What Is Sin? Series

WHAT IS SIN?

Romans 7:13-20

The answer is rebellion against God?

Paul says: “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” (Romans 7:19-20) Sin is the devils influence that has been planted in our hearts and that separates us from God, causing us to rebel against Him.

Sin, then, in its original form and to this very day, is INSUBORDINATION. It is rebellion against God’s revealed truth and will as we have it in the Bible and in real life. I must point out that sin is not only reserved for those who do not know Christ, but unfortunately it is something that is rampant in Christ’s Church.

Herbert Lockyer wrote a book entitled Sins of the Saints.

That’s you and I and here is a sample list that he presents. These are the sins that followers of Christ those who claim to have experienced the new birth yes indeed you and I still carry on and practice today:

THE SIN OF SADNESS

THE SIN OF INGRATITUDE

THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS

THE SIN OF DESPAIR

THE SIN OF JEALOUSY OR ENVY

THE SIN OF PRAYERLESSNESS

THE SIN OF UNBELIEF

THE SIN OF CARNALITY

THE SIN OF FAITHLESSNESS

THE SIN OF COMPLAINING

THE SIN OF BOREDOM

THE SIN OF FORBIDDEN ALLIANCES

THE SIN OF WORRY

THE SIN OF PRIDE

THE SIN OF MALICE

THE SIN OF AN UNBRIDLED TONGUE

THE SIN OF FRUITLESSNESS

THE SIN OF TEMPER

THE SIN OF SELF-IGNORANCE

Perhaps we should add our own. SINS OF OMISSION when we know what is right and fail to speak up or fail to act when called upon. Or with SINS OF COMMISSION, anything we do which we know to be a direct rebellion towards God’s will in our lives.

The Scriptures are packed full of instances of rebellion of the creatures (us) against the Creator. (GOD). This morning I want to spend some time sharing a bit of a survey about the issue of sin to hopefully better discover what may lead us to rebel against God and possibly ways to avoid such a misguided path in our lives.

Let us begin with the one who introduced sin into the picture. Lucifer a ranking member of the angelic host rebelled against God and God cast him down from heaven into the pits of hell together with one-third of the angels.

What was Lucifer’s sin? It is recorded in Isaiah 14:13 where Lucifer said: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides…”

You see God had assembled the heavenly host, that He might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon His Son. The Son was seated on the throne with the Father, and the heavenly throng of holy angels was gathered around them.

The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence.

The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son He had invested with authority to command the heavenly host. Especially was His Son to work in union with Himself in the anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth.

His Son would carry out His will and His purposes but would do nothing of Himself alone. For the Father’s will, would be fulfilled in Him.

This was apparently too much for Lucifer to bear and to accept, and he became insubordinate to the very person of God. Last week we learned that we believe that there is only one God who is infinitely perfect, who is the Creator, preserver and governor of all things.

Yet Lucifer believed he could be better that God. A clear case of the clay demanding that the potter shape it the way it wants to be shaped.

But who was Lucifer? What could possibly lead him to rebel against his maker in such a way?

Lucifer was actually an exalted angel of God. In fact his name is translated as the morning star. But clearly, he harbored feelings of envy and resentment toward God and the Son.

Specially, since Christ, God’s beloved Son was placed by God himself above all of the angels, even over this apparent agent of God, Lucifer.

As the angels bowed before God and his Son Jesus, Lucifer would do so also, but in his heart he deceived himself into thinking he could be greater than God and that he deserved the exalted position that Jesus had received.