1-800-HEAVEN WHAT IS SIN

I have often been asked, “What is sin?” or “How do you know when you sin?” These are serious questions, especially for those not raised in the church. However, in today’s church, sadly, this subject is seldom addressed. The reason is simple. Today, the church is cautious about doing so because of the fear of losing support. Got to keep the doors open and the lights on. But compromises for this reason show a lack of faith and expose the church’s weakness in believing that the Lord is not capable of providing. Furthermore, it will bring to light whether the gathering place is what God wants or is it of man. Withdraw the finances, and maybe this point will become clearer. Either way, this is sin and must be addressed. 

The simple definition that sheds light on what sin truly is: “SIN IS REBELLION AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES OF GOD.” The first rebellion came when Satan, as a highly exalted angel, decided that he was much more important than his creator. 

Isaiah 14: 13-14

“For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Highest.”

There are five “I will” statements in these two verses. These “I wills” are the essence of the first rebellion. He rejected the Lordship of his creator and rejected God’s authority. This is not unlike what man does every second of the day here on earth. This rebellion is the essence of man’s need to surrender to the Creator by receiving Jesus as Savior.

In the church today, it takes the form of church structure and the exercise of its daily work. The church sets aside the only influence that would solve all problems, both as a whole and for the individual. When a crisis comes, the order sought is past solutions that resolve the problems. Or if one has a serious defect in their life, they replace the real answer to that problem with a class that can help. In the early church, that same problem was addressed through fasting and prayer, recognizing that it was the work of the Holy Spirit to heal and deliver. The only true power in the church is the Holy Spirit. There is no other avenue the church has to solve problems but to FIRST go to the Holy Spirit for the answer. Any other way is not unlike the rejection that Satan demonstrated in Isaiah 14:13-14.

Understanding rebellion is difficult. The difficulty arises when one recognizes that there are only two ways out of the consequences of that rebellion. The first has to do with PRIDE. Pride is the protection of the sin one is involved in. This is difficult to break but not impossible. The second way to overcome rebellion is to find shelter in the arms of our Savior's forgiveness. This is a total commitment and surrender to the Holiness of God. It is a deliberate turning from one's pride and desire or love for the sin that is keeping them captive and finding shelter in Christ.

 

John 3:19

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Jesus plainly stated that people love the darkness because they think it hides their sin, but God is not limited as we are in His sight. He sees everything and is not fooled by our foolishness. He sees man's heart as it is. Nothing is hidden from Him.  

We covered the beginning of sin in the spiritual realm with Satan. Now what about man? God created man and called him Adam. Adam was clay, and God breathed life into him. He became a living being, perfect in all his ways. He was made in the image and likeness of God. God is a three-part being: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Man was given a body, a soul, and a spirit. Since there was no sin in God's creation, man's spirit was a living spirit. God took Adam's rib and created a woman for Adam. Since she was made from Adam, a perfect spiritual being, she also had a body, a soul, and a living spirit, because she was taken from a living spiritual being, Adam. When God gave them the instruction not to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil, and Eve rebelled against that instruction, her spirit was darkened and lost the spiritual life given by God. When Adam did the same and rebelled against God and took the fruit from Eve, he openly chose his mate above his creator. Since all seed of mankind was in Adam, the entire existence of man became as he had become, dead in spirit. That is the reason we are today egotistical and enslaved to selfish sin. All mankind now needs a redeemer, and that happened over two thousand years ago when Jesus died for the sins of man to redeem them from Satan's grasp. 

Now that we see the results of rebellion, we can also see the need for a redeemer. One thing that is often missed in our understanding is the difficulty of breaking the chains of sin. Even when one understands that he or she must come to the Lord for forgiveness, it is still a great struggle to break old habits. This takes time, and the real start is when one recognizes the temptation and decides that, at that moment, the response is not to entertain it but to seek God's help in overcoming it. Over time, as victories mount in resisting temptation, it becomes an automatic response to fight back. What is not taught in today's church is who you are in Christ and the power you possess to resist. You have become a new creation; your spirit has become alive, and God has taken up residence in your life. The word tells us that when we die in Christ, nevertheless we live because he lives in us. If God lives in us, where is the influence of sin? Once we come to a full understanding of who we are in Christ, it is easier to resist ungodly things that cause us to fail in obedience to the Living God. And if we succumb to temptation and perfection that temptation resulting in sin, he is ever-present to forgive us and deliver us from all unrighteousness.

I pray that this helps those who are seeking understanding. I would like to encourage you to please comment so I can see whether I am reaching anyone through these teachings. It is difficult for me to gauge the effectiveness of these writings without feedback. If you have a question or want clarity on anything, please let me know so I can pray that the Holy Spirit gives me a word to write. I don’t know everything, but He knows all, and I serve Him as His scribe. Blessings to all.

For further helps in your spiritual understanding of God’s word, please visit 

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