The Effects Of Sin

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). On the sixth day of creation, God said "let Us make man in Our image"(Gen 1:26). God placed man in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:7-8). Then God said "it is not good for man to be alone" (Gen 2:18) and made woman. Then God gave us sin.

Woah there, what do you mean God gave us sin? *

How did God give us sin? Because God gave man a law. Sin is transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). If there is no law, there is no transgression. (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. (Rom 5:13). Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20). "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin (John 15:22). 7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.9 And I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died;10 and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;11 for sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.12 So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.(Rom 7:7-13).

What does sin do?

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.(Isa 59:2)

If we are separated from God, we are out of fellowship. Because God can have no part with sin. 14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (2 Cor 6:14-16).

Therefore we must find a way in which we can be restored to fellowship with God. But alas, man is incapable of doing this. How can we be reconciled to God? 17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor 5:17-21)

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:1) For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, (Rom 8:3). Those in Christ have no condemnation. Notice the blessings we have in Christ. All spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3). As Christians, God warns us to have no fellowship with sin. Any sin is unacceptable to God. God cannot and will not tolerate sin in His presence. Sin is darkness and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Sin separates us from God, and if we have sin, we cannot remain in Christ or in fellowship with God.

Many are advocating withdrawing from this type of teaching in favor of a more relaxed style of comfort. Rather than convict a person of sin, it is suggested that a positive mental approach is better. They say it is because, we should be building up people and not tearing them down. How can you expect people to repent of sins if you don't convict them of THEIR sins?

We shall all appear before the judgement seat of Christ(Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10). Be sure, your sins will find you out (Num 32:23)

May we all seek to do good continually, and stop sin in our lives.

By Carey Scott

[* Actually the Bible teaches us that man sins from his own lusts. God does not tempt man to sin, nor does God cause man to sin. All that is suggested in this article is that there would be no sin if there were no law. Some might suggest that Satan gave us sin, but that is also wrong. Remember in James 1 each man sins by his own lusts, and we cannot blame anyone for the sins we commit as individuals. cws]

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