“The Problem with Sin”
March 18, 2018
1 John 3:4-10
“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”
The last time I spoke with you I shared with you some Scriptures that changed my life. This morning I want to talk to you about a concept that changed my life. That concept is sin. I have to tell you, at one time I could care less about sin. I didn’t care what man or God thought of me. I was only concerned about me and my pleasure and getting my way. That changed. I found out that self-seeking and hedonism is an allusion and a lie. It promises so much happiness and pleasure but ends up giving you so much more pain than pleasure. The Bible talks about sin bringing “pleasure for a season” or “the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) and there IS pleasure in sin for a little bit, otherwise we wouldn’t do it. But the consequences of sin far outweigh the pleasure. The pain is far greater than any pleasure. The Bible talks of Satan, the great tempter, as coming as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Sin certainly has its appeal. Sin has its attraction. It promises much – but delivers death. The Bible says the wages or results of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The prophet said “the soul that sins shall die! (Ezekiel 18:20) Sin is a broad and wide road that is easy to get on that leads to hell.
That’s some pretty serious stuff. If something was life threatening to me I would want to know about it, wouldn’t you? I think you would – so I am going to share some things about sin this morning that could save your immortal soul.
First, let’s define sin. There is much confusion about what sin even is and no wonder. The enemy of our souls wants us to be confused and darkened in our knowledge of sin. Our own flesh would betray us because we lie to ourselves that our way is the best way. It isn’t. Listen to what the Bible says about sin.
“…everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23
“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4
“All wrongdoing is sin…” 1 John 5:17
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:17
Doesn’t that clear things up? Probably not. There were at least nine different words in Hebrew alone that the English defines as the one word ‘sin’.
The Greek word “hamartia” is most often used for sin today in most churches. It means ‘missing the mark’. The bullseye is God’s will and to miss it is to sin. But it is not that easy to define. What was our intent? Did we miss on purpose or did we miss accidently?
When I was a young Christian I wrestled with this question, “What if I serve the Lord to the best of my ability all my life and on Judgment Day find out there were sins I had forgotten and didn’t confess? Would I go to hell?”
That concerned me. It troubled me. I wrestled with it for quite some time. Then one day the Lord brought this Scripture to my attention.
“27 “‘But if just one person sins unintentionally, that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28 The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven. 29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.
30 “‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. 31 Because they have despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.’” Numbers 15:27-31
Do you see there are two types of sin here? There is the unintentional sin and the defiant sin. There is atonement; there is forgiveness for the unintentional sin – but not for the defiant sin. The one who disrespects the Lord; the one who blasphemes the Lord; the one who despises His word is to be cut off from God’s people. In the example following this Scripture a man was killed because He gathered firewood on the Sabbath. Seems kind of harsh – until you realize it was not the act but the intent. It was not the action but the motivation and attitude of the heart. He wasn’t killed because he broke God’s law. He was killed because he disrespected God; did not fear Him; rebelled against Him. They were all given God’s law; they knew His will. This guy says, “Forget YOU, God! I’m doing what I want!” It was not action that caused his death – but attitude.
The Jewish people took intent out of the law and the act of breaking the law became the sin to them. So in Jesus’ day a man could say he kept ALL the commands since his youth. Jesus got to the heart of the matter – his money. Jesus taught you didn’t even have to commit the act – you could just think about doing it in your heart and it was sin. “If you would if you could – even if you don’t- you did!” Jesus taught adultery is not just the act – but if you look on a woman in lust – you have sinned. Sin is an attitude more than an action.
Today most Christian churches have accepted either John Calvin’s definition of sin or John Westley’s definition. Calvin says ‘sin is a deviation of the perfect will of God’. Well, no one is smart enough, pure enough, strong enough to do God’s perfect will – so the conclusion is that we all sin every day in word, thought, and deed. But if that is the definition of sin then we have to conclude Jesus sinned. His will clearly was not the same as the Father’s in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed, “Not My will – but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). And the Bible tells us that Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22)
John Westley’s definition is more biblical, in my opinion. He stated, “Sin is a willful, deliberate act against a known law or God.” In other words, you knowingly go against God’s will. That’s similar to the Scripture we read in Numbers, isn’t it? You see, you don’t have to worry about those wrong things you did or do unknowingly. The Sacrifice has been made. That’s one of the reasons Jesus died on the cross. He is the Lamb of God.
Okay, are we clear on what sin is? Let me reiterate that sin will always hurt you. It will always end in pain. The result of sin is death. Sin separates us from God; from each other; and from the good we seek. It hardens us and turns our hearts into stone. You can see examples of that every day in the newspaper, television, or computer. People do horrible things even to their own family members. Some people are so hardened as to get pleasure out of other people’s pain. It is a sick, sin hardened individual who could hurt a baby or a child or the innocent. But that is what sin does. The bad news is we all have sinned and come short of the glory God intended for us. The Good news is that there is a solution. Listen to the word of the Lord.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 1:18-20
God wants us to think about it. He wants to reason with us. He knows our dilemma and He has the solution. In fact HE IS the solution.
“…we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John 2:1b-2
“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” Romans 3:25
“For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” Hebrew 2:17
Do you understand that Jesus took your punishment on Himself. He paid the price for YOUR sin.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6
Jesus provided payment for our sin (which is death) and for the whole world. He died for the whole world. He paid the penalty for sin when He had no sin – for us and for everyone who ever lived or will live. And yet Jesus said that the road to hell is wide and easy and the gate is broad on the way to destruction. He said most people are on the wrong road.
Friends, we have made light of sin and light of the consequences of sin. We have made God a permissive old grandpa instead of a holy God whose nature cannot abide sin. And the consequences will be devastating to many.
The solution is so simply a child can do it. The Bible says,
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:7-9
The solution is to confess our sin. We all have sinned. We need to confess it. And that word actually means to ‘repent’ of it. Turn away from it. Most people will admit they sin. They will admit it is wrong. But they won’t turn away from it. They won’t stop doing it. If you want forgiveness of sin you need to repent of it. The Scripture says we are to ‘walk in the light’. We are to have fellowship with one another. And as we do the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. Jesus said His sheep hear his voice and they follow Him.
Folks, we need to be sorry for our sins. We need to feel sorrow for them. But that won’t save us. God doesn’t want a feeling. He wants a relationship with you. Feel sorry for your sin. Confess it. But most importantly repent of it and begin to follow the Savior’s lead. That is what this life is all about. God is choosing a team for eternity. He is choosing those who will follow and do His will. Many are called – but few are chosen. Do you want on the team? The chosen are those who repent and follow and do His will. It is a love relationship. Pray a prayer like this.
Jesus, I have sinned. I am sorry for ignoring you and rebelling against you. Forgive me and help me to walk in love with you. May my thoughts and the things I do and say be pleasing to You. Give me the courage and the strength to do the things I know you want me to do.
