FACTS ABOUT SINS

1. Missing the Mark. The word sin is the Greek word "Hamartia" meaning to err or miss the mark. God has a mark for humans and that is to live righteously. When we do things contrary to His Will we miss the mark He has for us. God's mark for us is the best life to live. Sin makes for misery, defeat, atrocities of men, torture, murders, ill health, mental agony, and eternal death.
We should listen to God's instructions on how to live and it will produce joy and peace. Living for God often causes sinful people to hurt the Christian but regardless of what men say or do the Christian has the knowledge that He is pleasing God and is ready for death.

2. All responsible people 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). A consequence of Adam's sin was that death came on all people. They were separated from the tree of life and separate from this people are doomed to death. But a much more serious matter is that when people sin they die spiritually which means that they are separated from God. Being without God means there is no hope when we die physically. We are responsible for our sins. In physical death the soul departs from the body and the next event is the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). God saw the plight of man in sin and He loved us so much that He gave Jesus Christ to be our Savior (John 3:16). "But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Ephesians 2:4,5). We need to take advantage of being made alive spiritually by Believing on Christ, repenting of our sins, and being baptized into the death of Christ (Romans 6:3,4).

3. Sin came on humans by giving in to Satan's temptations. Satan was in the serpent who in Genesis 3 put the temptation on Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. First he reminded her of her restriction saying, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree ofthe garden?" (vs. 1). The woman answered giving the restriction. Then Satan told a great lie, "You shall not surely die" if she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but would "be like God, knowing good and evil." (vs. 4, 5). Hearing this the woman "saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise" so she ate and gave to her husband and he ate. (vs. 6). Their eyes were indeed open and for the first time in their lives they felt guilt and wanted to hide from God. God called them to account for their actions. The man first blamed God for giving him the woman and then the woman for giving him the fruit of it to eat. The woman blamed the serpent saying, "the serpent deceived me, and I ate." (vs. 12, 13). Pain, sorrow, toil and ultimately death passed on humans as a result. They also died that day spiritually bearing their sins for the infraction. God put them out of the garden of Eden to keep them from eating of the tree of life and living physically forever in sins. Satan has tempted every person living on this earth to sin in one way or another following the same pattern of lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life (I John 2:15). Christians who have been redeemed from sin are told "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." (I Peter 5:8,9).

4. Sin is not inherited. "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezekiel 18:20).

5. Sin comes because we are drawn away of our own lusts. "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1: 13-15). People want to do wrong is the reason they sin in their lives. The devil puts the attraction there and they take the opportunity to do the wrong. God says, "Your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2). If you have sinned don't blame God, don't blame your family, don't blame anyone on earth, and don't blame the devil. Realize you did it, and you are responsible for it in your life and it's your fault you are separated from God by it. Also realize that if you don't get forgiveness you will be separated from God in eternity in Gehenna Hell and be tormented forever. (Revelation 20:15).

6. Forgiveness is available only through Jesus Christ. If you don't believe that Jesus died for your sins and arose again for your justification you will die lost in sin. Jesus said, "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24). He had just said, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I am you cannot come." (John 8:21). Christ after his death and resurrection ascended to heaven. If we do not believe that he is the Savior of the world and accept him we cannot go to heaven. "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." (Acts 5:31). We must realize our sins and change our minds about sinning so against our Creator. We need Godly sorrow to work repentance to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). Then we need to turn to God and do works showing we have repented (Acts 26:20). Don't forget that Jesus said, "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:16). That same Jesus had also said "except you repent you shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3)

7. The Christmas season is a time of giving. This has been exploited by the commercial world and to many it is a time of overspending on unneeded things just to allay the lusts of family. For many it is also a time of feasting and indulging in drunkenness and gluttony which are sinful activities. Many souls are lost forever during the Christmas season. It is not a time most people focus on Jesus Christ the only Savior of the world. Why not come to grips with your sinful life, quit those sins, and obey Jesus before it is too late?

Author Unknown

Return to the General Articles page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /