Sin Can Be-WHAT?

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”  I John 1:8-10

Most of you all have seen the television commercial about the shingles vaccine.  The particular one that I am thinking of is the one where the couple is in the kitchen talking about others they know that had the shingles.  Then, out of the blue, comes a voice that says, “Shingles can be prevented”, and the couple says “Shingles can be W H H A A T T?”  There are at least two more commercials which are similar.  The ad may not make someone desire to get the shingles vaccine, but at least folks remember it.  Some say it is annoying, but the point is to make you remember the product they are advertising.  I can remember many ads, but not necessarily what they were advertising.  While ads can be annoying, some of them are better than the television shows during which the ads are broadcast.

This ad gave me the idea of writing a blog about sin which can be FORGIVEN.  There are many downsides to sin and no benefits, although many who commit sin on a regular basis likely think that some of the things that they are doing are beneficial, fun, or helps them escape boredom.  They may feel that following the way that God has prescribed for His creation to live is confining, but what they don’t understand is that God’s way provides freedom, peace, contentment, and joy that can’t be found any other way.  The people of ancient Israel became disobedient to God throughout their generations, turning to idolatry, sexual sins, and abandoning God and His word.  There was always a remnant who maintained their devotion to the LORD, but they were “few and far between”.  When God punished Israel for their sin, the faithful also felt the effects of God’s wrath because sin reaches far and wide and affects even those who are innocent.  When a person sins and says that he or she is hurting no one except himself or herself, he or she is deceived.  Whatever sin we commit always does collateral damage even if unintended.

The good news is that no matter what we have done that goes against the word of God, we can be forgiven.  Most folks think of sin as doing something bad, but sin is anything that violates God’s standard of conduct for people.  We know what the sin of commission is, but there is also the sin of omission.  James, in James 4:17, tells us that the person who knows to do good, but doesn’t do it, it is sin.  An example would be to know that a neighbor is having trouble feeding his family, but doing nothing to help him.  The “good Samaritan” did what he could to alleviate the pain and suffering of a fellow human being, but he didn’t provide for the stranger the rest of his life.  He did what was the right thing to do at the time, but also saw to it that the injured man would be taken care of until he could get back on his feet (Luke 10:25-37).  God put us on this earth to serve Him by serving others, not to be self-serving or to develop an entitlement mentality.  My pastor when I was young said many times that he had rather be on the giving end than on the receiving end anytime.  Being young, I didn’t understand what he meant.  My thought was that I like to get presents.  As I grew, though, I realized that it truly is more blessed to give than receive .  We are called to do what we can as God provides.  As has been said many times, “it’s not how much you have, but what you do with what you have”.

James said that to say we have no sin is to deceive ourselves.  Everyone is a sinner because we are all born with a sin nature and are considered an enemy of God.  Because God loves His creation so much, He made it possible to be reconciled to Him and forgiven of our sins.  All sin is against God.  He cannot accept any form of sin.  If He did, He wouldn’t be a righteous or a just God.  He commanded obedience of His chosen nation of Israel, giving them His law to show them how to satisfy His requirements for righteous living.  But His law could not make them righteous.  Even those of them who attempted to live by His law, crossing every T and dotting every I, and consistently making the required sacrifices and offerings were only temporarily forgiven.  These commands had to be done every day in order to be at peace with their Creator.  Who, in their right mind, would want to return to the old covenant?  God still requires obedience from His people, except now we have an Advocate with the Father who pleads our case before Him, and we have the Holy Spirit who guides us into a life pleasing unto God.

I am grateful that there is a forever and ever forgiveness.  Because of the once and for all sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven eternally through repentance of sin and placing our trust in Christ and His work on the cross.  James made it clear that if we sin after we have been born again, we can confess our sins, and God will forgive us.  To repent is not to just be sorry or remorseful for those sins we have committed, but it is a determination to turn from those sins, leaving them behind, and moving forward in our relationship with Christ.  If you are like me, you feel very uncomfortable when there is a conflict between you and another person.  Things were said or something was done to cause a rift in your relationship.  The two of you still care about each other, but there is a wall that comes between the two of you.  It is the same when we sin against the Lord.  It causes a wall to come between the one who sins and the Lord.  But oh how sweet it is to acknowledge your sin and come clean before the Lord who welcomes you back into a right relationship with Him by His grace.  Yes, sin can be forgiven when we sincerely repent and determine to depend on the Holy Spirit to help us remain faithful.