Back To The Basics: Sin

Sometimes it is necessary to revisit basic principles.  We get so involved in being deep thinkers and speakers that we leave out some basic things.  When I coach sports I always hammer basic fundamentals.  Today, we are trying to avoid the basics of sin by changing the name of it.  We avoid calling it sin, so we call it "freedom of choice" or "alternate lifestyle" or "convenience" and in doing that we change the word grace to fit our new look at sin.  We change the word grace to "free pass."  That leaves us with a free pass to a freedom of choice or an alternate lifestyle or to live conveniently.  Today, I want to point out that we can change the names of many terms but we are doing that because we do not understand the basics of sin, like where sin started, what it is, etc..  I read a quote and I thought it was very relevant to this subject and it goes like this, "I covet no phraseology that lends respectability to sin.  The sorest injury we can do a man is to lighten his conception of the enormity of sin."~J.H. Howet  I must add here that we can't sugar coat sin, but we can and should expose it as loving as possible!  Remember, a liar is as evil as a raping murderer in the eyes of God.  You don't have to burn down the place the congregation gathers to be a sinner.

Sin started in the Garden of Eden.  Mankind became a sinner because they heard, believed, and obeyed a lie that was preached to them by Satan through the serpent. Gen 3:1-8  Eve was deceived because the lies that were preached to her was mixed with some truth.  That is happening today as well.  Except Satan is using well dressed, articulate, and intelligent men and women to preach his lies mixed with truth.  Adam and Eve were given a simple and plain command that they chose to disobey.  That disobedience brought sin into the world.  Which brought death, or separation from God, into the world. Gen 2:17   

Let's look at a few words that are translated sin to understand what sin is.  First, sin is lawlessness.  One word translated lawlessness means to break, violate, or reject God's law. Sin is to be in opposition of and disregard God's law. 1Jn 3:4  This is exactly what we see in the actions of Adam and Eve.  Remember there was only one tree forbidden tree in that entire garden.  The command was simple and clear "you shall not eat."  You have to hire someone to help you misunderstand that!  God provided a way for them to be saved forever in the tree of life, but He also allowed Adam and Eve to have the freedom of choice: loyalty or disloyalty, obedience or disobedience, life or death.  He is doing the same today.  He has provided a way for us to be saved forever through Jesus Christ, but He is allowing us to choose from the same choices.  This test of loyalty definitely didn't cause the disloyalty.  This test of obedience didn't cause the disobedience.  The disloyalty and disobedience came from a rebellion of Adam and Eve that started in their hearts!  The eating of that fruit, or disloyalty and disobedience, was just a display  of what is their hearts.  

Second, sin is a transgression of God's law.  This word that is translated transgression means to go over or beyond God's law. It is disregarding the boundaries between right and wrong.  This is the word that the elder brother of the prodigal son uses when he is voicing his complaint to his father. Lk 15:29  This is what we do when we try to change the meaning of the grace.  

Third, sin is missing the mark.  The word translated sin literally means a missing of the mark.  Vine's says this word sin is an inward element producing acts.  That is why I say Adam and Eve's sin started in their hearts.  The mark that is missed is God's mark.  All mankind has missed the mark and fallen short of the glory of God. Rom 3:23  

I read one time, I believe it was Barclay, and he was discussing the difference between sins of commission and sins of omission.  I want you to know that sin is not just avoiding the wrong, but it is also not doing the right!  We can avoid all the bad and never do any good!  That is just as sinful as doing the bad and wrong in God's eyes!  James says as much in Jas 4:17  

Sin is selfish and that is its essential principle.  The chief characteristic of love is giving.  No matter what it cost ourselves.  The chief characteristic of sin is the exact opposite.  It is getting, no matter what it costs others.  Sin is very alluring.  It has an appealing characteristic to it.  It is very charming and fascinating because it is filled with pleasure.  Often times sin can feel great.  That pleasure may be short lived but is still alluring.  It makes me think of a bug zapper.  I can never figure out how so many bugs fly into that light to their death.  That light is so alluring to bugs that just can't resist.  I would look around see all my dead buddies and say, "Forget this.  I'm outta here!"  Really...   I look around and see my buddies now filled with sin and far too often I fail to say, "Forget this.  I'm outta here."  The biggest reason is because sin is also deceitful.  Sin shows off all its pleasure but disguises its pain, shame, and consequences.  That is exactly what Satan did to Eve!  He listed all the advantages but disguised the consequences and pain of sin.  Satan is a barter, who bargains with things he doesn't have!  That is what he tried with Jesus. Mt 4:1-11  Satan wants us to think of sin as something beautiful and pleasureful.  The beer commercials do the same thing today.  Their product will cause you to do dumb and costly things.  It will make you extremely sick.  It will cause to loose memories of what you did.  It could even kill you.  Yet, their commercials never communicate that.  All we see is fun, pleasure, and beautiful people. If we are not careful sin will make us its slave.  Rom 6:16  

Sin separates us from God. Isa 59:2  It brings suffering.  Eve suffered in childbearing, Adam suffered in labor, the earth suffered in what it produced, and Satan suffered with his head being crushed.  Everything and anything suffers when sin enters the picture!  Sin also brings death, both physical and spiritual.  It may have took over 900 years for Adam's resulting death from sin to catch him, but it did.  Cemeteries all over the place are a reminder that sin resulted in a physical death.  Paul reminds us of the spiritual death that sin produces.  2Th 1:7-9  

Thank you Lord for providing a cure from this sin in Jesus Christ! Rom 5:8-12

He died for our sins, by His wounds we are healed, and He destroyed death and brought life! 1Co 15:3; 1Pe 2:24; 2Ti 1:10  Thank you Jesus!  His blood provides our redemption and forgiveness in accordance with God's grace. Eph 1:7

The cure is provided all we must do is partake.  Antibiotics can't help you if you do not take them.  Christ can't help if you do not obey Him.  Obedience to the Gospel is a must.  God did His part and now we must do ours.  Those at Pentecost understood this and asked, "What should we do?"  Saul understood this and said, "What will you have me do?"  Today, are you ready to let go of sin in your life that is separating you from God and ask the same question as Saul and those at Pentecost?  Sin is not an alternate lifestyle or permissible due to convenience.  It is separating you from God and eternity with Him.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

We must hear the Word of God:  Rom 10:17; Acts 4:4

We must believe or have faith:   Heb 11:6; Acts 16:31

We must repent of our sins:  Lk 13:3; Acts 17:30

We must confess Christ before others:  Mt 10:32; Acts 8:37

We must be immersed into Christ (baptized) Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38

We must be faithful:   Rev 2:10; Acts 14:22   

The American Holocaust

ABORTION

1. prolifephysicians.org says:

          A scientific textbook called “Basics of Biology” gives five characteristics of living things; these five criteria are found in all modern elementary scientific textbooks:

1. Living things are highly organized.

2. All living things have an ability to acquire materials and energy.

3. All living things have an ability to respond to their environment.

4. All living things have an ability to reproduce.

5. All living things have an ability to adapt.

           According to this elementary definition of life, life begins at fertilization, when a sperm unites with an oocyte.  From this moment, the being is highly organized, has the ability to acquire materials and energy, has the ability to respond to his or her environment, has the ability to adapt, and has the ability to reproduce (the cells divide, then divide again, etc., and barring pathology and pending reproductive maturity has the potential to reproduce other members of the species).  Non-living things do not do these things.  Even before the mother is aware that she is pregnant, a distinct, unique life has begun his or her existence inside her.

2. A study in 2008 done concerning abortions in Va said:

Where Do Women Obtain Abortions?

• In 2008, there were 1,793 abortion providers in the United States. This is virtually unchanged from 2005, when there were 1,787 abortion providers. Seventy percent of all abortions were provided at abortion clinics, 24% at other clinics, 4% at hospitals and 1% at private physicians' offices.

• In 2008, there were 40 abortion providers in Virginia. This represents a 13% decline from 2005, when there were 46 abortion providers.

Restrictions on Abortion

In Virginia, the following restrictions on abortion were in effect as of January 2011:

The parent of a minor must consent before an abortion is provided.

A woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided.

Public funding is available for abortion only in cases of life endangerment, rape, incest or fetal abnormality.

3. Rom 10:9,11  

Fetus- the young of an animal in the womb or egg, especially in the later stages of development when the body structures are in the recognizable form of its kind, in humans after the end of the second month of gestation  (4-6 weeks arms legs and eye sockets are “easily” visible.  The question is what is recoignizible?)

 This is a fetus at 4-5 weeks.  Any recognizable traits?

Gestate/Gestation-to carry in the womb during the period from conception to delivery.

4.  The center for Bio-Ethical Reform published statistics that said: 1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).

5. How far does our accountability go to draw their attention to this sin? 

Gen 9:5,6- “lifeblood”: More sacred than the life of an animal is the life of a person. Animals may be slain for food, but no wanton slaying of humans is allowed.

         “By man shall his blood be shed”  This is not merely a permission legalizing, but an imperative command enjoining capital punishment. Only God has the right to take life, but in this commandment, it is clear that, When God commands man to execute murderers, He delegates this task to man, and it becomes his God-given responsibility to do it.  GOD HOLDS MURDER VERY SERIOUSLY!!  Jesus put stricter restraints on murder in Mt 5:21,22

Ex 20:13- Of supreme importance in understanding this is the distinction between the word rendered "kill," and another Hebrew word in numerous passages rendered, "Thou shalt surely slay him," or "He shall surely be put to death." In those places the word is [~harag]. Deut. 13:9 is an example. "Thou shalt surely [~harag] him." Now the word here is [~ratsach], which means murder. In those other places, it is [~harag] which means "to slay" or "to put to death." For that reason, this commandment is better translated, "Thou shalt do no murder." It is a false understanding of God's Word, therefore, to quote this commandment as a prohibition of capital punishment.

Nu 35:31- “ransom” satisfaction KJV  Albert Barnes says that the Koran condones such action.  This verse in context is dealing with a person who is going to a city of refuge.  Some would try to pay a “ransom” to the victim’s family as opposed to going to a refuge city for a long time!  Nonetheless, murder is never accepted!!!

ILLUS:  A woman goes to a doctor looking to have an abortion.  She explains that she already has a young child with a mental illness and cannot raise another at the same time.  It would just be to difficult.  The doctor lets her know he understands her anxiety and has a different solution.  He says, “Why don’t you just kill the child with the mental illness and give birth to the unborn?  You already know this child has a mental illness and possibly the unborn child will be born without a mental illness.”  The lady calls the doctor insane and says that would be murder.  The doctor explained, “You have come in here and decided on of your children had to die so your life would be less hectic.  I understand your difficulties.  I am just giving what appears to be a more logical choice that could possibly greaten the satisfaction in your life.  So, I’m offering you a choice  which child will die for your life of ease?”    

Abortion is murder.  Murder is sin.  This nation went crazy over Casey Anthony.  Meanwhile, a bunch of unborn children are murdered during that child that was never spoken of!  How long will we sit back and watch this American Holocaust?

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Hear The Word-  Rom 10:17; Acts 4:4

We Must Believe or Have Faith-  Heb 11:6; Acts 16:31

We Must Repent-  Lk 13:3; Acts 17:30

We Must Confess Christ Before Others-  Mt 10:32; Acts 8:37

We Must Be Immersed Into Christ (Baptized)-  1Pe 3:21; Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38  

We Must Remain Faithful-  Rev 2:10; Acts 14:22