Written By: Lynn Mosher

What is sin?

In the beginning, God created an indescribably beautiful paradise, but of all Eden’s lovingly created elements, no more precious element existed than God’s presence. However, lurking under a nearby bush was one nasty pest - the serpent!

More resourceful than any other creature, the sneaky serpent slithered through the grass into the shade of the tree, crept up close to Eve, and kindled a small flame of doubt in her heart with his slimy insinuations. Poisoned by the serpent’s venom of deception, she disobeyed the command of God and tempted Adam to do likewise.

The Bible says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race.” (Rom 5:12 TLB)

And the serpent hissed a snicker.

Recognition of Sin

So what is sin? Sin is anything done in opposition to God’s Word, separating us from a right relationship with the Lord. Of course, if you do not believe in God or the Bible, I guess you might think you can do whatever you want. Right? Wrong! Wrong is still wrong.

Is one sin bigger than another? God says no. Sin is sin.

However, we think “little” is okay, like a little cheating, a little lying, a little gossip, a little posing in some stage of undress to send on a cell phone, or whatever. We say to ourselves, “I’m not causing any harm. It’s just a little thing.” Or, “Just this once won’t hurt anybody.” Wanna bet?

Just one bowing down to lust can ruin a life - or lives - forever. Just one night of sin can result in divorce, AIDS, pregnancy, drunk driving, or the death of a human life. Just one instance of gossip or confidence shared can sometimes rip apart long-time friendships or an entire family.

Remorse for Sin

After committing a sin, are we in anguish only that we got caught and now have to face the consequences, or that we have wounded the heart of the Father? Are we ashamed before a holy God?

If you are deeply sorry for committing some sin, how long does it take you to confess it? Thirty seconds? Thirty minutes? Thirty days? Or thirty years? The moment you know you have done something against God’s Word, do you confess it only to rush out the door to do it again?

When we disobey, James exhorts us, “Be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].” (James 4:9 Amp)

Out of our deep love for the Lord and knowing what displeases Him, we should strive to remain so close to Him that any interference, any sin of separation, is automatically repulsive and avoided.

Removal of Sin

If we are truly remorseful for doing wrong, what makes amends for our disobedience?

The Bible tells us that it is by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Eph. 1:7a NKJV) When God forgives our sins, He removes them “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us,” (Ps. 103:12 NKJV) tossing them “into the depths of the ocean,” (Micah 7:19b TLB) never to emerge.

As a result, God keeps no catalog of past accounts, no eternal archive. Besides forgiving our sins, He forgets our sins. The only memory of it is in our own minds, not God’s!

Repentance of Sin

Godly sorrow for sin “brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” (2 Cor. 7:10a NIV) Do we say to the Father, “I am deeply sorry for what I have done”? (Ps. 38:18 NLT) However, being sorry for acting against God’s Word and confessing our sins is not necessarily repentance. “Repent” means “to turn away from,” and God “commands all people everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30b NIV)

Since Jesus released us from the bonds that enslave us to sin, why then would we continue to sin? By choice. By choosing to sin, it will inevitably become our master. If true repentance is not in our hearts, and if we refuse to resist sin’s venom, we will become repeat offenders.

Paul struggled with making the right choices. He wrote to the Romans, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate…I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong…Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 7:15, 21, 25a NLT)

Repercussions of Sin

The enemy, as the master of camouflage, wraps up sin in desirable packages. Regrettably, we sometimes forget that ugly repercussions lie in wait.

After we succumb to one of the enemy’s pretty packages of temptation, what is the aftermath? What do we forfeit? Our peace, our joy, our relationships with others, answers to our prayers, and even our fellowship with the Lord.

Even when we confess and repent of our sins, it does not lead to the dismissal of the consequences. God does not wave a magic wand over our sins to make the repercussions disappear. Neither does the Holy Spirit stand around like a robot butler, automatically cleaning up all the messes we make.

Consequences are attached to sin. However, God does not lean over the balcony of heaven anxiously waiting to clobber us with His rod of discipline every time we disobey. Our heavenly Father is not a child-abuser! As Jesus took the punishment of sin for us, Paul said, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” (Rom 5:20 NKJV)

Restoration After Sin

Scripture assures us that when we confess and repent of our sins, God gives us a sure-fire-get-back-into-fellowship guarantee, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,” (1 John 2:1 NKJV) and “since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” (Rom. 5:9 NLT)

Pursuing our own ways takes us on a detour away from Home. However, the Father always anxiously watches for our return and welcomes us back with open arms.

Rejoicing After Cleansing

Isaiah said in the Old Testament, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.” (Is. 61:10 NLT)

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for the forgiveness and cleansing of our sins, we rejoice and are able to say, “Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57 Amp)

Are you rejoicing in the victory of your forgiveness?

~~Blessings, Lynn~~

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