Is Sin Really Serious?

What happened in 1837?  J C Ryle came to see that sin is serious; very serious.

That truth seemed to flash before his mind.  It came into “strong, clear, and distinct relief.”  As a result, his understanding of sin changed.  It changed radically.  He also saw that the only way to be forgiven is through faith in Jesus Christ.Ryle realised that in the past his thoughts about sin had been defective.  They had been for the first 21 years of his life.  That all changed in late 1837.

You get a glimpse of how radical the change Ryle experienced was when you see what he came to know.  God taught him that those who have faith have a right understanding of sin.  It is at the root of all true faith.  Ryle came to see that the first thing God does, when He makes a person a Christian, is to show him that he is a guilty sinner.

You hear people speak of ‘sin’ and ‘sinners’.  But do you know what the words mean?  Are you able to correctly define them?  What is sin?  What is a sinner?

A good definition of sin can be found in Article 9 of the 39 Articles of Religion.  The 39 Articles set out in summary form what the Bible teaches.  The Articles are used by Anglicans across the world.  They neither displace nor replace the Bible.  Rather they go alongside the Bible.  They help us grasp the core message of the Bible.  But the Bible must always be put first.

What does the 9th Article say about sin?  That sin is “the fault and corruption of the nature of every” person.  We are not what we ought to be.  There are two elements to this corruption.  One, we have a sinful nature.  We are not right with God.  That is, we are not in a right relationship with Him.  And two, we are inclined to do wrong.  We cannot but think, seek and act in ways that are wrong.

Article 9 is a summary of what the Bible teaches about sin.  Consider what David says in Psalm 51: “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (verse 5).  He refers to the evil principle at the root of our nature.  What David speaks of in Psalm 51, Paul describes in Romans 5.12; 8.39.  It is thought that Augustine, in the 5th Century, coined the term ‘original sin’ to describe this lack of original righteousness.  A better term is inborn sinfulness.  In each person there is sin.  It is at the heart of his being.  We are sinners by nature, inclined to evil.  We desire that which is wrong before God.

The consequence of having a sinful nature is that we commit sins.  John tells us that sin is “the transgression of the law” (1 John 3.4).  To sin, therefore, is to do, say, or think anything that does not conform to the will of God.  Even the smallest deviation from the law of God is a sin.

Jesus Christ teaches us not to be concerned only with sinful acts.  We can break God’s law in heart and thought.  It is possible to look lustfully on a person without actually committing a physical act of adultery.  Wrong desires and motives are serious, just as actual sinful acts are (see Matthew 5.21-28).

Another point to note is that there are sins of omission as well as sins of commission.  We can do wrong.  We break a law of God.  To do so is  to commit a sinful act.  We can also fail to do what we ought to do.  If we do we are guilty of what is called a sin of omission.

Experience teaches us that as well as consciously doing what we ought not to do, and not doing what we ought to do, we can also do wrong without realising we have done wrong.  Such sins are taken seriously in the Bible.  In ancient days the Israelites were taught that sins of ignorance make us unclean before God (see Leviticus 4.1-15; 5.14-19: and Numbers 15.22-29).

Sin is very serious.  It is not a minor or trivial matter.  It has its origin within the heart rather than from outside.  It is not something we are taught, although people can set bad examples.  Nor is it the result of a failure to teach or train us properly, although we may be taught badly.  As Jesus says, It is from the heart that evil thoughts, desires and actions come (see John 3.6; Ephesians 2.3; Romans 8.7 and Mark 7.21).  A desire  for and decision to sin comes from within us.  It is not the product of our environment, although others around us do set a bad example.   What is more, sin affects every part of our moral being.  The affections, mind, understanding, and will are all affected by sin.  There is by nature no soundness within us (see Isaiah 1.6).  By nature we rebel against God and reject Him.  We do not fear Him or love Him.  We have deceitful hearts and are desperately wicked (Genesis 6.5; Jeremiah 17.9).

Evidence that this is so is seen in the sins we commit.  Each sin of commission, omission and ignorance renders us guilty before God.  As guilty sinners we are unacceptable to Him.  Our guilt must be dealt with if we are to be restored to a right relationship with God.

The need for us to be renewed is impressed upon us by the fact that God requires “truth in the inner man” (see Psalm 51.6; Job 4.18; 15.15).  He judges our secrets (Romans 2.16).  Sin is the abominable thing that God hates.  He says that the soul who sins shall die (Ezekiel 18.4), and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6.23).  And on the last day, God declares, the wicked shall be sent to hell.  There they endure everlasting punishment (see Matthew 25.46 and Revelation 21.27).

We should also recognise just how deceitful sin is.  The author of Hebrews reminds us of that fact   when he encourages us to stir each other up to love and good works (see Hebrews 3.13).  Christians who tolerate sin are likely to be hardened by it.

We are not to deceive ourselves into thinking that sin is not serious.  It is.  It always is.  As a result we are not to think any sin is small or trivial.  Nor are we to think the guilt it brings is slight.  We are not to excuse our sins.  And we are not to fondly imagine that sins have no consequences.

The heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17.9).  We therefore need to learn to question our judgment.  Sin does not advertise its deadly nature.  It comes in subtle ways.  It pretends it is not as serious as it is.  It tries to deceive us to think that if we give in to it we shall be better off than we are.  That is what happened to Adam and Eve in Eden!What have we learned?

(1) That sin is serious; very serious.  God hates it.  It provokes His wrath.

(2) That we are all sinners, who stand guilty before God.  We are unacceptable to Him.

(3) That we need to be forgiven.

(4) That we need to be made new if we are to resist temptations to sin.

(5) That we need Jesus Christ if we are to enjoy forgiveness.

Why do we need Him?  Because He alone is perfect.  He never sinned (see Hebrews 4.15).  Because He lived for sinners the righteous life they can never live.  Because He accepted as His own the sins committed by sinners and bore full punishment for them.  Unable to save themselves, Christ died in their place.  He is the only one who can reconcile a sinner to God.  Forgiveness is given freely to all who rely solely on Christ to make us right with God.  Reader, are you resting on and in Him?

EPC  17 April 2016