“Sin is a virus. One that infects the whole body, keeping us from being whole in Christ. But when we repent of our sin and walk according to the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, sin no longer has power over us.”
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
What are these wages of sin that lead towards death?
We see throughout the Old and New Testament how indulging in one’s sin has consequences, whether that be physical or spiritual. In the moment, giving in to the temptation to sin doesn’t seem like a bad thing; if anything, we may believe that it’s good that we possess whatever it is that sin is tempting us with, but as we see in the Garden of Eden and throughout the Scripture, that’s not the case.
Genesis 3:1-7 shows us how Satan deceived Eve, but also how Eve “saw that the fruit was good for food, that was pleasant to the eyes” and took of it. In doing so with Adam, they introduced sin into the world.
In the moment for Adam and Eve, despite knowing God’s command about eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the fruit was pleasant and seemed “good for food,” but in the aftermath, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” Adam and Eve’s sin not only broke the bond they had with God, but now, they were exposed, naked to each other and to their sin. Their eyes were now open to both good and evil.
Now, God had to sacrifice animals to create tunics to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness and banish them from the Garden because “the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.”
“When sin was introduced into the world, it separated us from God and the closeness we had with Him. Now we walked in enmity with Him.”
Because sin now entered and infected a once perfect world, it began to wreak havoc and continues to do so. We see this cycle of sin when Cain killed Abel out of jealousy and anger. Fathers killing children, murder, death, wars over resources or domination over others, it’s a sickening cycle that sin has trapped humanity in. But God in His infinite wisdom and majesty had a plan to rescue humanity and restore the once fractured relationship.
He, in Person of Jesus Christ, would be the atoning sacrifice and take on the judgement and fury of God.
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Yet, even after Christ died for humanity’s sins, resurrected, ascended and now sits at the right hand of God, humanity still indulges in its sin. Sin still has a grip on humanity. Even we as Christians still fall back into patterns and addictions that we know are destructive and keep us in a cycle of sin and shame.
Why do we let sin run our life?
Why is engaging in our sin so enticing despite knowing how Satan’s tactics work according to Scripture?
The reason I believe engaging in our sin is so enticing is because it appeals to the fleshly, sinful part of our being. Since sin entered the world, humanity has been tempted with possessions, power and influence, etc… because it’s appealed to humanity’s own desires. Because we are born into sin, our natural inclination is towards things that are counter to what God has ordained.
Whether that be marriage and sexual intimacy, our relationship with others (i.e., the poor and hurting, nations, etc.…) or even our relationship with God, our flesh, mind, and heart are turned towards things that God abhors (see James 1:13-15).
Related Post: Why We’re Called to Crucify Our Flesh
Despite what society and culture may say, our sin is sickening and still keeps us from our relationship with God which is why, when it comes to our relationship with God; many of us Christians probably still struggle. While society and culture may glorify sinful lifestyles and practices that God hates, we as Christians are to abhor what God abhors and walk according to the Holy Spirit.
“Sin keeps us from our relationship with God because even though we may know God’s Word, we don’t actively live by what we proclaim to believe allowing sin to have reign over our lives.”
Proverbs 1:10;15-19 (NKJV) says, “10. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 15. My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; 16. For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood, 17. Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird; 18. But they lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives. 19. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners.”
For context, the author of Proverbs (presumably King Solomon) writes that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom can only be known, perceived, received and understood when one fears the Lord. The “fear of the Lord” used throughout the Old Testament is a Hebrew phrase referring to being in awe and revering the Lord and His name.
We see in this passage of Proverbs that a father is teaching his son. Counseling him as he seeks friends. We see the father counsel his son to “hear the instructions of your father” and “not forsake the law of your mother.” The father is counseling his son about the people he associates with, whom the father calls sinners. We see in this passage that the father warns his son to not walk “in the way” of the sinners because their feet run towards evil. Despite planning traps for the “birds,” the sinners would be the ones whose feet are caught in their own trap.
The way that the father describes in vs. 15-16 is a way that leads towards destruction.
Sin leads us down a path towards destruction and every time we engage in sin, we’re being lead on a path that God doesn’t want us to be on. He, like the Father is warning us where we should step. Our feet should turn from the path leading to destruction and run towards the path leading towards salvation.
How does walking and living according to God’s Word keep us from indulging in sin?
We see in the Old Testament many times where the prophets of God called for the nation of Israel to repent of their sin and turn back to God and their covenant with Him. Similarly, we see the Apostles of the New Testament call for the Jewish Christians and later the Gentile Christians within the ancient churches to not only turn away from their idolatry, but also sexual immorality that was running rampant in the churches.
Walking and living according to God’s Word stems from not only fearing the Lord, but also recognizing God and what He’s done for us throughout our life. What Christ did on the Cross. When we decide to declare before our fellow brethren that we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are also declaring on His Word that we’re willing to walk and live differently from the rest of society and culture. To deny ourselves and carry the cross of discipleship despite the societal, cultural, or familial costs.
“While society and culture may glorify sinful lifestyles and practices that God hates, we as Christians are to abhor what God abhors and walk according to the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 9:23-26 (NKJV) says, “23. Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26. For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”
For context, Jesus had just sent out the 12 disciples to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick while also feeding 5,000 people (not including women and children). We also see in the earlier verses Peter’s confession of who Jesus is as the Son of God by way of the Holy Spirit. It’s in this context that this passage of Scripture is written.
Christ makes is explicitly clear that one who desires to follow Him has to deny himself and carry his cross daily.
Sin binds us, but Christ through His death and resurrection freed us from sin’s chains.
Who are we listening to? Christ or our sin and shame?
The Apostle Paul reminds us through the Book of Romans that the wages of sin is death, but God’s gift is eternal life through Christ Jesus. When we let sin have reign over our life, many of us never realize that we are being lead towards spiritual death and eternal separation from the Lord.
This is why the Apostle Paul calls for us to not allow sin to reign over our body.
Romans 6:10-14 (NKJV) says, “10. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in his lusts. 13. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
For context, the Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome, had just finished writing how through Adam, death and sin entered the world but how through Christ, we are now giving the gift of God’s grace. In addition, we see how Paul reminds the church in Rome that they were now made righteous because of Christ’s obedience to the Lord.
What’s interesting about this passage of Scripture is that, while Paul is writing to the Roman church, what he’s saying is applicable for all Christians in all eras. Christ died to save us and thus we died to sin and are no longer its slaves. Paul reminds us that we are to “present our instruments as members of righteousness to God” and not as “instruments of unrighteousness to sin.”
“Our restored relationship with God is because of God’s grace and Christ’s obedience in His death on the Cross.”
Because we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to Christ, we ought to put away and deny our flesh and its lusts as Christ commands us. We are to present our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, not temples of sin and unrighteousness (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Have we dragged God and His Name into our sin, despite understanding that we are no longer slaves to sin?
How can we have a true relationship with God if we continue to indulge in our sin and lusts?
God Bless,
Joshua Reid
Revival 