Bible Words

Sin

News years resolutions - How many of us have made resolutions this year? I wonder how many of us have broken them already? BBC news had the results of a survey last week that suggested that 60% of people break their resolution within the first month. On new years day I happened to be in a newsagent to purchase a card and a man came in to get some cigarettes and the proprietor, who evidently knew the man, said "you're not breaking your resolution already are you?".

We often find it difficult to live up to the standards that we set for ourselves, don't we? I know that I often feel that I've let myself down by my behaviour or attitudes. I know how I want to be, but somehow I end up doing what I've promised myself I would never do again!

It is worse than that though - our society has rules and laws which are consistently being broken. I don't just mean the big criminal laws about murder and stealing, there are lots of lesser regulations which affect us too. We all drive on the left hand side and go clockwise around roundabouts, we all obey the speed limits. or do we? And there are the various unwritten social rules - politeness, honesty, generosity.

It is interesting that the majority of these rules are there not to restrict fun but to enable society to continue in a well-ordered, safe and fair fashion. Yet they get broken. The bible tells us that the reason why we are such inveterate rule-breakers is. sin. As we used to say in Sunday School, the basic problem of sin is revealed by its spelling - it has "I" right in the centre .

This is the first of a short series that is looking at biblical words and finding out what their true meaning is. Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at the real meaning of "born again", "Justification", "Sanctification" and of course, today's subject: Sin.

Obviously I can't deal with everything that the Bible says about sin in the time we have available to us this morning. I'll not be dealing with original sin, the sinful nature, the relationship with the law of Moses or any of those other interesting subjects. What I'd like to do is take us through a short summary.

Sin is Selfish rebellion against God with dire consequences.

I'd like to explain each part of this in sequence.

Selfish Rebellion

Selfish disobedience spoils so much. I see it in the behaviour of small children who will try to make sure that they get the biggest portion of cake, the most attention or the best toy to play with. I see it on the roads where inconsiderate drivers don't bother indicating or drive as though speed limits were for others, not themselves; on motorways expressed in the abysmal lane discipline practiced by drivers - half the time the motorways would be well within capacity if only everyone kept left except when overtaking! I've seen it in office politics where backbiting and gossip to improve ones own position in the company was common.

The Bible tells us in Jer 17v9 that "the heart is deceitful and beyond cure". It also identifies two broad categories of sin - when we do what we shouldn't, and when we don't do what we should. I've heard them referred to as sins of commission and sins of omission . Whichever afflicts us, it so often happens because we are putting our own desires, our own convenience, our own self before any other factor. This is what happened in the garden of Eden when sin entered this world.

Genesis 2 shows us how things began, and when Adam and Eve were made everything was great. They were in perfect communion with one another and with God. This peaceful state of affairs did not last though.

In Gen 3 the serpent (who represents Satan) tempts Eve into disobedience to God. She "saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, [so] she took some and ate it". Adam is particularly culpable since he was with Eve, he was in a position of responsibility and he had heard the direct instruction from God. Yet he merely ate it, and didn't even raise an objection.

Because they thought that it would be to their benefit they disrespected God and disobeyed his rule. Because of their selfish desires they rebelled against Gods rule over them.

Mankind has been doing the same ever since.

Against God

The story that we read in Gen 3 is a mixture of the tragic and farce. The sinful behaviour has broken their relationship with God and broken their relationship with each other. They are ashamed of their bodies and attempt to cover them up with leaves. God comes walking in the garden and for the first time ever they try to hide from him, afraid because they know they have done wrong.

When God questions Adam he heroically blames both the woman and God "It's not my fault, the woman, you put here with me, gave me the fruit".

The woman also tries to shift responsibility "The serpent made me do it!"

As a result of this selfish rebellion against God we see that the serpent is cursed, they are cursed and, in fact, we are cursed too. The whole earth which had been fruitful now becomes harsh. We read in Rom 8v18-22 that all creation is eagerly awaiting its release from its current bondage to decay, it is groaning as in the pains of childbirth. The earth that we see around us, with its earthquakes, its famines, its hurricanes and its floods is not really the perfect earth which God planned. It is marvellous, true, but it has been tainted by sin alongside everything else.

Now you may say to me "OK, Adam and Eve clearly rebelled against God, but how can you say that all sin is rebellion against God?" I'm glad you asked that, because it is of great importance.

You see, every offence against an individual is also an offence against God. If I was to walk up there and steal Johns wallet it wouldn't just be an offence against John, it would be an offence against God too. God is not a remote bystander who is uninterested in the affairs of people on this earth. Every selfish action, every evil act, every sin is an offence against God and all that he stands for.

And we must make no mistake about it - God is always, eternally, terribly angry about sin and injustice. His anger doesn't come and go, it is eternal and unchangeable just like his other characteristics. John White the well-known Christian author once wrote about "The God of white-hot rage" and he addresses this issue more fully.

God cares about the holocaust. God cares about the murder of the elderly lady in her bed-sit. God cares about the third world workers suffering under the unjust working practices of GAP and Nike among others. God cares about every time someone belittles or bullies you to make themselves feel bigger. God cares about every baby that dies.

Every selfish rebellion is a direct offence against God.

With dire consequences

Separation from God

The most serious consequence of sin is that it separates us from God. When Adam sinned he was barred from Gods presence. For humanity today our sin is a huge black mark against us; Any person whose sin has not been washed away cannot enter the presence of Holy God.

Worse, there is a coming day of judgement. We can read of it most clearly in Rev 20. Everyone will be judged on what they have done. and in every case our works will be enough to condemn us to the lake of fire. The only way of avoiding this terrible judgement is to trust in Jesus for salvation. When he died on the cross he carried the burden of all my sin and all your sin, he endured the awful punishment for our sin in his own body. And to all who come to Jesus in repentance, genuinely sorry for their sins; who ask Jesus to be their Lord and Master - their name is written in the "lambs book of life". Everyone whose name is written in that book is safe from the fires of hell

Spoiled relationship with God

Even for Christians, whose Sin has been wiped away by their acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we still experience sinful behaviour and thoughts. Jesus' death and his present intercession for us as a high priest in heaven enable us to come to God and request forgiveness for our wrongdoing at a moments notice. but until we do say sorry for what we have done wrong our relationship, our closeness with God is spoiled and our experience of Christian life is lessened.

Spoiled relationship with others

It doesn't take much viewing of the evening news to see that there is something wrong with the world. Despite all of the good things that we enjoy, and the nice people that we know, there is plenty wrong with this world. An Earthquake in Iran kills 50,000 or more people. Terrorist bombs blow up civilians in a dozen cities around the globe. Mega-corporations such as Parmalat follow in the footsteps of Enron as mega-fraud is revealed. Add to this the casual catalogue of murder and assault which is reported every day in our own country.

Many people say that they can't believe that there is a good God with all this going on.

The Bible says that God isn't willing for any to perish, and so he is delaying the day when he has to do something about it, delaying the day when Jesus returns in glory and this chapter of the earths history ends, delaying the day when the time for choices is over and all will have to live with the decisions they have made.

As C.S. Lewis said : : "Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is he not landing in force, invading it? Is it that he is not strong enough? Well, Christians think he is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why he is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining his side freely. God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when he does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks onto the stage the play is over."

Sin corrupts and defiles. Have you ever found that last bit of fruit that has outlasted its welcome in the fruitbowl and lies there mushy and oozing? If we could see this world through Gods eyes, with every secret thought of every person revealed to us we would be overcome by disgust and revulsion, we would probably decide to wipe it all away now. Yet God is so compassionate, so loving that he is extending the day of grace, the opportunity for people to hear and respond to the gospel of salvation in Jesus.

Sin enslaves and corrupts, but there is freedom from its grasp through Jesus. He is able to save us from the lake of fire - the ultimate penalty of sin. He is able to help us overcome sin in our lives today - the power of sin. He is able to bring us ultimately to heaven, where we will no longer have even the presence of sin to worry about.

Truly Jesus is a saviour worth singing about!

Alex White