The Perilous Nature of Sin

SOME people scoff at the concept of sin by defining it as a prohibition against fun made by the few who hate it against the many who enjoy it. In a way, this was the original lie that the serpent told Eve. He suggested that God was withholding things from her that she truly needed and would benefit from (Genesis 3:4-5).

But Scripture presents sin as anything but fun or beneficial. Sin has devastating consequences of which we need to be aware. As the Book of Romans points out, sin enslaves people and demands that they obey its lusts (Romans 6:6, 12, 20).

Several phrases in the New Testament help to define the perilous nature of sin:

• To sin is to “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). People trapped in sin’s tight snare cannot live up to the holy lifestyle that God intended when He created them.
• “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). It involves living for “me first” rather than for God, being “a law unto oneself.”
• “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). When we sin, we offend the God who loves justice and righteousness (Romans 1:18).
• If we know what is good and yet do not do it, we sin (James 4:17). Thus sin involves conscious disobedience against what is right, even to the point of approving the sin of others (Romans 1:32).

This is a sobering picture, but even more startling is that every human being is a part of this picture. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10; compare 2 Chronicles 6:36; Romans 5:12). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Nor is sin limited to a few matters of religion or personal habits. Because God is the sovereign owner of the whole world—its lands, nations, people, and all resources—misuse of any part of the creation means sinning against Him. We are accountable for every dimension of life. Nothing is really “secular” in the sense of being outside His concern.

Courtesy of Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.