How God Views Sin

From a lesson by Randall Reynolds

"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death," James 1:14-15.

"The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law." 1 Corinthians 15:56

"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead." Romans 3:20; 7:8

We Need a Change of Attitude Toward Sin
Psalms 119:101-104; "I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way."

Proverbs 8:13a"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil..."

Romans 12:9"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."

Ezekiel 18:30, 322" 'Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin ... For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,' says the Lord God. Therefore turn and live!"

2 Timothy 3:1a,5-7"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves ... having a form of godliness(religion) , but denying it's power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captive of gulible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

2 Thessonians 3:6"But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us."

Acts 20:29-31"For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in amoung you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone day and night with tears."

2 Timothy 3:16-17"All scripture is given by inspiriation of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipted for every good work."

1 Timothy 6:3-5"If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which there come envy, strife, revilings, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is means for gain. From such men withdraw yourself."

Matthew 18:3"... unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

Are There Degrees of Sin in God's Eyes?
Romans 5:12-6:12"Therfore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned ... so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?... Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it's lusts."

Romans 6:23"For the wages of sin is death..."

Romans 14:23"Whatever is not of faith is sin"

Romans 10:17 "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

1 John 3:4"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."

Hebrews 10:26"... For if we sin willyfully after we have receieved the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer remains a sacrifice for sins."

1 John 1:8"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Matthew 7:21 "Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven".

John 14:6, 23 "Jesus said, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me ... if anyone loves Me , he will obey My teachings.'"

Romans 2:13 "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous."

James 4:17 "... to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

James 1:12-15"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promissed to those who love Him. Let no one say whe he is tempted, 'I am tempted of God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is dawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

2 Corinthians 11:28-29"But let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread, and drink the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

2 John 9 "Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God..."

Matthew 15:8-9; "These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

John 4:23 "But the hour comes, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him."

1 John 4:2 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world",

Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so"


2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew yourself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

2 Corinthians 13:5a "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves..."

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What is Sin?

In the context of heaven and hell and eternity, the Bible definition of sin is “Missing the Mark”

“Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God.”1 John 3:4 New Living Translation

Are You Missing the Mark?
Tom, an experienced hunter, raised his rifle, and taking careful aim, fired at the attacking grizzly bear. The bullet missed its mark and the shaken hunter fired again. The bear reared up on it’s hind legs and lunged forward, falling only steps from Tom’s feet. “I don’t know what went wrong!” he exclaimed. Tom rarely missed his target, and he shuttered as he considered what might have happened to him. In a similar way we need to consider sin and its consequences.

Sin is “missing the mark” --- failing to hit the target with God’s standards. God has set standards of conduct and any failure, intentional or unintentional, is a sin. If you are concerned about pleasing God, then you will want to consider carefully what the Bible says about sin.

Transgression
It is wrong to add to, or take away from, the things God has revealed. Jesus said, “Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Are you inclined to accept or reject religious concepts on the basis of your opinion? If so, you may miss the mark by accepting more than God has authorized. The apostle Paul wrote, “But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). For example: praying to saints and the baptism of infants are not part of the message given through the apostles. Numerous other examples could be given. We must be careful to obey God in matters of religious practice.

Moral Standards
God’s standards are rejected by many today. Whether respected or rejected, they do not change. God will judge each person according to the deeds done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10). “Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulters, nor effeminate [male prostitute or person who has sexual relations with homosexual], nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers (hateful toward another), nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). To engage in these practices is to “miss the mark.”

The Sin of Disbelief
Are you influenced by the pseudo-intellectualism that creates doubt concerning the validity of the Bible? Do you assume that maybe the Bible does not relate to our age at all? Have you studied the Scriptures thoroughly? Have you observed the many evidences for the existence of God and the Bible as His revealed Word to us?

It is necessary to believe in God to be pleasing to Him. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). If you believe in God, you must also believe His Word and obey it in order to please Him. To disbelieve is to “miss the mark.” “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2).

Are You Accountable?
Do you assume God will overlook errors you are not aware of? Jesus said, “... if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14). It is your responsibility to study the Bible and follow it. You must not rely upon religious leaders. They may be sincere, but sincerely wrong!

If you are mentally competent and old enough to grasp the concept of sin, you are accountable to God. The Bible says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). For this reason Christ is needed in order to receive forgiveness for sin. If you want to please God you will try to avoid sin, but even with your best efforts you will “miss the mark.” This is why you need Christ as Savior. He lived a perfect life and was qualified to make atonement for sin.

The Choice is Yours
You can have forgiveness for past sins through faith in Jesus. If you believe Him to be the Son of God, then confess Him as the Christ and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins in obedience to His command. (Matthew 10:32; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3-5). Then, as a Christian you may ask God for forgiveness each time you miss the mark. The Christian is instructed to repent and pray for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgiveness us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). [Note the context; the “we” here is Christians who have already taken the steps necessary for salvation].

If you reject Christ, you will stand before God in judgment with the sins you have committed. That will cause you to be separated from God’s presence throughout all eternity in a place of continual punishment. “... Jesus shall be revealed with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power”
(2 Thesssalonians 1:7-9).Won’t you seriously consider the consequences of “missing the mark” and place your confidence in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

WHAT CAN YOU DO?You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16;Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

WE WELCOME YOUFollowing the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile our differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your comments or questions and would also be glad to find a congregation near you belonging to Jesus Christ and worshipping according to the Bible pattern.

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