WHAT IS SIN?

         One of the challenges to evangelism is the fact that Christians, at times, seem to speak a foreign language to non-Christians. There are certain terms and words used in the Bible that Christians understand and assume others understand. This is not always true. When we fail to define our terms to individuals, then we fail to explain the Gospel message.

         Imagine that you had to explain the game of baseball to an individual that has never heard of the game. As you explain the rules, you tell them that if they get three strikes at bat then they are out. However, if you do not explain what a strike is, then you have failed to teach the individual about the game of baseball. If the person is familiar with bowling and believes that the term strike is the same in bowling as it is in baseball, you will have confused this individual. In order to accurately explain the game of baseball, one must define their terms properly.

         I often hear Christians (and have probably been guilty of it myself) quote Scripture to explain how we are in a lost state due to sin. Romans 6:²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. What does a Christian mean by lost and sin? If we are not defining these terms, then we are not teaching people Biblical truths. We should not think that all people know what we mean by the term sin.

         In the Bible, sin is breaking the will of God. God makes His will known through His Word, which is the Bible. A simple definition is that sin is breaking the commandments of God as revealed in the Bible. That is what John teaches us in his book called 1 John. 1 John 3:⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. Whenever you are disobedient to the will of God, you sin.

         What gives God the right to make commandments in this world? Why should He be able to tell us what to do? God is the creator of the universe, which includes this world. Genesis 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. As the Creator, He has the rights of ownership over this world. We understand the rights of ownership. If I enter into your house, I have to obey your rules or you have the right to throw me out. When we have ownership, we have the right to determine how that possession is used. Since God is the owner and we are living in His possession, we have to obey His rules. If you refuse to obey the rules, then you are abusing someone else's possession.

         A second reason that God has the right to determine the rules is that He gave us life and continues to give us the means to live. You are alive because of God. He created all life. He sustains life by providing the sun, oxygen, rain, and gravity. If God stops any of those functions (among others), life ceases immediately. We understand that we are to honor our parents in this world because they gave us our existence. Exodus 20:¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. We honor them by obeying their wishes and doing what pleases them. We honor God, who gives us life, by following His wishes on this earth. We owe Him our allegiance for what He does. We should be willing to follow His wishes and His commands because He gave us life.

         If we love God, then we should be willing to follow His commands. Jesus teaches us this point. John 14:¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. All sin is detestable to God. When we choose to sin, we are saying to God "I want to do what you hate." We are also saying there is something we love more than God. You cannot say that I love God while willfully and intentionally sinning.

         Earlier I stated that one who sins is "lost." The term lost means that we have been separated from God due to our sin. It is a term that Jesus used in some of His parables, such as the parable of the lost sheep. If we continue in sin, we will be excluded from God's home in heaven and find ourselves in hell. Hell is a place where we will be eternally separated from God. That is the danger of sin. We should do all that we can to avoid sin and follow God's commandments.

The Real One and Done

           

Eventually in sports, everyone loses. Kentucky won their first 38 games and lost one. Unfortunately for them, one loss means no national championship. I am sure if they could, they would trade one of their victories to replace their loss. However, that is not how it works. When it comes to the NCAA national championship, it is perfection or nothing else. It is not about how good you are, it is about being perfect for 6 games.

         We understand this when it comes to sports but fail to understand this concept when it concerns our salvation. Many believe that being good is good enough to enter into heaven. However, that is not true. In fact, when you commit one sin, you are truly one and done. Earning heaven is being perfect and without mistake. When it comes to sin, it is one and done.

         You see the price of sin is death. Romans 6:²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. All sin is equally wrong. James 2:¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹ For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. We are all sinners. Romans 3:²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. As a result, once I commit a sin I have become guilty. My punishment is forfeiting heaven. If I am not going to heaven, then my punishment is hell.

         Someone might say, "I am a good person that has done many good deeds. My good deeds should erase my mistakes." That is not true. No matter how many good deeds I commit, I will never be able to erase even one of my sins. Just like one loss in a tournament means I lose the championship, one sin means I lose heaven.

         At this point, the illustration is depressing. Yet there is one thing I get in my life that a ball team does not get in a tournament: a redeemer. Jesus Christ came to save the world. John 3:¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  Christ was willing to take the place of the sinner at the cross. He is willing to pay the price for my sin. Even though I am a failure and have forfeited my prize, I have one willing to exchange His innocence for my guilt and pay my price. I have been redeemed.

         Ephesians 2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

         Tonight, 66 teams will have to watch two teams play for a championship. Only one will win. 67 teams will forfeit a prize based on their failure. There is nothing that can or will change that. The winner is not going to trade places with the losers. That is not how sports work.

         Tonight there are people who are in their sins who have forfeited their prize of heaven. However, you do not have to remain in your state. You have a redeemer who is willing to give you a victory. You do not have to sit there with a loss; you can choose to regain what was lost. The Bible teaches that if we believe that Jesus is the Christ, confess Him as our Lord, repent of our sins, and we are baptized we will be saved. Will you choose to stay in your imperfections or will you allow yourself to taste the victory?