How Serious is Sin?

• What is sin?

Sin is any transgression (offense or wrongdoing) of the law of God. Basically it is not doing what God tells us to do or doing what He tells us not to do in His word/law.

• How bad is sin?

Sin is disgusting and despicable in the sight of God. (Psalm 5:4-6, Psalm 11:5, Romans 3:23) God is SO holy, blameless, pure, and perfect, and He takes no pleasure in sin at all. (Psalm 18:30, Psalm 5:4) And if any sinner were to be in the presence of God, he would immediately die. (Exodus 33:20, Numbers 18:22, Isaiah 6:1-7)

• The 1st sin 

Before sin came into the world everything was perfect. But then the first man and woman rebelled against God. All it took was one sin, one act of disobedience, one rebellious decision. One sin, the first sin, was all it took for Adam and Eve to be separated from the holy and perfect presence of God. And then suffering and death became a reality. God calls us to glorify Him, and even one sin makes us fall short of this calling. One sin makes us guilty. 

• The consequence of sin  

So what's the big deal? I mean, what is the consequence of sin? Ezekiel tells us that "the soul who sins shall die." It was after sin that death entered this world. Sin causes us death. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages for our sins is death. But our sin causes not only death, but also separation from God. Isaiah 59:2, "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." This is shown when Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden after they sinned. Our sins cause us to not be able to have a perfect relationship with God spending time in His holy presence. 

So, how much sin does it take to deserve hell?

Some people think that because they try to be good and not sin too much, they don't deserve to go to hell. But the truth is that one sin is deserving of hell. We have already seen how one act of sin and rebellion makes us guilty. Hell is real, and every sinful human being deserves it, no matter how "good" they think they are. 

• What about me? 

We are all sinners. We are born with a sinful heart and nature. The problem is our heart. Our sinful heart is revealed in our sinful actions. So, in other words, it doesn't matter how much sin you "commit" outwardly, the problem is the heart. Even our thoughts can be sinful. Jesus tells us that hate and anger in our heart is just as bad as the act of murder and that lust is just as bad as the act of adultery.

Follow your heart . . . ❤ 

The world is constantly telling us to follow our hearts. But from a Biblical perspective, our hearts are sinful by nature. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?" By nature, our hearts desires are selfish and sinful (Eph. 2:3). Isaiah 57:17 "Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart." When we follow our hearts, as the world encourages us to, we will only end up dead in our sins. We will only be backsliding in the way of our own hearts, sliding right into sin against a holy and righteous God. In the book of Judges it tells of the times when Israel stopped following the LORD and instead did "what was right in their own eyes." But instead of bringing happiness and life, following our hearts leads to sin and sin leads to death.

• I'm not as bad as so and so

We hear this A LOT. People want to feel good about themselves and don't want to believe that they are wicked sinners. So they use the excuse that there are worse people out there. "I'm not as bad as others." "I'm a good person." "I try to be a good person." "I try to do more good than bad." "I don't think "blank" is really that bad of a sin." And the list goes on and on. But God is Judge. And He is a perfectly just God. So lets put this into an illustration: if a judge here on earth were to forgive and free a murderer because he wasn't as bad as others (I mean, he didn't kill as many people as Hitler or Stalin, so he's really not that bad), that would be outrageous! It wouldn't matter if he had done more good works than the amount of people he murdered. He would still need to pay for his crime(s). Well, if God is more just and holy than any earthly judge, then He cannot let sinners go free because they think they are better than others. Our sins deserve death and punishment.

• But I make up for it by doing good . . . 

Here's another good analogy: pretend you are drinking coffee or tea. ☕ Than imagine that I spit into it. You probably wouldn't drink it; right? 😝 Now let's say that I pour more coffee/tea into your cup. Now there is more coffee/tea in your cup than spit! Well, I know I still wouldn't drink it! That's because the ultimate problem - in this case, the spit - is still there. Well it's the same way with our sin. It doesn't matter if we have done a lot of good to make up for our sin. Sin is a crime against God, and it needs to be dealt with. Isaiah 64:6 "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Our good deeds mean nothing if we have sinned. The problem is still there and the price must be paid.

• But God forgives . . . right? 

A lot of people think that they'll go to heaven, even in spite of all this, simply because "God is a good and loving God and He will forgive me." Yes: God is a good (Psalm 143:10) and a loving God (Psalm 63: 3). But He is also a just and jealous God. (Ex 20:5, 34:14, Dt 32:4, Psalm 7:11) God has many attributes and every single one of them is perfect and unchanging. (Job 23:13, Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8) So how can God be forgiving and perfectly just at the same time? The answer is that someone has to pay the price. That's what Jesus did for us. Without Him, there is no way for us to be saved from God's wrath unless we lived a perfect, spotless, sinless life. Colossians 2:13-14 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross." 2 Cor. 9:15 "Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!"

The Gospel

God created the world and the whole universe. It was good and perfect and beautiful. The first people made were Adam and Eve. They were perfect and without sin. But one day they rebelled against God. This was serious. God is so holy and perfect that absolutely no sin or evil may dwell with Him. So after that 1st sin, mankind became separated from God. Mankind is born into a sinful nature, separating us from the very God who created us, the one whom we disobey. But that's not the end of the story. God loved us. Not because we were so great. No. We aren't. We are undeserving of His love. But yet He chose to love us. Love is a choice. It is the sacrifice of self. And God showed the greatest love ever to be demonstrated. He sent His only and perfect Son to this earth: Jesus. Jesus came to earth and was born in the likeness of man. He was fully God and fully man. He lived an absolutely perfect life. That's right! He lived on this earth around 30 years and never once sinned! He faced trials, temptation, and suffering just like us. But never once did He lash out in anger, give into temptation, or complain about His circumstances. He was sinless. He performed miracles, called people to follow Him, and taught many things. But then He did something astounding. You see, there is only one way to heaven. The only way to get to heaven and escape eternal punishment for our sins is to live a perfect life. That is NOT good news for us, is it? None of us is without sin. And even one sin is enough to condemn us to hell. The only way for us to be forgiven is through a perfect and holy, bloody sacrifice. The Israelites in Bible times would sacrifice lambs without any blemish. But even that was not enough. They had to live by the law and continue to bring sacrifices to the temple. But, like I said, Jesus did something astounding. He sacrificed His own perfect life for us. He died a brutal, bloody death to save us! He paid the ultimate sacrifice once and for all. He took the punishment for all the sins of the world on Himself. He had never sinned even once! And yet He faced that punishment out of love for the Father and for us! He is our Savior. After He died, He was buried. If that was the end, it would be a very sad story. Death would have defeated the Christ. But it is not the end! Three days after His death, Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead! He appeared to many, proving that He is alive! He then ascended into heaven where He is now! And everyone who confesses that He is Lord and puts their trust in Him and repents of their sins will be saved! What grace and mercy God has shown! This is the gospel. This is the good news. 

There is hope. We can be redeemed. Our sin is serious. But the Gospel brings us hope, reconciliation, and new life! May you live in the light of this glorious truth!

" . . . though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . . " -from Isaiah 1:18