society, family, community, and the federal government establishes standards and regulations we are expected to follow, these are not necessarily scriptural definitions of sin. Violating these rules of man is frowned upon, and can result in our being punished; but this is not the same thing as standing guilty before God. Perhaps people do not like to hear sermons about sin but that is not justification for a preacher or a teacher to ignore teaching the truth about sin.
The truth is that we are guilty of leaving people ignorant when it comes to really understanding what sin is all about. Sin is not established through man’s law or societies standards; sin can only be defined by God. From a scriptural perspective, sin (hamartanó ) means "to miss the mark," which means to fail in meeting the standard established by God and taught by Jesus. By this definition, apart from Jesus, we are all failures … we are all sinners. (Romans 3:23) We can neither escape the reality of sin nor can we ignore the condemnation of sin; for it is because of sin that we are voluntarily choosing to spend eternity in hell. Isaiah wrote: 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. (Isaiah 59:2) Paul wrote: … Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, … (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). It is very clear that sin is our failure to obey everything Jesus taught (Matthew 28:16-20); and, we fail to obey everything Jesus taught because we are not truly convinced that we must follow everything Jesus taught; and, we are not fully convinced about the teachings of Jesus because we are ignorant when it comes to scripture. Ignorance, however, is no excuse.
Just because we are all sinners does not mean our ignorance is a situation that is acceptable to God. It is written, "Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) "If you love me, you will obey what I command....” (John 14:15-21) "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22). In his sermon on Mars Hill, Paul made it clear that God no longer overlooks man’s ignorance because God sent Jesus in the world that we might escape from our ignorance. James made it clear that there is no excuse for ignorance: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” We live a sinful lifestyle because we lack scriptural wisdom and it is this lack of spiritual wisdom that separates us from God. We lack spiritual wisdom because we have a tendency to let the society we live in define sin for us, and because we are fooled into believing the local legal system can define sin. Even with the best of intentions, we also fail when we look to our parents, friends, or church traditions for a definition of sin. We continue to fail because we look for the definition of sin in the world and we are ignorant when it comes to the teachings of Jesus.
Man Cannot Define Sin
Man has always done a lousy job of defining sin. For example, when tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and His disciples the Pharisees saw this and they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:10-11) In their corrupt mines they considered it a sin for someone to associate with non-church people. There was also a time when a sinful woman, probably a prostitute, washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, and anointed them with perfume. Now when the Pharisee, who had invited Jesus to dine with him, saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:39) The Pharisee, much like so called religious people today, was real good at defining sin for other people. But, just because these church men of authority were quick to define sin it did that make them correct. The fact is that man does not define sin.
Jesus knew what sin was and what sin was not; He did not need a Pharisee passing judgement on His actions. Jesus knew a sinner when He saw one, but He looked deeper than the immediate actions of the individual. Jesus could see what motivated a person. That is why Jesus had such a hard time associating with hypocritical church people. Jesus said: “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.’” (Matthew 15:7-8) Pharisees and scribes were experts at taking the word of God and twisting and warping it into all kinds of rules and regulation, which they then placed as burdens on the people. It is not that all of their rules and regulations were bad; it is just that they used these man-made laws as a tool for judging others. Most assuredly their rules and regulations sounded righteous, and may have even had some remote link to scripture, but thanks to their warping and twisting the word of God these laws were more from man then from God. It was almost as if the rules and regulations were designed to make it easy for them to condemn anyone who did not agree with them. Church people were, and still can be, defining sin in an attempt to set themselves apart from the rest of the world. In other words, sin was being defined by man … not by God.
The point is: our actions may be sinful but sin is not found in our actions; sin is found in the attitude producing these actions. Scripture makes it very clear that God defines sin at its point of origin and not at its manifestation. We cannot have sinful actions if we have not first had sinful thoughts. In fact, we may not have sinful actions; yet, if we have sinful thoughts we are still guilty of sin. That is why Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus also made the statement; “Hear and understand. It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” The Pharisees were very offended when they heard this statement, which confused the disciples, so Jesus explained that what goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated. But, the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and it is out of the heart come the actions which defile a person. (Matthew 15: 10-20) Paul explained it by saying that we walk in the flesh but we do not war according to the flesh. In other words, in our battle to remain loyal to Christ we must concentrate on developing the ability to take captive every thought and keep it in obedience to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) Most assuredly the sinful actions of a person are sinful, but even more dangerous are the sinful desires we harbor in our mind and heart.
We may never touch alcohol, and we may go to church three times a week, and we may act very pious; but this means nothing. It is like Isaiah said in his prayer:
For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
When man takes it upon himself to define sin, and when man establishes his own righteousness, man is in rebellion toward God. It is like Paul said: “… they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:1-4) This is why the ‘church’ is full of people who think they are above sin because they strictly adhere to the traditions of their church. These people make a conscious effort to impress other people with their churchiness; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments as if this is what makes them a Christian. They do not come close to realizing that when we take it upon ourselves to define sin in accordance with the dictates of our mind we only have a pretext of righteousness. We are like the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus told: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28) When we take it upon ourselves to define sin we have usurped the thrown of God, and now sit upon it defining sin and judging the world. The tragedy is not so much in our boldness, as it is in our ignorance; for we know not what sin really is.
Sin is Disobedience Toward God
Let us remember that we have been instructed to obey everything Jesus taught; we are not to obey what man has taught. Sin is disobedience toward God. God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Life but they disobeyed God and ate the fruit. As a result of their disobedience they were thrown out of the Garden of Eden and they eventually died. God told Moses to tell the Israelites, “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6) Well they didn’t do it, did they? As a result, out of all the Jews who escaped from Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were obedient; and they were the only ones to enter the Promised Land. God expected, no God demanded, obedience from those He had chosen to be His people. God still demand obedience from His people.
Christians are God’s chosen people and God demands obedience from them. Jesus told the Apostles to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and then they were to teach the people to obey all that He commanded. (Matthew 28:16-20) Jesus also said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” (John 14:15) and “blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28) God still demands obedience, but man still wallows in disobedience, and disobedience still brings death. James wrote, “But each one is tempted when he is 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.” (James 1:14-15) As preachers and teachers it is our sacred obligation to instruct the people to obey everything Jesus taught … failure to obey is sin.
The Cost of A Lifestyle of Sin
A sinful lifestyle, which is disobedience toward God, is made evident by our continued practicing of the deeds of the flesh, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. We have been warned that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God and they will suffer the second death. (Galatians 5:19-21) Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Therefore labor to obey everything Jesus taught. Be forewarned, immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting. For this we know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. Do not let anyone deceive you with the idea that God overlooks sin, for because of a sinful lifestyle the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:3-6) A sinful life style is not defined by man; a sinful lifestyle is defined by scripture … not by man’s interpretation of scripture …sin is defined by pure unaltered scripture alone.
God is not like preachers and teachers, who can be fooled and manipulated, and who are willing to compromise the standards they have established. That is why there is no magic prayer or special kind of baptism that guarantees you can return to your old sinful ways and still be saved. The fact is, you either accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and labor to remain faithful in not living a sinful life style, or you slide back into the sin you came out of. And when you do that you are as lost as you were before you knew Jesus. Scripture clearly tells us that sin cannot be allowed to exist as part of a Christian’s lifestyle.
In the Old Testament it is written: “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.” (Ezekiel 18:24)
It is as Peter said: “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”” (2 Peter 2:20-22)
The author of Hebrews writes: “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.” (Hebrews 6:4-20)
Jesus said: “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The author of Hebrews writes: For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-39)
So you see, we are all under the obligation to know what Jesus taught and to labor to remain obedient. This is why we must preach and we must teach the truth that a person who lives in a lifestyle of sin is lost … plain and simple as that. It does not matter what specific sinful lifestyle they are living; therefore, we have no right to judge on lifestyle as worse than the other. Ergo, we have no right to treat one sinner different from another. It all boils down to our need to educate the people about sin in general and the result of sin.
Conclusion
Nothing is a sin just because man says it is a sin. Sin is disobedience toward God; and, therefore only God has the authority to define sin. Thus, if you are a true Christian, your Christianity will be evident by your struggle to be obedient to what is written in the New Testament. It is pure hypocrisy to wallow in a sinful lifestyle and claim you are a Christian. If you are truly born again, you will live a life style that makes it obvious you are seriously battling to be obedient to the word of God … not the word of man.
Remember, man does not define sin: God does. And there are not different levels of sin. It is wrong for us to treat a homosexual with more harshness than we treat a gossip or greedy person. Sin is sin, and sin is rebellion toward God. No man has the right to judge one sin any different than another. God defines sin and the result of sin is clearly defined within the pages of the New Testament. Jesus said, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:12-16)
We have all sinned and we are all deserving of eternal punishment. If we say we are not a sinner we are a liar and the truth is not in us. Preacher, teacher, you bear the burden of telling the people the truth. It is our responsibility to keep the people from being ignorant about sin. Instead, we go ahead and tickle people’s ears with your warm and fuzzy sermons; we tell the people lies about God owning them health, wealth and happiness … hell is only half full and there is plenty of room left for us if we do not repent. Wake up and realize that man cannot pick and choose what he believes; we are obligated to obey everything Jesus and the Apostles taught. It is very simple, when we fail to obey everything Jesus taught we are sinning; when we continue to sin we are living a sinful lifestyle; when we live a sinful lifestyle we are lost and going to hell.
