You Don’t Have To Settle For Second Best!

SIN

S – Significant

I – Intentional

N – Nasty act

When you think of sin, what does your mind search for?

Perhaps you think of something that pricks your conscience, like a thorn that pricks your foot. Perhaps you think of the original sin of man – how Adam sinned by disobeying God and the whole of humankind was damned. Perhaps you think of someone who did something wrong to you and you still feel that pain and hurt.

Whatever your thoughts are on sin or the experiences you had, sin is not a good word. You want to have it removed far away from your mind. Mark 7:20-23 says, “He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

When we think bad thoughts, they grow in our minds and soon find a place in our actions. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Sin is often deliberate thoughts, crafted over time in our heads. It is a significant and intentional, nasty act that defiles our character. It is like a permanent marker on a clean canvas – very noticeable. We can describe sin as a blemish to our character, which we wish was hidden from the public eye. We feel a sense of regret or shame for it and wish it never happened.

Sadly, there is none who can say they have not sinned – such is the human condition. Whether it’s a big sin or a small sin, a sin is a sin! Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So as humans, we cannot redeem ourselves. There is hope and a way out for us. The verse in 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

The nastiness of sin and it’s consequences can be made right. There is saving grace available to those who seek purification from the stains of sin. In 1 John 1:9 it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Sin therefore cannot have a permanent stranglehold on you.

My father always reminded us of this phrase: “Either sin will keep you away from reading the Bible or the Bible will keep you away from sin.”   How true! ◊

Linda Pearl