Sin and the Sin Nature

 Sin is never a popular subject. Most people either deny that they sin or that sins are of any real concern. Those who feel guilty over sin often resort to a try-harder remedy, hoping that their good intentions and extra efforts will in some way eclipse their failures. After all, won’t God overlook our sins if we do enough good things? However, God’s Word is clear about the consequences of even the least of sins. Romans 6.23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” Because of our sins we’re hopelessly lost unless God steps in.

As if that weren’t bad enough, we learn from the Scriptures that sin takes on many forms in our lives. There are sins of commission and sins of omission, that is to say, we sin by actively disobeying God’s commands and by passively neglecting to obey His will. James 2.10 tells us, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all,” and James 4.17 states, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” We can sin by our actions and by our inactions. We can even sin just by thinking evil thoughts. In Matthew 15.19 Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Sin is pervasive in our lives.

The reason sin is so strong in our lives is that we were born with a sinful nature. Galatians 5.16-17 tells us, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” This sinful nature, the flesh, draws us away from God’s holy standard. It entices us to act as sinners.

Simply stated, sin is any failure on our part to conform to God’s holiness. Romans 3.23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one measures up to God’s glory. We’re sinners by birth and by choice. Romans 5.12 tells us, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

However, the Bible offers some very good news. Jesus took our sins on Himself so that we can be totally forgiven. Second Corinthians 5.21 declares, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. When we receive Jesus into our hearts by faith He forgives our sins and restores us to a right relationship with God. Thank God today for Jesus Christ and His loving sacrifice for your sins.