Just how serious is sin can be seen right near the very beginning of the Bible, where we read of the sin of Adam and Eve in (Genesis 3). Imagine their one sin of disobeying God caused both of them, and all of mankind after them, to be spiritually separated from God. The Fall caused a curse to be pronounced not only on all mankind but on our entire planet. If one single sin could cause such cataclysmic damage, imagine what a planet of eight billion perpetual sinners must do to the heart of God.
May the following two quotes help us all to realize how serious and pervasive sin is:
“Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself. Have you ever considered the deeper implications of the slightest sin, of the most minute peccadillo? What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point? We are saying no to the righteousness of God. We are saying, “God, Your law is not good. My judgement is better than Yours. Your authority does not apply to me. I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction. I have the right to do what I want to do, not what You command me to do.”1 ― R. C. Sproul
“What is sin? It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The power of God not praised. The truth of God not sought. The wisdom of God not esteemed. The beauty of God not treasured. The goodness of God not savored. The faithfulness of God not trusted. The commandments of God not obeyed. The justice of God not respected. The wrath of God not feared. The grace of God not cherished. The presence of God not prized. The person of God not loved. That is sin.”2 ― John Piper
Sin truly grieves the heart of God and in the final analysis all sin, while it may harm our fellow man, is first and foremost an affront to our Holy and perfect God. Jerry Bridges helps us see this aspect of sin when he states: “W. S. Plumer said, “We never see sin aright until we see it as against God…All sin is against God in this sense: that it is His law that is broken, His authority that is despised, His government that is set at naught…Pharaoh and Balaam, Saul and Judas each said, ‘I have sinned;’ but the returning prodigal said, ‘I have sinned against heaven and before thee;’ and David said, ‘Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.”3
We also see this same idea portrayed by Joseph. When Potiphar’s wife asked him to have sex with her, Joseph share the following: “No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).
As Christians we know that Jesus has paid the debt for our sins but we know that we still sin. I believe that there are three main ways we can get continual victory over the sins that so often entangle us.
First, we need to hide God’s word in our hearts. (Psalm 119:11) says: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” The more we fill our hearts and minds with the transformational power of the word of God the less likely we will sin because the very presence of God will crowd out many of our old sinful thought patterns.
Second, the more we develop a reverential fear or awe of God the less likely we will ever want to sin and grieve the heart of God. (Proverbs 16:6) says: “…And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.” As we respect, and see how worthy of our highest praises, God is, I believe, this reverential awe will help us fall more in love with Jesus and not want to do anything that is displeasing in His sight.
And third, John Piper, gives us words to meditate on when he says: “I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term than to gain a distaste for it because of a superior satisfaction in God.”4 Why not in your quiet time learn to get alone and spend quality time with God, because when you do, I believe (Psalm 16:11) will take control of your heart and provide you with that superior satisfaction for God that Pastor Piper shared above. This marvelous verse reads: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And my friends pleasures forevermore beats the passing pleasures of sin spoken of in (Hebrews 11:25) any day in my book!
1 Inspirational Quotes on Sin (bibleportal.com)
2 Inspirational Quotes on Sin (bibleportal.com)