Regarding sin, here's a test: try NOT to think about a crystal bowl of Red & Green M&M candies. Now, try not to sin. As long as we walk around in these earth suits, we're going to have a VERY hard time NOT sinning. Frankly, even if I never sinned, I'd get pridefull about how good I am in comparison to you. Pride is a sin; a very serious matter that got Lucifer booted out of Heaven. Pride really does come before a fall, according to Scripture. Even babies know how to sin. No one has to tell a little kid how to be selfish or steal.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Romans 8:1) If even a minister serves up a message of condemnation for you, quite simply, it's NOT from God. How do we know? Because those things that are from the Holy Spirit manifest themselves in Edification, Exhortation, Comfort (1 Cor 14:3). The Spirit Himself has come to convict us of our sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:5-11). Jesus said, "But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin (ministering conviction and leading to godly sorrow, repentance and resulting in more followers of Jesus), because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness (because, with Jesus gone, the Spirit would continue reminding us of who we are in God's eyes so that the Cause of Christ - this Kingdom work of ours - would continue), because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no more; concerning judgment (what God had prepared for the devil and his angels and those who willfully follow him), because the ruler of this world is judged.
Conviction of sin? Yes, NOT condemnation. Once that conviction leads to godly sorrow, it will lead to repentance (2 Cor 7;10).
Conviction of righteousness? Yes! We MUST become convicted of our righteousness - our right standing with God. If not, we will find ourselves wallowing in the condemnation Satan heaps upon us in relation to our pasts.
Judgment? As one speaker said, "God votes you go to Heaven. Satan votes you go to Hell. YOU cast the deciding vote."
Let's remember that, although Eph 2:8,9 declares that, "For by grace you have been saved through faith...," though are saved by God's grace, that same grace is NOT a license to sin. Guess what? We're going to sin ANY WAY!
That's the Good News (Gospel) about sin; that even though we may do our level best NOT to sin, when we do - and we WILL - we have an advocate (Jesus) with the Father. Sure, you may never fly a plane into a tall building, or have an affair with a high ranking official. But do you ever Doubt? Do you ever Fear? Lie? Steal? Lust? Covet? Gossip? Isaiah 64:6 says Our righteousness is filthy rags in God's sight. Romans says There is NO ONE righteous; not even one. ALL have sinned and fall short of God's glory. Folks, at our BEST, we're not good enough. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:12. "...When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise."
Think about it; who among us had sinned before Jesus died on that cruel cross? No one. So, logically speaking, if ALL our sins were atoned for at Calvary, ALL includes ALL the sins you and I ever committed AS WELL as all the sins you and I will EVER commit, right?
Now, despite the fact that we are so good at holding one another to our own self-righteous measuring stick, merciless standards of what is good and acceptable, though man looks at the outside, God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7). Are there consequences for our sins? You'd better believe it. Gal 6:7,8 says: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."
The principal of reaping and sowing - the seedtime-to-harvest existence we have here on earth, was set in motion by God back in Gen 8:22. But be of good cheer; though those negative seeds of sin will bring forth a negative harvest, those positive seeds of blessing will bring forth blessings from God that will overtake you, to. So, remain blessable at all costs!
So, what's the Good News about sin? The Good News about sin is that the debt has been paid. The key is simply in making Jesus the real Lord of your lives though experiential relationship. We are encouraged by Scripture to GROW in grace and in the KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3;18). How does a person fall in love with anyone or anything? By spending TIME with that person or thing. Jesus WANTS to be a REAL Person in all of our lives. Sadly, too often, He never shakes His status as a mere historical figure. The plain truth is that most who call themselves Christians are doing so only because they weren't born in Baghdad or Islamabad or Pakistan. Many consider themselves Christians despite having ZERO relationship with Christ. Christless Christianity is no Christianity at all.
Do you want to grow in that relationship? Years ago, I was asked to pick up a wonderful godly woman for a church service as her car was in the shop. I thought, "Here's my chance!" As we drove along, I asked her what it was that made her seem so "different" than so many other Christians I had met. She smiled knowingly and said it came down to three very simple ingredients. 1) Pray all the time. "It's a 2-Way form of communication, talking and listening." 2) Study the Word. "It's a love letter; the word "Bible" stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth," she quipped. 3) Fellowship. "Not merely attending Church services but surrounding yourself with people whose Faith-Walk you admire and want to emulate. Remember, we all need a Paul, a Barnabas and a Timothy in our lives."
A few years back, I performed a wedding for a Catholic man and his Church of Christ bride. The groom's mother was a beautiful 40-something woman who had gone through an ugly divorce 20 years prior. In counseling the couple, the young man revealed to me that his mother would not take communion as a result of her feelings of unworthiness by way of her divorce. I was able to discuss this matter with her at the reception. I reminded her that the cross of Christ was all that would ever be needed for our forgiveness. There are NO VIP SINNERS and that she was as forgiven by God through Christ as anybody EVER. Friends, I think I could hear shackles and chains falling off the woman as she beamed with delight! OK. I exaggerate a bit. But it was a glorious moment, that's for sure.
WHAT IS SIN? Appearing 827 times in the Bible, the Greek word for "sin" is hamartia {ham-ar'-tee'-ah}, and it literally means "to miss the mark" as when an archer fails to hit the center of the target.
Who has sinned? According to Rom 3;23, ALL have sinned. Rom 3:19 says there is no one righteous; no, not one. Isaiah 64:6 describes our own righteousness as "filthy rags" in the sight of God. Basically, being good isn't good enough.
Finally, there's this verse from 1 Jn 1:8,10: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. if we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us." We're LYING to ourselves if we think we don't sin or that we can obey the 10 commandments. I recall the very first sermon that ever stuck with me. I chose to listen to Billy Graham on a small transistor radio on my bed. He was describing how we all break the ten commandments all the time. Adultery? Jesus said you've committed adultery through lust in your heart. Murder? Jesus said your as guilty of such if for merely hating another person. NONE of us was innocent.
Even Al Capone, the gangster, considered himself quite the benefactor to society. The evidence? The public was buying what he was selling. Likewise, pornography is a $7 Billion a year business. Is it beneficial? By Capone's definition, it is, obviously, as so many are buying the product of porn. "But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin," (Hebrews 3;13). Sin causes a person to be deceived. The more a person sins, the more he may be deceived.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIN - NOT VARYING DEGREES
Unpardonable sin - if you're worried about it, you haven't done it. Numerous Christians are afraid they had committed the unpardonable sin. Christians who believe they have committed the unpardonable sin have a difficult