Is Sin still Sin? It has become unpopular to preach or even mention the word Sin. In our world of positive affirmations and the affirming of everyone and everything, it is growing increasingly unpopular and often downright dangerous to identify many of the individual sins that are mentioned in the Bible. Of course, part of this is due to many who proclaim to be Christians (and others as well) pronouncing judgement instead of the "correction in love" that Jesus modeled and taught as a way to deal with the issue of Sin. That is a discussion for another time but the wrong approach does not diminish the need to address Sin. I have come to believe that Sin is not some arbitrary lists of "do's and don'ts" that God came up with to make our lives difficult. Sin is Sin due to its consequences and its impact on God's Perfection. It hurts God's perfect plan for creation. Much of the Bible deals with the issue of how to avoid, deal with, and recover from Sin. One of the reasons that Sin (missing the mark) is so devastating is due to it's consequences. I believe that often God allows the consequences to flow naturally out of our Sin without intervention, thus allowing for bad things to occur that we are responsible for causing. He was not the cause of those things but rather allowed them to have their natural "fruits" as the results of our sins. Whatever we plant, we will get as a harvest. Oftentimes, we are harvesting the destructive crops planted by others before us. Deliverance (setting the captives free) is one of the purposes and ministries of the church that seeks to correct or make right the consequences of sin (either our own or someone else). Our sin (either by commission or omission) is like setting a ball in motion down a hill. Sometimes the ball may role directly into the curb at the bottom without hitting anything of significance. Other times the ball may hit many things on the way down causing damage and altering the course of other things such a a car that swerves to avoid it. Another example is when a person chooses to have "casual" sex with someone after a night of going to clubs. Sometimes the only discernible consequence for that behavior may be negligible for the person who committed them (although there are often unseen consequences--such as lowering of self-esteem, dehumanizing feels, etc...). At other times, one "casual" sexual encounter may result in the acquiring of a disease that may follow the person the rest of their lives, or cause the breakup of a 25 year marriage. The point is, when we commit acts that God has identified as Sin, there are always consequences. We don't always know the depth of those consequences. We make choices that have "lasting" consequences. It is dangerous to commit a sin because we may choose on one end to commit that act (or omit--whichever the case may be) but we have no control over the consequences on the other end (the consequences are sometimes more serious and far reaching than at other times). The point is, it is a gamble where the odds are not in our favor. Many of us are living today with the consequences (sometimes even generational) of the sins of others. Every parent reading this has committed sin for which your children are suffering. There are no exceptions to this for the Bible tells us that ALL have sinned. That is why sin is "utterly sinful" as Paul told the Roman Christians. Sin at its core is rebellion against God's perfect creation. It's consequences are often not confined to the individual that committed them. An example: Adam sinned by being disobedient to God. The consequences of his sin doomed the entire human race to be "born in sin". I would say that this qualifies as far reaching consequences, wouldn't you? Possibly, at the time Adam was disobedient, he did not completely comprehend the consequences that he would place upon himself and his dependents (and descendants) as a result of his simple disobedience to God. I have worked as a counselor at substance abuse treatment facilities where people were mandated for treatment of alcohol and drug issues. I remember one person in particular who was "court-ordered" there prior to sentencing because he had become intoxicated and had killed someone in an automobile accident. He was a really nice guy. But....he made a choice to sin (I think that driving under the influence of alcohol and putting other people at risk would qualify as a sin) and as a result, he faced the possibility of spending the next 25 years of his life in jail for manslaughter. When I talked with him, he had no idea that his simple "decision" that night would result in the death of someone else. Others have driven automobiles many times without the same consequences. Was it any less wrong? No, but the consequences were different. We can choose to do something wrong (sin) but we don't get to choose the natural consequences of that choice. The truth in all of these consequences to sin is that God has told us that when we sin, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES. Do not get me wrong, just because someone is suffering DOES NOT mean they have sinned. Often their plight is the result of the sins of others. Sometimes it may be others that they do not even know. For example: A dictator takes power and forces people to live in servitude. People born into that environment suffer greatly due to the Sin of other (sometimes ruthless) people. As a mental health counselor, I have encountered many people over the years who are suffering as a result of the "sin" of an abusive parent or caregiver. I am merely stressing here that Sin is very serious. It needs to be dealt with in our lives and in the lives of others. Sin also has another dimension. It is also Sin to omit something that we should do (James 4:17). An example of this is our tendency in America to be self-absorbed. Many times we don't think about the well-being of others. Feeding the hungry, ministering to the widows, helping those who are sick, offering a helping hand, and visiting those in jail are some examples of this. These things are just as important now asthey were in the days that Jesus walked this earth. If we pass up these opportunities, we are committing Sin. There are sins of omission (not doing what we ought to do) as well as sins of commission (doing what we should not do). Thanks be to God that in the work of the cross through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the subsequent coming of the Holy Spirit, we have the arsenal at our disposal to deal with many of the consequences of Sin. Remember, God says not to sin. The primary weapon is dealing with Sin is to avoid it. (look at scriptures by doing a search on "sin not, overcoming temptation, and resisting the devil). If Sin is committed, there is a prescribed plan for dealing with it. That method of dealing with it is confession and forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) The consequences can also be dealt with. That is what we call deliverance. Many churches don't practice deliverance. The word even scares people. Let's look at what Jesus said about it. "And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. "And He (Jesus) opened the book and found the place where it was written, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL (the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ) TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES (Deliverance), AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."…(Luke 4:17-19) Jesus also said in another scripture, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father(John 14:12). He was speaking of when he ascended into heaven so that the "Comforter" could come (the Holy Spirit). Therefore, when we are "walking in the Spirit", as His (Jesus) body, we should be doing the things mentioned above. Sin is said to "bind" us. It holds us captive. We need to be released and set free. When we sin we are often "tying up" ourselves and those over whom we have authority (our children and families). One purpose of the church (as the body of Christ) is to be instruments of "release to the captives" and "to set free those who are oppressed." Some reading this may think: This is a little too "wacky" for me, that sounds like we are supposed to be doing the supernatural and unexplained. That's because we are. God never confined us to the natural. Jesus came so that his Kingdom could be established on earth as it is in Heaven. I have even heard some really Godly people say, "That supernatural stuff was for another time and another place, things are not like that now." That is simply not true. Jesus never said these things should go away (after the "time" of the apostles) but rather they should continue until He comes again. Our experience should never determine what truth is. What God says is true IS TRUTH. We should believe the truth, obey our God, and allow our experiences to change! (not base our view of truth on what we experience).
Father, teach us to deal with Sin. In our own lives and in the lives of those who desire to be set free. Teach us to set the captives free!!!! As your Body, teach us to set free those who are oppressed!!!!! In Jesus' Name and in the Power of His Blood, Amen.
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