What in the World is Wrong with Sin?

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


Here's my question today, "What in the world is wrong with sin?"

For religious people, the answer is simple - sin is an offense to a holy God. For us that is very serious, and the most important consideration of all. Why? Because we know that due to the purity of the holiness of God, sinners will be excluded from heaven.

Notice these two verses from the reading of Revelation chapter 21:

    "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (v.4)

    "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (v.8)

To be excluded from God's heaven should be sufficient, for we do not want to be among those who show disrespect toward our Heavenly Father. The great prophet Isaiah made it clear long ago that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2), and to be separated from God for ever is eternal death, eternal darkness, and eternal fire.

But at the beginning, the question I asked was, "What in the world is wrong with sin?" not, "What in heaven's name is wrong with sin?"

Do you see the difference? For a few minutes, let's forget about the rewards of heaven and the punishments of hell and try to understand some of the terrible consequences of sin in this present world.

You see, we believe that God is saying, "I want them to be free from sin not merely to please me, but for their own good. I love my children, and want only what is best for them" Yes, sin will have eternal consequences, but also temporal consequences. Sin may determine where we will spend the next life, but it will also determine how we spend this life. While we should be concerned about the quantity of life after death - how long we will live, we should also be concerned about the quality of life on this side of death - how well we will live.

Some people may want to dismiss the very idea that God even exists, and thereby, they think, remove the reality of sin and its consequences. Of course we understand that denying the existence does not deny the reality.

    For example, in some cultures there are parents who become so upset about the behavior of a son or daughter that they totally disown them - they say "I don't have a son (daughter) any more." And yet the child is still very much alive.

    We learned in Israel that there are those in that part of the world who deny the existence of the Holocaust; but just because they believe it did not exist, does that mean it was not real?

    Centuries ago church leaders said the earth was not round; did their saying so make it flat?

So it is with God, and we understand that.

However, what we're saying today is that there are "this world" consequences of sin, and they are severe. We who do believe in God will add that He exists in part for this very reason, to bring meaningful help and relief to those who are in sin. Perhaps many people are too quick to see God as a punishing God, when in fact, He is a loving and saving God - a gopd who wants to save us from the punishment of sins' consequences.

So, "What in the world is wrong with sin?"

First, we concede that sin does have what some people may think of as rewards.

Even the Bible acknowledges that sin offers pleasure.

    Jesus alluded to this when He told the parable of the seeds and referred to the "pleasures of this life." (Luke 8:14) However, we're quick to notice that it was in the part of the parable about the thorny soil which ultimately bore no fruit at all because of the destructive nature of these thorns called pleasures. Sin may bring some pleasure, but ends up destroying life.

    The writer of Hebrews makes a similar point when he recounts in the story of Moses that Egypt offered "the pleasures of sin," but to his credit, Moses wisely rejected such pleasures realizing they would be short-lived - he chose instead to identify himself with the suffering of God's people. (Hebrews 11:25)

The Bible also concedes that with sin there also may be prosperity. David understood when he wrote this instruction, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret -- it leads only to evil." (Psalms 37:7, 8)

And listen to Jeremiah's indictment of the corrupt judges of his day:

"Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. (Jeremiah 5:26-28)

Later this same prophet questions God and asks, "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?" (Jeremiah 12:1)

It seems that there are at least some short term benefits of sin, so again we ask, "What in the world is wrong with sin?"

1. For one thing, while with sin there may be short lived pleasure and prosperity, as Isaiah says there will be no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22; 57:20, 21). Remember the bumper sticker slogan sometimes seen around Christmas time? Really, it's true all year long - "Know Jesus Know Peace - No Jesus No Peace."

The same truth was spoken in Moses' lists of curses in Deuteronomy 28:65: "And among these nations shalt thou find no ease neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind.”

And David also experienced this as expressed in Psalms 38:3: "There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin."

The verse associated with our church name, Jeremiah 6:16, speaks tragically, "Stand ye in the ways, and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said We will not walk therein."

2. Second, one aspect of the loss of peace is guilt, that inner discomfort that comes to anyone and everyone regardless of religious affiliation or background. Even those who have never been taught about God's Law and sin have what could be called an intuitive awareness that they have done something wrong.

Some psychologists may tell us that these guilt feelings are the problem, and if the religious people would stop talking about sin, those feelings would disappear. They want us to manage guilt the same way we would deal with unfounded fear - just get over it. But we say, no, guilt is not the problem, it's a measurement of the problem.

    Guilt is like a thermometer, it confirms that we have a fever. The thermometer doesn't cause the fever; it only bears witness that one is there.

    Or let's say that while driving you begin to hear and feel that unwanted thumping from the rear left wheel - you pull over, get out and look at it and say, "Oh no, my tire is flat, I wonder why?" At that moment a passenger who has also come to look exclaims, "Well of course it's flat, it doesn't have any air in it!" But the real cause of the problem is not the lack of air; it's the hole in the side of the tire that was caused by your hitting a curb while cutting a corner too closely.

    Sin is like that, it puts a hole in the side of our souls - the best air pump or compressor in the world won't help that tire.

Of course we understand that guilt can be quieted, the conscience can be seared, or calloused to the point of no longer causing any pain - depravity is an option, but will lead to unimaginable deeds of darkness.

3. Third, let's note that another thing that is wrong with sin is that it hurts people and our relationships with people. Sin is the number one cause of dysfunction.

If, as Isaiah said, sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59); it also separates people from people. Think about it - even in the church, when brother sins against brother and the offense is not handled according to Jesus’ instructions, it almost always result in separation. It is alarming to realize how many Christian people will no longer worship in a particular congregation because of an unresolved offense.

Think about this, the very opposite of love is sin - where there is sin, love is destroyed.

4. Clearly another noticeable consequence of sin is bondage.

Jesus Himself said, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)

And there is Paul's significant teaching in Romans, "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." (Romans 6:12)

Patterns of seemingly harmless, and even pleasurable practices become addictive and soon they are in control.

5. Sin also brings about distraction and hindrance, as suggested by the words of Hebrews concerning the "sin which doth so easily beset us." (Hebrews 12:1) The word here relates to an athlete such as a runner who is up against a competitor who is intent on keeping him from winning by distracting and hindering him at every opportunity.

"What in the world is wrong with sin?" Here's what we've noted s far; sin produces restlessness, guilt, relationship dysfunction, bondage and distraction.

6. While talking about the current consequences of sin, we cannot overlook the passage of Scripture in II Peter 2:17-22. In this paragraph is a laundry list of sins' consequences:

    "These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity -- for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

    If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.'"

Let's go over Peter's list again; right here and now:

    sin can cause us to be empty like springs with no water
    sin can cause us to be storm-tossed like fog blown around by air currents
    sin can cause us to become like the blackest kind of darkness
    sin can cause us to utter hollow bragging
    sin can cause us to be drawn back into lustful desires
    sin can cause us to live in error, be slaves of depravity, and be corrupt
    and sin can cause us to be like dogs returning to their vomit and hogs wallowing in mud.

Is this the kind of life we want for ourselves?

7. Finally, the most serious of all consequences is death, with no promise or hope for the future. This is what the Bible means when it ways, "The wages of Sin is death" (Romans 6:23)

"Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12)

James concurs when he writes, "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:14, 15)

So, "What in the world is wrong with sin?" An awful lot, I say.

Perhaps there are those who see salvation and God's grace as being nothing more than a fire escape; they want to be free from sin in order to make it through the pearly gates. But because of God's great love for us, he wants this present life to be lived at a higher level. Yes, to keep free from sin is about gaining heaven and avoiding hell, but it's more than that. It's about having a life here below that is filled with all the blessings of God.

Song writer Andrae Crouch captured it well in the words of this song,

You may ask me why I serve the Lord,
Is it just for heaven’s gain.
Or to walk those mighty streets of gold,
And to hear the angels sing.
Is it just to drink from the fountain,
That never shall run dry.
Or just to live forever, ever, and ever,
In that sweet, sweet bye and bye.

But if heaven never was promised to me,
Neither God’s promise to live eternally.
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
Living in a world of darkness,
You came along and brought me the light.

If there were never any streets of gold,
Neither a land where we’ll never grow old,
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
You’ve been my closest friend down through the years,
And every time I cry You dry my tears.
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
Living in a world of darkness, living in a world of darkness,
You came along and brought me the light.

Discussion Questions
What in the World is Wrong with Sin?

1. For the Christian, what are some of the most important reasons we try to become free from sin?

2. Who will and who will not be present in God's eternal heaven?

3. Why do you think it matters to God that we avoid sin?

4. Why do we disagree with the idea that simply denying the existence of God will protect us from His punishment of sin?

5. What are some of the short term benefits of sin?

6. What major figure in the Old Testament was willing to trade in pleasure for suffering?

7. Why would we disagree with the notion that prosperity is a certain sign of God's blessing?

8. What are some of the possible symptoms of the absence of inner peace?

9. Why is guilt experienced by people who are not Christians, and why is it to be welcomed?

10. In what way is sin the opposite of love?

11. What are some examples of sins which have become controlling?

12. If sin distracts us, from what does it distract us?

13. What are some of the images found in II Peter 2:17-22 which point out further consequences of sin?

14. In one word, what is the most serious consequence of sin?

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