It seems no one likes to talk about sin anymore. We want to hear about it even less. After all, we don't want some holier-than-thou hypocrite in a pulpit making us feel bad for all the things we like to do! Many preachers are left as little more than self-help gurus and/or CEOs. Here's the thing: the Bible talks about sin, so any preacher who would faithfully proclaim the Word of God has to talk about sin, too.
One of the reasons the Bible says to avoid every form of sin is that, not only does all sin offend God, but also sin is cumulative in nature. Sin grows. It refuses to remain static. It gets bigger, deeper, and stronger. What might seem like an insignificant moral decision today may eventually lead to a conscience that is seared and slavery to sins that before seemed unimaginable. If we allow sin to plant roots in our hearts, we will have a difficult time cutting down the poisonous trees that issue from them. Let's look at a few examples.
Anger. It is nearly impossible to enumerate the sins that proceed from anger. Confession time: I have a temper. I always have had a temper. Ask my siblings. Ask my cousins. Ask anyone who saw me as a 12-year-old protesting a bad call at home plate. Anger itself is not such a bad thing. In fact, it can actually be righteous! The problem is that uncontrolled anger leaves you vulnerable to a litany of other sins, defenseless as a city without walls. I have mulled over that verse many times. It is a challenging thought. Physical violence, broken relationships (and dishes), and inappropriate speech (both blasphemy and hurtful words) are just a few of the products of a temper left unchecked.
Pride. There's a reason the Bible talks about pride an awful lot. It's pervasive in mankind. Most of us think we know best, and we can't admit otherwise even when we know we don't. From pride comes selfishness, which leads to so many things. We think we deserve the best. We think we know best. We bulldoze anyone who has the audacity to challenge our interpretation of the world. We treat other people in a condescending manner. The opinion we have of ourselves has a profound effect on everything we do. If our self-worth is inflated, that which follows is rarely good.
Lust. Sexual lust is one of the most pervasive moral struggles known to mankind. Sexuality is beautiful and is part of our constitution as humans, but an unbridled sexual appetite can destroy lives and souls. Lust enslaves to pornography. Lust leads to manipulation and abandonment. Lust often causes its host to disregard completely the well-being of family, friends, and lovers. Few adulterers and pedophiles started out that way. Lust that is cultured will hunger for more and more. Its boundaries are difficult to define.
Greed. Most westerners have heard that the love of money is the root of all evil. This often-misquoted verse isn't claiming that all sin is derivative of greed, but it does warn us of the many tributaries that stem from this raging river. Greed produces selfishness. Greed produces lying, cheating, and stealing. Greed realigns our priorities entirely. Greed produces the selfish ambition that subjects every person, possession, and situation to the quest for more, more, more! The sins committed in the name of pride have largely defined history.
The cumulative nature of sin is a call to excise all sin from our lives. If we countenance "small" sins, they will grow and overcome our hearts. The good news is that, just as different sins are related, so too are the traits of holiness. The Fruit of the Spirit is various but singular. All these positive moral traits come from the same Source, the Holy Spirit. As we yield to the Spirit and pursue diligence in the means of grace, not just one portion of our character, but all of it will be transformed. Anger yields to patience. Pride is replaced by concern for others. Greed gives way to generosity. Each of these admirable qualities then grows exponentially as the new man supplants the old.
Discussing sin might not be very much fun, but it is vital to growth. Without knowledge of sin, holiness is impossible, and that is unmistakably the calling of the Christian life. The soul is fertile ground, either for sin or for holiness. We must confront our sin, refusing to feed it, choosing rather to plant seeds of righteousness that will grow, through the Holy Spirit, into the fruit of holiness.
One of the reasons the Bible says to avoid every form of sin is that, not only does all sin offend God, but also sin is cumulative in nature. Sin grows. It refuses to remain static. It gets bigger, deeper, and stronger. What might seem like an insignificant moral decision today may eventually lead to a conscience that is seared and slavery to sins that before seemed unimaginable. If we allow sin to plant roots in our hearts, we will have a difficult time cutting down the poisonous trees that issue from them. Let's look at a few examples.
Anger. It is nearly impossible to enumerate the sins that proceed from anger. Confession time: I have a temper. I always have had a temper. Ask my siblings. Ask my cousins. Ask anyone who saw me as a 12-year-old protesting a bad call at home plate. Anger itself is not such a bad thing. In fact, it can actually be righteous! The problem is that uncontrolled anger leaves you vulnerable to a litany of other sins, defenseless as a city without walls. I have mulled over that verse many times. It is a challenging thought. Physical violence, broken relationships (and dishes), and inappropriate speech (both blasphemy and hurtful words) are just a few of the products of a temper left unchecked.
Pride. There's a reason the Bible talks about pride an awful lot. It's pervasive in mankind. Most of us think we know best, and we can't admit otherwise even when we know we don't. From pride comes selfishness, which leads to so many things. We think we deserve the best. We think we know best. We bulldoze anyone who has the audacity to challenge our interpretation of the world. We treat other people in a condescending manner. The opinion we have of ourselves has a profound effect on everything we do. If our self-worth is inflated, that which follows is rarely good.
Lust. Sexual lust is one of the most pervasive moral struggles known to mankind. Sexuality is beautiful and is part of our constitution as humans, but an unbridled sexual appetite can destroy lives and souls. Lust enslaves to pornography. Lust leads to manipulation and abandonment. Lust often causes its host to disregard completely the well-being of family, friends, and lovers. Few adulterers and pedophiles started out that way. Lust that is cultured will hunger for more and more. Its boundaries are difficult to define.
Greed. Most westerners have heard that the love of money is the root of all evil. This often-misquoted verse isn't claiming that all sin is derivative of greed, but it does warn us of the many tributaries that stem from this raging river. Greed produces selfishness. Greed produces lying, cheating, and stealing. Greed realigns our priorities entirely. Greed produces the selfish ambition that subjects every person, possession, and situation to the quest for more, more, more! The sins committed in the name of pride have largely defined history.
The cumulative nature of sin is a call to excise all sin from our lives. If we countenance "small" sins, they will grow and overcome our hearts. The good news is that, just as different sins are related, so too are the traits of holiness. The Fruit of the Spirit is various but singular. All these positive moral traits come from the same Source, the Holy Spirit. As we yield to the Spirit and pursue diligence in the means of grace, not just one portion of our character, but all of it will be transformed. Anger yields to patience. Pride is replaced by concern for others. Greed gives way to generosity. Each of these admirable qualities then grows exponentially as the new man supplants the old.
Discussing sin might not be very much fun, but it is vital to growth. Without knowledge of sin, holiness is impossible, and that is unmistakably the calling of the Christian life. The soul is fertile ground, either for sin or for holiness. We must confront our sin, refusing to feed it, choosing rather to plant seeds of righteousness that will grow, through the Holy Spirit, into the fruit of holiness.
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