Wait, why does sin even matter?
Sin just doesn’t always seem that… evil. I get it. There are times when I get away with my sins, and no one seems to get hurt at all. It almost feels like it doesn’t matter what I do anymore. Sure, murder is pretty bad, but not keeping the sabbath? Not using God’s name in vain? It just doesn’t feel all that bad!
One of the faults I often make when sharing the gospel is either downplaying or exaggerating the role of sin in the salvation story. We can go to the extremes of “God’s wrath will descend upon you because you’re going to hell for sure you heathen” or “You can do whatever the heck you want now that Jesus died. Bye!” Both of these options are superficial readings of scripture, leaving out the depth of who God is. They take our focus away from Christ and onto ourselves. One condemns, the other excuses, but both are about the technicalities of our sin, rather than the character of our God.
Here’s the thing- sin is a BIG DEAL. Every tiny little decision you make has an impact on both your own soul, and on the lives of others around you.
Here’s why, it causes death and destruction. Sin may look good and even feel right at first, but ultimately it destroys us. It fails to fill the void that we’re always looking to satisfy. It disappoints us and distracts us from the truth of God. When Adam and Eve first ate of the tree in Genesis 3, it looked good, tasted good, and seemed that it would give them something they wanted. Yet moments later, they only felt shame. But sin doesn’t just impact our own hearts and lives. When you sin, there is always another victim. Someone is always being betrayed, disappointed, and hurt by our bad decisions.
Let’s look at the consequences of sin on both spiritual and relational levels…
Sin breaks the relationship between us and God. God is holy. God cannot sin. In his very nature, God cannot tolerate the presence of sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were driven out of the garden, away from the presence of the Holy God (Genesis 3:22-24). They were not being excessively punished or unjustly charged with a punishment for eating fruit, they were driven out because what they had in Eden was broken (though not beyond repair!). They were no longer able to live in a place that was created in perfection because they were no longer innocent nor vulnerable.
Sin brings shame. The shame of our past decisions often weigh on us so heavily that we feel unable to change our actions. It feels hopeless and we feel like utter failures, beyond repair.
Sin is addictive. Once we give into one temptation, it’s like a waterslide down. For example, the first time a person uses drugs, they impact the individual to their full capacity. The next time this person uses drugs, it takes a higher dose to get the same response. Gradually, the person becomes so accustomed to the impact of drugs that the higher doses destroy their capability to stop. All sin works the same way. A white lie can so easily lead to compulsive lying mentality. One experience with mild porn soon becomes a necessity for more and more extreme versions.
Sin is inherently selfish. When we sin, we take away from other people. Sin drains, love replenishes. Lying = taking away truth, murder = taking away life, etc.
Sin changes our thought processes towards the people around us. When we sin, we put ourselves first, which leads us to exploit others for our own benefit or neglect people that needed us. For example, The more we misuse our sexuality, the more we begin to objectify others around us, leading to sexual harassment and (in extreme cases) sexual violence.
Sin is evil and it does matter. There is no wiggle room on that truth, but here’s the second thing we understand about sin- sin is a big deal, but it is not the biggest deal. The grace of God is victorious over sin always and forever. The grace of God covers over our sin completely. “But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you..” (2 Corinthians 12:9). There is sufficient grace to cover big deal sins. And that is where we find our gospel.
Sin matters, Christ matters more.
