Sin
Contents:
- What is sin?
- How did sin enter the world?
- Does everybody sin?
- What is the punishment for sin?
- Can my sins be forgiven?
- Do Christians have a "license to sin"?
What is sin?
God has many rules for us to live by... do not lie, do not cheat, do not steal, do not hate, do not murder... if you know it is right to do something than it is wrong to not do the right thing... God has hundreds of rules for us to live by. Originally God only had but one rule for humans to live by ("And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17).
To sin is to miss the mark God has set for us by breaking one of God's rules. Even just to break it once is to sin. Have you ever lied? Even just a little white lie? Have you ever stolen? Even just a penny? Have you ever said God's name in vain (as a cuss word)? These are all sins. God laid down laws for us to abide by, just as our Government today gives us laws to live by, and just as there are punishments for breaking the law wherever you live, there are punishments for breaking God's law.
"...by the law is the knowledge of sin." -Romans 3:20 God has not only given us the law in His Word the Bible so that we may know how to live good, spiritual lives, but also to show us that we are missing the mark he has set for us.
The Bible also says:
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." -James 2:10 This means that even if you tell just one little white lie, it is the same as stealing, cussing, doing drugs, cheating, and yes, even murder. Every law of God is a good, and just law, making them all equal. How many lies to you have to tell to be considered a liar? How many times to you have to steal to be considered a thief? The truth is, a white lie is just as bad a sin as telling a great big lie, and stealing even one penny is just as bad as stealing a million dollars.
How did sin enter the world?
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12
That one man that sinned was Adam, and of course his wife Eve sinned also. Through them, their original sin was passed on to each and every one of their descendent's (every person on earth).
If you read all of chapter 3 in the book of Genesis you learn the story of Adam and Eve (the first man and woman ever made). God created Adam and Eve (making him their father), and placed them in the Garden of Eden. The garden of Eden was a wonderful place, and God gave Adam and Eve all they needed. God only gave Adam and Eve one rule, and this is the first rule in history: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17
That one man that sinned was Adam, and of course his wife Eve sinned also. Through them, their original sin was passed on to each and every one of their descendent's (every person on earth).
If you read all of chapter 3 in the book of Genesis you learn the story of Adam and Eve (the first man and woman ever made). God created Adam and Eve (making him their father), and placed them in the Garden of Eden. The garden of Eden was a wonderful place, and God gave Adam and Eve all they needed. God only gave Adam and Eve one rule, and this is the first rule in history: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17
Adam and Eve went about their life doing as God commanded, eating what they wanted except from the forbidden tree. One day however, Lucifer (we also know him as Satan and the devil) descended from heaven in the form of a snake, and tricked Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." - Genesis 3:1-5
Now before Adam and Eve broke God's one and only rule, they had no troubles in their life... they walked around naked, and were content to be naked, because they were not cold, there were no harsh elements, and they didn't know what shame was. After they ate the forbidden fruit, they suddenly became ashamed of themselves for being naked. God came down to the Garden of Eden to find his children, and when he found them, they hid themselves because they were naked, and God found out that they had broke his one and only rule.
Because God was Adam and Eve's father (and is our father) he needed to punish Adam and Eve so that they would know what they did was wrong (just as a parent would punish their child for drawing on a white wall with a black permanent marker, or just as a parent would be displeased with their child for cussing, and punish them so that they would not do it again).
Does everybody sin?
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." -1John 1:8 "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." -Romans 3:10 Every man woman and child has sinned.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23 You may be a good person, but even sinning just once (which we all have) we still fall short of the Glory of God (we miss the mark), because God is without sin.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12 We are all descendent's of Adam and Eve, and because Adam and Eve sinned, we are then born into sin because it is passed on to us, so even if you've never lied cheated or stolen, you are still guilty of sin. Alarming isn't it? This is why we cant get into heaven just by being good people... even good people sin.
What is the punishment for sin?
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12
Now we know from the Bible that Adam and Eve were created perfect... and a perfect body would never die. In Revelation we also see where Jesus gets rid of death all together to bring man back to his former, perfect state, which also suggests that if Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have lived forever. Because they did sin, and God as their father needed to punish them to show them that what they did was wrong (just like we would ground a little kid for drawing on a wall with a permanent marker), Adam and Eve became less perfect (less perfect enough to die). This is how death entered into the world... Adam and Eve brought it upon themselves and all of their descendants. We do not die today because God is evil, but because he is a just, righteous father, and loves us, and so wants to show us through chastisement that sinning is wrong.
"For the wages of sin is death..." -Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 is pretty specific: if you sin you will die. We know that when Adam and Eve sinned, they separated themselves from God. They could no longer live eternally. God still offers us eternal life, through his Son Jesus Christ, so that we may regain that perfect state. Keep in mind that we cannot be perfect on our own, but with God's help we can be... we'll go into this a little later in this study.
For sinning, you will obviously die (and we now know that every person on earth has sinned at least once), but the Bible speaks to us not only of physical death, but of spiritual, eternal death. If there is eternal life, there is also eternal death. If there is spiritual life (being one with God as Adam and Eve once were) there is also spiritual death.
"...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17 Now when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, they didn't keel over and die, but instead they were separated from God... this is how we know that we become spiritually dead by sinning: "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." -Isaiah 59:1-2 To be separated from God is to be dead, and to be with God is to live eternally. If your sins are forgiven by God and you have God in you, you are going to heaven, to spend eternity with God. If you are separated from God (your sins are unforgiven), we know that God will not allow sin into heaven, and therefore you must bide your time in Hell, and then spend the rest of eternity in the lake of fire with Satan, eternally dead and separated from God.
Can my sins be forgiven?"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." -1John 1:8 "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." -Romans 3:10 Every man woman and child has sinned.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23 You may be a good person, but even sinning just once (which we all have) we still fall short of the Glory of God (we miss the mark), because God is without sin.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12 We are all descendent's of Adam and Eve, and because Adam and Eve sinned, we are then born into sin because it is passed on to us, so even if you've never lied cheated or stolen, you are still guilty of sin. Alarming isn't it? This is why we cant get into heaven just by being good people... even good people sin.
What is the punishment for sin?"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12
Now we know from the Bible that Adam and Eve were created perfect... and a perfect body would never die. In Revelation we also see where Jesus gets rid of death all together to bring man back to his former, perfect state, which also suggests that if Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have lived forever. Because they did sin, and God as their father needed to punish them to show them that what they did was wrong (just like we would ground a little kid for drawing on a wall with a permanent marker), Adam and Eve became less perfect (less perfect enough to die). This is how death entered into the world... Adam and Eve brought it upon themselves and all of their descendants. We do not die today because God is evil, but because he is a just, righteous father, and loves us, and so wants to show us through chastisement that sinning is wrong.
"For the wages of sin is death..." -Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 is pretty specific: if you sin you will die. We know that when Adam and Eve sinned, they separated themselves from God. They could no longer live eternally. God still offers us eternal life, through his Son Jesus Christ, so that we may regain that perfect state. Keep in mind that we cannot be perfect on our own, but with God's help we can be... we'll go into this a little later in this study.
For sinning, you will obviously die (and we now know that every person on earth has sinned at least once), but the Bible speaks to us not only of physical death, but of spiritual, eternal death. If there is eternal life, there is also eternal death. If there is spiritual life (being one with God as Adam and Eve once were) there is also spiritual death.
"...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17 Now when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, they didn't keel over and die, but instead they were separated from God... this is how we know that we become spiritually dead by sinning: "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." -Isaiah 59:1-2 To be separated from God is to be dead, and to be with God is to live eternally. If your sins are forgiven by God and you have God in you, you are going to heaven, to spend eternity with God. If you are separated from God (your sins are unforgiven), we know that God will not allow sin into heaven, and therefore you must bide your time in Hell, and then spend the rest of eternity in the lake of fire with Satan, eternally dead and separated from God.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1John 1:9 Wow... did you hear that? If we confess to God that we are sinners, He will forgive us! Now, notice here it doesn't say, "The preacher is faithful and just to forgive us..." no man, woman, or child can forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from your unrighteousness... only God can do that. We know already that no human being is faithful and just... only God is, and only God can forgive you of your sins.
"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." -1John 2:1-2 Jesus died for the sins of the whole world... all we need to do to obtain that salvation that he offers us is to ask for it by believing in him and confessing that he is God and we need his help to get into Heaven. When the Bible says, "we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the Righteous," I like to think about it this way. When it comes time to be judged, we are going to stand before God and He will go over our lives. The devil is going to be there pointing out all of our faults (just like he does other places in the Bible). Jesus is going to be there, just like a lawyer for us, saying, "Father, I died for their sins so they did not have to. They accepted the sacrifice I made for them, and are now clean and free of sin." The cool thing is, Jesus isn't going to just be our lawyer, but also be the advocate for every person to ever have lived on earth.
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." -1John3:8-9 Now, we already talked about dying spiritually (being separated from God), but you can also be reborn spiritually (you can be reunited with God). How do you become born spiritually and become reunited with God? Simple: Accept that Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son, died for YOU, on the cross for sins he did not commit, so that you may be free of sin. You must confess to Jesus in prayer that you are a sinner, and cannot make it to heaven without him. Thank him for sacrificing himself for you, and believe that he is the one and only true Son of God, and that God raised him from the dead after 3 days.
"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:34-36 Here we see again that Jesus, the Son of God, will live forever, and if you have the Son's sacrifice (when Jesus died on the cross for you), you will be free of sin, and will no longer serve it!
"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:34-36 Here we see again that Jesus, the Son of God, will live forever, and if you have the Son's sacrifice (when Jesus died on the cross for you), you will be free of sin, and will no longer serve it!
Do Christians have a "license to sin"?
Some people say that because after you accept Jesus as your savior your soul no longer sins that you then have a "license" to sin, meaning that because you can't lose your salvation by sinning you can do whatever you want... murder, lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery...
True, even murderers, liars, cheaters, and adulterers can get into heaven by accepting Jesus Christ's sacrifice for them, but this does not mean that after you are saved you should go burn the town down... When we get to heaven God is going to have rewards for us based on the type of life we lead.
Also, after we are saved, there is a change that takes place within us... we should want to do things to please God, not disappoint him. Now that's not to say that God expects you to lead a perfect life... he doesn't. But when you are saved, there is a spiritual "rebirth" if you will... it separates our soul from our body, so that while our flesh may still continue to sin, our soul does not. When you are saved God sends the Holy Ghost into your soul... and if you have a piece of God in you, you can't help but want to do things differently than you would without the Holy Ghost.
The Bible also tells us:
"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:34-36
Do you really want to be the servant of sin? Think about it. For example: Doing drugs is a sin. Say a person does heroine just once... they know that it's wrong to do heroine, and that it isn't good for them, but they do it anyway, and then they get hooked. Now they are serving their addiction... they live from fix to fix, and spend all their time and money trying to get more heroine to do more drugs... their life certainly isn't very good living to serve their addiction. This is only one example. Wouldn't you much rather willingly serve God your Heavenly Father instead of serving sin?
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