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| Sin,
Man's Main Malady
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Every man is
acquainted with sin—intuitively. Just the fact that man can
and does distinguish between right and wrong and just the fact
that he sometimes chooses to do what he understands to be
wrong, suggests that he understands sin and what it is. Every
man must sooner or later deal with sin. About that he actually
has no choice. For instance:
Every man must recognize the nature of sin (what it is).
Sin comes when we violate duly constituted authority, when we
choose our own course of pursuit instead of that which is
assigned by God, the supreme authority. It issues in two
different directions: one when we choose to do what is
expressly forbidden, the other when we choose not to do what
we know is right to do. The first is mentioned by John in
—“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it
not, to him it is sin.” All sin may properly be placed in
one of these two categories.
But that’s not all about the nature of sin. Man, who is
created with the right of free will, brings great glory to God
when he deliberately chooses to serve and obey Him.
Conversely, he brings shame upon both himself and his Creator
when he chooses to do what He wants and thereby disregards his
purpose to glorify God. For instance, in —“For all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God.” When we sin we
fail in our purpose to glorify God. That’s the nature of
sin. And sin is personal. Every man commits his own sin.
Someone may cause you to sin or you may cause someone else to
sin, but your sin is yours and nobody else’s.
Every man must recognize the effect of sin (what it does).
Sin is appealing; if it weren’t nobody would have a problem
with it. Because of its appeal, man has always tried to flirt
with sin. He just can’t seem to leave it alone. That, again,
is part of the nature of sin—it just looks pleasurable. But
in the end, it wreaks havoc with man, brings him low, and
causes him untold amounts of misery. Sin, we are told,
alienates us from God (). Friend, or enemy? Sin makes the
difference. That’s how it works.
Sin separates man and God. It causes a breach in their
relationship because God cannot by His very nature tolerate or
embrace sin, nor can He approve any who do. “Your sins have
hid his face so that he will not hear,” Isaiah says. Sin
separates us from God, but it does more than that. It is
separative by nature. It separates family and friends as well.
Sin has broken many a marriage, caused heartache in many a
family, beginning with Adam and Eve. David, said to be “a
man after God’s own heart,” savaged the relationship by
committing sin with Bathsheba. It haunted him the rest of his
days. Over and over, the illustrations abound of what sin does
to people.
Every man must recognize the result of sin (where it leads).
Sin is a crime against God and He must punish him who does it
or He diminishes from His own nature. He cannot abide it and
be true to Himself. He must punish the sinner. “For we know
him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will
recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge
His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of
the living God” (). No man will escape His wrath. Make no
mistake about it, sinners will be punished.
Every man must recognize the remedy for sin (how we can rid
ourselves of it). We are so very blessed because God
loved us so much that He devised, in His immaculate grace and
goodness, a way for us to escape sin, a way for us to be
forgiven. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins” (). That’s Christ’s remedy, not
somebody’s church doctrine. And if you want to get rid of
sin, you’ll have to do it His way, no matter what anybody
says.
Sin is a horrible crime—against God and man. Only by the
grace of God can we be relieved of it; only by our obedience
to the terms of that grace can it be applied to our need.
Dee Bowman
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Copyright (C)
2008
Southside Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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