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Seeing Sin for What It Is
According to a radio report, a middle school in Oregon faced a unique problem. A number of girls began to use lipstick and put it on in the bathroom. After they put on their lipstick, they pressed their lips to the mirrors leaving dozens of little lip prints.
Finally the principal decided something had to be done. She called the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the custodian. She explained lip prints caused a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the mirrors every day. To demonstrate how difficult it was, she asked the custodian to clean one of the mirrors. He took out a long-handled brush, dipped it into the toilet, and scrubbed the mirror. Since then there have been no lip prints on the mirrors.
When tempted to sin, if we could only see the real filth we'd be kissing, we wouldn't be attracted to it.
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
Over the past little while, the elders, other speakers, and myself have been dwelling upon the topic of the Second Coming of Jesus. A topic that goes hand-in-hand with this topic is the subject of sin. So we are going to probe into the topic of sin for a little while, knowing that sin is our great enemy, and as believers in Christ, we need to be free from malady of sin.
What is sin? Sabbath breaking is not sin? Lying is not sin? What about stealing, is that sin? You are probably getting very nervous and are wondering “What happened to the pastor over the summer?” “Did COVID affect his brain?” Please bear with me and we will address the question what is sin.
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
There are three things that happened at the tree that led Eve down the path of death and destruction.
Genesis 3:1 (NKJV)
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
The serpent led her to doubt God’s Word
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
The serpent deceived her into deviating from God’s clear declaration.
I shared this in a message earlier… imagery painted by the words… the serpent was eating the fruit and didn’t die… it was talking to Eve!
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
The serpent led Eve to question God’s intentions
What are the three things that happened?
The serpent led her to doubt God’s Word
The serpent deceived her into deviating from God’s clear declaration.
The serpent led Eve to question God’s intentions
Now watch what happens right after the fall of Adam and Eve
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Adam and Eve are ashamed of their appearance. But who made them? It’s as though they are saying “How could you leave us in this state God!” So they sewed fig leaves...
They are fearful of God, so that when God calls how does Adam respond?
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Then Adam and Eve play the blame game… it’s actually your fault God.
What is sin, was sin, taking the fruit, refusing to take responsibility for ones actions, blaming God?
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
I would like to suggest to you that John is saying that sin preceeds lawlessness. Sin leads to lawlessness, the inevitable result of sin is lawlessness or law breaking.
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
When Eve went to the tree, she went with her affections firmly attached to God. However, through the enemy three-pronged attack, Eve permitted her affections to become attached to self, and thus her affections were seperated from God, which led to her taking and eating the fruit.
The serpent led Eve to doubt God’s Word.
The serpent deceived Eve into deviating from God’s clear declaration.
The serpent led Eve to question God’s intentions.
What is Sin?
What is Sin?
So what is sin? Sin is seperation of our attachment to God & attachment of our affections to anything or anyone who is not God.
I love the way that George Knight puts it:
Eating rats, snakes, snails, or even hogs is not SIN.
Sabbath breaking is not SIN.
Murder is not SIN.
Theft is not SIN.
SIN is prior to all these things. They may be sins—maybe—but they are not SIN.
SIN is love.
George R. Knight, I Used to Be Perfect: A Study of Sin and Salvation, 2nd Edition (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2001), 13.
Or SIN is attachment of our affections.
What are the consequences of SIN not sins, but SIN…
Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, […].
When we are seperated from God the result is lifelessness, spiritual lifelessness, moral lifelessness, mental lifelessness, physical lifelessness.
Jesus came to this earth and died a cruel death on the cross for what purpose?
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
However, If we allow SIN to rule over us, if we persistently resist the reconciling love of God… death
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
The essence of the sinful nature that we all possess is a deep, inate desire to seperate from God… Just do it! “Prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love”
Thus the question that we ought to be asking ourselves is not so much “Is this sin?” Rather, the question should be, “Will this seperate my affections from God or must I seperate my affections from God in order to partake of this activity, or be in the company of this person?” etc.
Illustration of young man
KOENIGSEGG Gemera $1.7 Million
wealthy gentlemen dropping his wallet…
Appeal
Benediction
Eph 3.20-21 “20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”