Much ado about sin?
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5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Much ado about sin?
Much ado about sin?
One of the main distinguishing things about Christianity is the concept of sin. If you attend a church that is faithful to the scriptures, you will encounter a discussion of sin. Sin may be a common word in Christianity, but we may fail to see the bigger picture of it. Ask a small child in children's church what sin is, and they may list things like saying bad words, hitting another person, or disobeying parents. Ask that same child twenty years later, and they may probably identify sin as general disobedience, breaking the law, murder, or racism. Although these answers are correct, they still lack the full Biblical understanding of sin and its effect. Today, we will look at the biblical concept of sin, identify its subtle forms, and rediscover how God deals with sin and empowers believers to live a life free from the control of it.
Sin
Sin
God did not create sin. However, in his infinite wisdom, God chose to create relational beings. All created beings bear the responsibility to live within the Creator's will. Therefore, all created beings have the potential to violate the Creator-Creature relationship. Sin entered the world initially through the rebellion of Satan. He once held a position among God's created angels but chose to rebel and take the place that only belongs to the Creator. The core of sin is the desire to replace oneself as the highest authority instead of God. "I decide what is good or evil instead of God."
Sin is any deviation from God’s revealed will. It is the source of evil, corruption, and death, and is what humanity and all of creation must be saved from, according to the Scriptures.
illustration of donuts on the tree
How do we identify sin?
How do we identify sin?
From our definition, the Bible recognizes God as having the supreme authority to define good and evil. God reveals what sin is through His law and will. The importance of law to define right and wrong exists in other historical cultures such as Hammurabi’s Code of Law. However, God is the revealer and giver of law for all things. Human law may reflect God’s law, but it is not a substitute for it. God’s holiness is the standard for His law, and it reflects His infinite wisdom, power, and design for the world. Knowing God’s law enables us to know the character of God and how we are to respond to our Creator. But as we know, the sin of Adam and Eve created a vast effect on all humanity.
Romans 5:12 “12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”
We have a sinful nature, and we have all become separated from God. By default, we are not at peace with Him, and we need a solution to bridge the gap of our sinfulness. The Gospel or Good News is that Christ provides the solution to our sin and distance from God. Having faith in Christ places us in a new relationship with God. Through Christ, we are no longer enemies but children of God. So, if the sin problem is fixed, why are we still talking about it? We are free from sin, but we still commit it. We still deviate from God’s will at times.
Why do we sin?
Why do we sin?
It is part of our human nature. This flesh likes to sin. When tempted, we choose to sin and may even let it control our lives. Consider the example from Saint Augustine in the 4th century as to why he chose to be a delinquent teenager.
Saint Augustine: Confessions Chapter 4
For, I stole what I already possessed in abundance and of much better quality. Nor did I desire to enjoy the thing itself which was the object of my inclination to steal, but the very act of stealing, the sin itself.
It may seem that God wants to take away all the fun things in life. But this assumption is wrong. Psalm 16:11
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
And Jesus reminded his disciples of the quality of life found in doing the will of God. John 4:34
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
3 Lies about Sin
3 Lies about Sin
“I can live as I please and have a spiritual relationship with God.”
This lie states that there is no difference between light and darkness regarding God. “I am good with God, and I can do as I please.” The problem is not recognizing that God is all light and no darkness. God will not let sin remain in His presence. To walk in darkness is to live ignoring God’s will. It is to live a life of habitual sin.
“I don’t have any sin for which I need to acknowledge.”
This lie ignores the teaching of scripture that we inherit a sinful nature. Romans 5:12-14 It is easy and normal for us to deviate from God’s will. Our sin is like weeds. We don’t have to tend the garden to get weeds to grow. This view recognizes that people are mostly good, except for those who are racist or murder others. I am a good person, so I do not need to confess any sin. Scripture reminds us that we will only be clean and righteous as we confess our sin and depend upon Christ.
Illustration of Ray Comfort and the 10 commandments
“I have not sinned because I am perfect and never need to examine my heart.”
This lie goes to the extreme to deny that a person has never sinned. This is much like the person who gets pulled over for speeding and denies that they ever went over the speed limit by claiming they are a good driver with a good reputation, so they are not guilty of being a bad driver. This lie will never admit they need help with the sin problem and remains a pride issue.
The Solution
The Solution
The solution to sin is always rooted in God's grace. God provided the law to show us our sin and provided the way to be forgiven and free from its control. He did this through the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross. The cross was not a mistake but an act that fulfilled God's eternal plan for sin. A propitiation is a sacrifice needed for the problem of sin. For ancient Israel, they observed a sacred ritual of sacrificing a perfect animal for the people's sins. When the blood was placed on the Mercy Seat - "Propitiation", God's righteous anger toward sin was ended. Justice was served as far as sin was concerned. But Jesus became the final and complete sacrifice for us and the whole world. And Jesus acted as an advocate who pleaded our case before a judge. When we confess our sin and trust in God, we are cleansed and freed from the debt, power, and control of sin.
Sin and Obedience
Sin and Obedience
For Christians, we have peace with God. But sin is still a thing for which we must guard ourselves. Being forgiven and cleansed of sins does not mean we will never deviate from God’s will. It does mean that we are no longer slaves to sin and can grow into maturity of sinning less and less. However, we will never reach perfection on this side of eternity. Only until we are in eternity face to face with God will sin cease to be an issue.
John reminds the believers that their relationship with God comes from Jesus Christ, but they must walk differently from the way they did before. Knowing God is connected to ones' obedience. But is John teaching that we become Christians based upon how we obey God when he says, "We know that we have come to him if we keep his commandments."? No, for John has made the point that all people are sinners in need of God's grace in Christ. And Jesus is the propitiation for our sin. The power of the Gospel brings us to fellowship with God. So what does he mean by this? John is clarifying what it looks like to know God.
1–3 John Obedience and Knowledge of God (2:4)
Knowledge of God” may express itself in various ways—through love and service to others, in prayer and worship of God, and so on. Here John is concerned to remind his readers that knowledge of God expresses itself in obedience, and obedience is always measured by concrete actions
1–3 John Obedience and Knowledge of God (2:4)
We might say that the question behind these verses is not, How do I get knowledge of God? but, What does knowledge of God look like? How does it express itself?
Becoming A Christian will have the effect of a transforming orientation toward obeying God. John proposes a simple test to check one's heart orientation. If your heart is not oriented toward the light and obedience, have you understood what it means to know God?
Becoming a Christian means to place one’s faith in Jesus Christ as the One who brings us to God by removing the sin that separates us. If we confess our sins and trust in Him, we are cleansed and forgiven. Because we are forgiven, we must set the compass of our lives to follow God’s will.
Good behavior is only part of being a Christian. We must ultimately give up all things and follow him. Matthew 19:16-22
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.