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Many still ask this question: is Sin Serious?
When a disease has been diagnosed, or if someone in your family was rushed to hospital, naturally it’s important to ask the question: ‘Is it serious?’ there will be a sense of worry kicking in.
But if one asks that same question about the spiritual disease of Sin. Many people will almost cheerfully admit to being sinners, because they have no idea what this means. They treat it as being ‘just human nature’, or they shelter behind the fact that ‘everybody does it, so why can’t I?’ But those statements dodge the real issue: Is Sin Serious? Well here are some of the things the Bible says about you as a sinner.
1. You are debased: This does not mean that you are as bad as you can possibly be, or that you are constantly committing every sin. Nor does it mean that you cannot tell right from wrong, or do things that are pleasant and helpful. But it does mean that sin has invaded every part of your nature and personality – your mind, your will, your affections, conscience, your disposition and your imagination. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. The root of your trouble is not what you do but what you are! You sin because you are a sinner, that’s fact and there is now way around it.
2. You are defiled: The Bible pulls no punches here: From within, out of men’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. Notice that the list includes thoughts, words and actions. This shows that in God’s sight all sin is equally serious. Some people even limit their idea of sin to things like murder, adultery and robbery, but the Bible makes it clear that we have no right to think of sin in this way. Sin is anything that fails to meet God’s perfect standards. Anything we say, think or do that is less perfect is sin. Now face up to this question: Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’? Can you? Be honest about that question? If not, you are defiled.
3. You are defiant: the Bible teaches that sin is lawlessness, deliberate rebellion against God’s authority and law. No civil law forces you to lie, cheat, have impure thoughts, or sin in any other way. You choose to sin. It’s as simple but serious as that. You are the one who chooses to break God’s Holy law. You deliberately disobeyed him and that my friends, is serious, so yes Sin is serious, because God is a righteous judge who expresses his wrath every day. God can never be ‘soft’ about sin, and you can be sure that not even one sin will go unpunished. Some small part of God’s punishment of sin comes in this life (though we may not recognize it). But the final punishment will be inflicted after death, when on the day of judgement each one of us will give account of himself or herself to God.
So let’s re-ask this same question again, ‘Is Sin serious?’ what does your heart tell you now? What does your thought tell you now? What do your Words say about it now? And most importantly, what does your action tell you now?
"Some text taken from John Blanchard booklets."
When a disease has been diagnosed, or if someone in your family was rushed to hospital, naturally it’s important to ask the question: ‘Is it serious?’ there will be a sense of worry kicking in.
But if one asks that same question about the spiritual disease of Sin. Many people will almost cheerfully admit to being sinners, because they have no idea what this means. They treat it as being ‘just human nature’, or they shelter behind the fact that ‘everybody does it, so why can’t I?’ But those statements dodge the real issue: Is Sin Serious? Well here are some of the things the Bible says about you as a sinner.
1. You are debased: This does not mean that you are as bad as you can possibly be, or that you are constantly committing every sin. Nor does it mean that you cannot tell right from wrong, or do things that are pleasant and helpful. But it does mean that sin has invaded every part of your nature and personality – your mind, your will, your affections, conscience, your disposition and your imagination. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. The root of your trouble is not what you do but what you are! You sin because you are a sinner, that’s fact and there is now way around it.
2. You are defiled: The Bible pulls no punches here: From within, out of men’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. Notice that the list includes thoughts, words and actions. This shows that in God’s sight all sin is equally serious. Some people even limit their idea of sin to things like murder, adultery and robbery, but the Bible makes it clear that we have no right to think of sin in this way. Sin is anything that fails to meet God’s perfect standards. Anything we say, think or do that is less perfect is sin. Now face up to this question: Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’? Can you? Be honest about that question? If not, you are defiled.
3. You are defiant: the Bible teaches that sin is lawlessness, deliberate rebellion against God’s authority and law. No civil law forces you to lie, cheat, have impure thoughts, or sin in any other way. You choose to sin. It’s as simple but serious as that. You are the one who chooses to break God’s Holy law. You deliberately disobeyed him and that my friends, is serious, so yes Sin is serious, because God is a righteous judge who expresses his wrath every day. God can never be ‘soft’ about sin, and you can be sure that not even one sin will go unpunished. Some small part of God’s punishment of sin comes in this life (though we may not recognize it). But the final punishment will be inflicted after death, when on the day of judgement each one of us will give account of himself or herself to God.
So let’s re-ask this same question again, ‘Is Sin serious?’ what does your heart tell you now? What does your thought tell you now? What do your Words say about it now? And most importantly, what does your action tell you now?
"Some text taken from John Blanchard booklets."
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