Is What We Believe Based On The Word Of God? (Part 4 of 7)

We have been looking at our doctrine the last few weeks.  I asked the question, ”Is what we believe based on the Bible, God’s holy Word, or only on religion and tradition?”  We have been exploring some of the true and false statements that I listed in part 1.   For the next few blogs, I will explore more statements.  The next two are lengthy and deserve to be explored one at a time.  

10.    We have to sin a little ever day.  The answer is again false.

1 John 2:1(NKJV)
2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 3:6
Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

1 John 3:9
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

1 John 5:18
We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

1 Peter 4:1
Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

1 Timothy 5:22
Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.

Ephesians 4:26
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

Rom. 6:1-2What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Rom. 6:6-7knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Romans 6:11-18
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Rom. 6:22-23 - But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:10
And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Sin is that which is unacceptable to God. It is what angers God. It is what separates man from God.  If you want to know what sin is, and what things are sinful, you must go to God to find out...NOT MAN.

"What does the Bible say about sin?”  The Greek word translated sin, in the Bible, literally means, "to miss the mark.”  If we go beyond the will of God, doing things God has said not to do; if we fall short of the will of God by not doing things commanded by God; if we veer away from God's will, we "miss the mark" or SIN.

Sin is lawlessness. God has revealed to us His law or will. The Bible is the final authority on sin and its consequences.

So, what is and what is not sinful? The Bible lists many things that are sinful in God's eyes. One such list is found in Galatians 5, where the apostle Paul identifies them as works of the flesh. Beginning with verse 19, he states, "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told {you} in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Paul ends his list with the phrase, "and the like". Anything that is in conflict with the nature of God and His will is sinful. His nature and will are revealed plainly in the Bible, and as such those things that are contrary to Him are plain as well. We can know the difference between right and wrong.

Sin is serious and carries with it unpleasant consequences. God is the giver of life. Sin, in separating you from God, separates you from life. That is why Paul rejoiced in Colossians 2:13 that, "You, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses." All are "dead" in their trespasses until they receive forgiveness.

Jude said, ”But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that theLord,  having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, ARE SET FORTH AS AN EXAMPLE, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 1:5-7).

There are many physical consequences to sin.  However, the spiritual consequences of sin are even more devastating. Remember what Paul said of the end of those who practice the works of the flesh, "those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:21). There are only two destinations in eternity. Those who do not inherit the kingdom of God have HELL as their perpetual abode. Hell is described as a place where the "worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44). A place of "outer darkness" where there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12). Surely the eternal destiny of those separated from God by sin underscores the seriousness of the offense.

Because God loves each of us so much, and does not want any to perish, he made the ultimate sacrifice. He sent His Son to die in our place. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).  Because He cares for us, he sent His Son to pay that ultimate price. "For He made Him who knew no sin {to be} sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is our cure for sin.

He did everything He needed to do to give us grace and power to live above sin.  His grace is sufficient.  We’ve been born again with a new nature.  We have The precious Holy Spirit to warn us, guide us, convict us, strengthen us, and comfort us.  We are over comers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.  We have the weapons of our warfare and the name of Jesus.  We have The Word of God as our anchor.  We are hidden away in Christ Jesus.  He has put the devil under our feet.  We have all we need to live above sin.  However, if, on occasion, we forget this and sin, we have an advocate with the Father.  We quickly confess our sin, ask Him to forgive us, and get right back up and overcome.