Sin is a major topic in the Bible. The words sin, evil, and wicked appear more than 2,300 times in their various forms, and this doesn’t even include the numerous times specific sins are mentioned. This level of communication from God indicates just how important this issue is to Him, and how much He desires His people to have a proper understanding of sin. Yet, despite this abundance of communication, many believers have a misguided, unbiblical perception of sin.
Reading an article that focuses on sin may not be that appealing, but I pray you will commit to reading all of this because it addresses some foundational truths that are vital to our walk with the Lord. And at its core this article isn’t really about sin, it’s about becoming all that God desires us to be.
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One of the great lies people have bought into, is that because we’re not under law but under grace in the New Testament, they believe God is more lenient towards sin than he was in the Old Testament. Not only is this not true, scripture actually communicates that the opposite is true.
Jesus put it this way.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48 NIV)
New Testament believers have been given so much more than God’s people in the Old Testament. We are born again by the Spirit of God, have the power of the Holy Spirit within us, have the New Testament scriptures revealing who we are in Christ, and are taught by God Himself (1).
Since New Testament believers have received much more than Old Testament believers, much more is required of them.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28 ESV)
Jesus quotes an Old Testament commandment that deals with outward actions, then he raises the bar by challenging us to have purity in our hearts. He clearly raises the standard for what is expected of New Testament believers.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, (Titus 2:11-12 ESV )
God’s grace and salvation are more than just a provision to escape the consequences of sin. They enable us to say no to sin and to live godly lives that bring honor to the Lord in these dark times.
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (1 John 2:3-4 ESV )
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Another fallacy that people fall for is the idea that because God loves us, he could never be seriously upset with us. Many believers today do not have a healthy fear of God. Jesus is often presented as our personal cheerleader, with nothing but positive, uplifting things to say to us. But this image does not hold up to how Jesus is revealed in scripture.
In the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the book of Revelation, Jesus writes to seven churches, and while he commends some of these churches, he also communicates in very frank language that there are areas where he is displeased with them. He tells them, I have this against you, and I have a few things against you. And he is very straightforward when he describes the things that displease Him.
Each church that Jesus rebukes he also tells to repent. And this is delivered as an ultimatum, not a suggestion. Each church is warned of the consequences they will suffer if they do not repent.
I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (2:5)
Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. (2:16)
Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. (2:22-23)
Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. (3:3)
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit [vomit] you out of my mouth. (3:16)
Make no mistake, these are believers that Jesus is addressing. And don’t think that what Jesus is saying to them has nothing to do with us. He finishes each letter with, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The love of God is an amazing thing and a major theme throughout the Bible. But like all Biblical truth, the love of God can be misrepresented and misapplied. In the seven letters, only twice does Jesus mention His love for them, and in the second instance, he reveals what His love looks like in action.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19 ESV)
Scripture teaches that the love of Christ is so great it’s beyond knowing (2). But don’t think this means Jesus could never be upset with someone he loves. That misconception of how love operates is grounded in immaturity and self-focus, rather than being grounded in Biblical truth.
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New Testament scripture has quotes from the Old Testament of God’s people being killed in judgment, and it says these are examples for us, to teach us the fear of the Lord and a proper attitude toward sin.
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:5-11 ESV)
This passage gives several incidents of God’s people dying under His judgment. Then it says twice that these things are examples for us and were written down to instruct us. This passage totally contradicts the idea that God would never be upset with us or bring judgment on us and that we have no reason to fear Him. Also, remember that New Testament believers, Ananias and Sapphira, were killed by God when they lied to impress other believers with how much money they had given (Acts 5:1-11). And as a result of how they died, great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 NASB)
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In Revelation chapter four, we get an amazing glimpse of the throne of God in heaven and the things that are taking place around His throne. It says flashes of lightning and peals of thunder come from His throne. It also describes four amazing creatures and tells us what they are saying.
day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8 ESV)
This is the place of God’s throne, the place where His glory is displayed, the place from which He rules. The Bible has much to say about God’s love, His goodness, His faithfulness, and His mercy. But above everything else, God has determined that around His throne, His holiness will be declared over and over, constantly, and without ceasing. Holiness is the characteristic of God’s nature that is at the very core of His being. Every other attribute of God is a manifestation of His holiness.
The creatures repeat the word holy three times; Holy, holy, holy! In scripture this three-fold repetition is used to signify how profoundly powerful and important something is; God is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY holy!
The holiness of God refers to His absolute moral purity. This moral purity means much more than just God doesn’t sin. It means He is pure in His very nature, entirely free from any kind of weakness or imperfection. God is completely incapable of sin. Holiness isn’t something God adheres to. Holiness is the very nature of God Himself. This makes God entirely distinct and set apart from everything else in existence. And His holy nature is the standard by which everything else is measured.
Since holiness is the very nature of God, all sin is always against God.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. (Psalms 51:4 ESV)
David not only declares that he has sinned against God, he also declares that God is blameless in His judgment. The Bible proclaims that God is just, and justice requires that sin be punished. To fail to punish sin is wrong, and because God is holy, He cannot do wrong or even be tempted to do wrong. Indignation and punishment is the righteous response of a holy God to sin.
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To appreciate the impact that sin has on us, we need to understand the nature of God’s commandments and His purpose for giving them to us. God didn’t make up a bunch of rules that He wants us to keep, so that if we’re good at keeping the rules He’s happy, but if we break the rules He’s disappointed. It’s much more personal than just keeping some random rules. As stated earlier, holiness is the very nature of God Himself. So, His commandments are a communication to us of His holy nature.
All of God’s commandments are a reflection of who He is. Why is it wrong to lie? Because God cannot lie (3). Why is selfishness wrong? Because God is benevolent (4). Why is adultery wrong? Because God is a covenant-keeping God (5).
God doesn’t call us to keep rules. He calls us to Himself.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness (2 Peter 3:11 ESV)
The Bible calls us to godliness, and godliness is god-likeness. God’s purpose in saving us is to bring us to Himself, and the more we become like Him, the stronger and deeper our relationship with Him becomes. His commandments are an invitation to join Him, to become like Him in godliness, and to experience Him to the fullest.
Think of this as movement. In obedience, we move closer to God. In disobedience, we move away from God. As an example, the Bible calls us to be generous. If I respond to this by practicing generosity, then my actions show that I value this about God, and I want to be like Him and join Him in being generous. In my obedience, I draw closer to God.
But if I decide to ignore the call to be generous, then my actions show that I don’t value that God is this way, and I’m not interested in joining Him in being generous. In my disobedience, I move away from God.
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Having a goal not to sin, is not a good goal. Invariably, this approach leads to becoming self-focused, which will only lead us away from God. Our goal should be godliness, which leads us to be focused on the Lord, and it is in this relationship of surrender and dependence, that His own nature flows through us, transforming us to be like Him.
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16 NIV84)
This brief passage reveals some profound things about our call to be like God. First, it uses the example of obedient children. This has no resemblance whatsoever to religious legalism. The prevailing attitude is that of children who love their father, delight to be with Him, know that He is more amazing and wonderful than anything in existence, and there’s nothing more appealing than becoming like Him. Second, this passage tells us just how holy God wants us to be. We are to be holy just as He is holy. We are to be holy in all our conduct. Third, this passage tells us why we should be holy. God tells us to be holy, because He is holy. In this passage God is clearly calling us to be like Himself.
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Every truth in the Bible can be twisted and misapplied. The grace of God, the fear of God, discipleship; all these wonderful truths have been misused throughout the history of Christianity. But that doesn’t mean we back off from teaching and practicing these things.
Some people will think that the idea of becoming like God is arrogant and dangerous, and like any Biblical truth, it can be. But the key attribute that truly moves us towards becoming like God, is humility, being grounded in the truth that in ourselves we are nothing. That’s easy to say, but very challenging to fully accept. A heart-felt revelation that in ourselves we are nothing, sets us free from the trap of self-sufficiency and allows us to fully depend on the Lord. God told Paul, my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).
The proper motivation for becoming like God is a sincere desire to glorify Him and to see the fullness of His great salvation accomplished in us.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)
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The idea of becoming like God will seem absurd to our natural reasoning. As it should, because this isn’t a natural truth, it’s a spiritual truth that must be spiritually discerned. Relying on our natural reasoning will blind us to seeing spiritual truth.
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14 ESV)
If our perception of God’s purposes for His people doesn’t seriously challenge our natural reasoning, then we have failed to actually see God’s purposes, and we’ve settled for something quite different from what is in God’s heart and communicated in His word.
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God’s love is an amazing and powerful thing. Scripture declares that God shows his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Through faith in Christ we are forgiven and cleansed of our sin. We are also justified, which means we are declared not guilty. All this is by grace, meaning it is a gift from God, something we cannot work for or earn.
But God’s salvation goes beyond just being forgiven of the sin we have committed. He has provided for us to overcome sin.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:17-18)
It is through obedience that we come to know the Lord more fully and grow in our love relationship with Him.
The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him. (John 14:21 NASB)
It is through separating ourselves from sin that we become useful to the Lord and fruitful in serving His purposes.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21 ESV)
I pray we will not settle for just being loved by God, but that we will respond to His love, by loving Him the way He deserves to be loved. Jesus said If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
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Footnotes:
1. John 6:45 ESV It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’
2. Ephesians 3:19 ESV and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
3. Hebrews 6:18 ESV so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
4. Matthew 5:44-45 ESV But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
5. Deuteronomy 7:9 ESV Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
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