What is Sin?

“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

What is sin? Sin is universal and it represents the margin of difference between all that God is and what we are on our own.

Sin is anything that falls short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), so that God will evaluate sin as any behavior that falls short of what He does, what He says, and what He is.

Sin is exposed simply by relating our behavior to God’s behavior. God is perfect, and by that perfection we can recognize what sin is, because sin is anything which falls short of His perfection.

God Himself is therefore the only standard by which sin is recognizable.

Sin is also defined as faithless independence: “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). It is an attitude of “lawlessness” according to I John 3:4.

He Who is in us is holy. When we step out of dependence in Him into independence in us, the measure of our repentance will be the measure of our dependence in Him. Every area of our life which we have not learned to be truly dependent on God is an area of our life in which we have not yet truly repented.

Christ died for us, who is risen and alive, who indwells every believer, so that we may no longer be egocentric, self-oriented, living only for our own interests.

Never be sorry for your self. Just be sorry for your sin!

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  • Press On

    “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already obtained at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12).

     

    When you and I see the future, we can face anything in the present. The outward form of religion is but a husk, and we must resolve to feed upon the kernel. Oh to have substance, not its shadows.

     

    We are a people stuck on doing things that draw us away from God. We draw from pleasure, prosperity, power, and prominence. And yet these things do not satisfy nor give life. In and of themselves they are nothing without Christ!
    We will not find what we need in this world or even what is inside of us. There is nothing outside of Jesus that truly satisfies with perpetuity. If you and I decided to retire, and could, we would find greater dissatisfaction if all we do is live for self. We can run up and down the east coast, east to west, jump on any and every airplane, and you will find the same conclusion:  what we are searching for is God and God alone. Just doing things to fill the day and to fill the soul, finding something new under the sun, just will not work.
    There is an emptiness that only God can fill. God made us for Himself. For those who are saved from sin, self, Satan, and the selfish things of this world, we find that ONLY God fills and satisfies. One can be poor in this world and be rich in the world. One can have many sorrows in this world and yet have great joy inside.
    Ask any movie star, any affluent person out there, any who has this world by the tail, and if they are honest, they will tell you they are not content. “Friends all around me are trying to find, what the heart yearns for, by sin undermined; I have the secret, I know where ’tis found, only true pleasures in Jesus abound.”
    Take fast hold upon Christ. Take hold of that which is invisible. Have this clear conviction and devout reverence. Let criticism rattle your armor like a hailstone, stand fast and defile it all.

  • It’s Coming

    “…that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35).

    The times of the Gentiles are filling up. Satan’s kingdom is coming to a halt and God’s kingdom is before us. Daniel interpreted the dream of the first worldwide King and all should stand notified. The crumbling foundation built on sinking sand is about to topple.

    Does it seem long to you that the coming of Christ’s kingdom is patiently awaiting the day of the King of kings? Friend be reminded that soon and very soon the downfall of Satan’s kingdom is coming down like a stack of playing cards blown in the win. All of the kingdoms of this world will become God’s kingdom through Christ.

    No pride will be found in Christ’s kingdom. There will be no carnality, no show offs, no arrogance, supremely, nor idolatry. There will be no irritations, no harsh thoughts, no disobedience, no more government ruled by men, for God will rule through His perfect Man the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Are we ready? Has the kingdom of God been ruling in our hearts? The whole earth is filling up with the reign and the rule of the King. Even so come Lord Jesus. In the hard time may You find us faithful.

  • The Saints Go Sleeping One by One

     
    “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

    We live in a twisted society. It is perverted and twisted sexually. People no longer honor God’s plan for marriage. They no longer find fulfillment within the confines of “man and wife.” They indulge their lusts, they prize experimentation, and they treat sexual encounters as base bodily functions instead of honoring them as God-given gifts to prize.

    What once embarrassed and shamed us now does not faze us. What used to slink down back alleys, now struts in openness, and walks upon man’s hearts freely. May God have mercy on us all. May God have mercy on a people who do not blush or repent.

    This type of living produces a society that is twisted spiritually. We indulge in our wickedness long enough, and we eventually become anti-God. We glaze over the gospel good news – that Jesus’ blood really does cover our every sin. We step away from the truths of salvation, figuring we’re better off going it alone. We eye the Bible with foolhardy skepticism, finding it to be a book of fables and nothing more. We do our dead level best to get rid of God, even as our very nature cries out for Him. We waste away our days and lives, chasing counterfeit answers to God, but in the end, business and vain pleasures can do nothing to scratch the angry itch in our souls.

    The Lord Jesus said to His disciples on the side of a mountain, “You’re the salt of the earth.” God knows you’ll meet a lot of tasteless people, hear a lot of tasteless jokes, and see a lot of tasteless things, down here on planet Earth. But don’t lose heart. As you and I fulfill our mission to honor God with our lives, we’ll bring tastefulness back in style.

    One day this King will stop and step upon Earth and do away with that which defiles and decays. This earthly son of a commoner, Joseph the carpenter, raised his son in a two-bit town called Nazareth. And yet the Lord Jesus possessed more influence than any man who every walked this world. The Master empowers and shapes the lives of those who have an encounter with Him. We can be average Joes and Janes, and yet God lays His hand upon us and declares us fit to utterly change the world. The most powerful agent of change is Christ’s church, people committed to doing His will.

  • The Third Day

    God is the Lifter of the Head

    “And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.”                                         –Genesis 40:20

    The Lord Himself is the lifter up of the head (Ps. 3:3). So many times we depend upon people to help us, but their help never comes. Psalm 60:11 says, “Give us help from trouble; for vain is the help of man.”

    It was the third day that the butler and the baker were lifted up and out of imprisonment to be placed before Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s birthday meant salvation to the baker and condemnation to the baker.

    Poor Joseph was left in prison–he who had done nothing amiss (Gen. 40:15). It was two years before the butler remembered Joseph before he would be freed. And God is the One who brought the situation to mind once again.

    God is with Joseph as he waited upon His God (Gen. 39:21). Joseph had his own dream and we have God’s promise, He will never leave us. The experience of Joseph led him to serve others even while waiting in prison. God will allow each of us to wait upon Him so that he may “put iron into our souls” (Ps. 105:17-22).

    Remember the power of the third day. God raised His Son and He will raise you and me up as well. If the Lord controls us, it makes little difference who commands us. God gives victory in the place of defeat, honor in the place of shame, health in the place of sickness, and restoration in the place of a fall.

  • Conviction and Conversion

    “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of judgment is come” (Revelation 14:6-7).

    Time is now short for the earth-dwellers, for no longer is it the day of judgment but now the hour of judgment.  In just a little while those who dwell on earth will face God’s wrath.  God’s mercy and compassion fail not.  Rebellious creatures are given an extreme measure from God to repent.  The eternal gospel during the days of tribulation is flying high with the voice of an angel.

    “Fear God, and give glory to him.”  Fear God ought to be the conviction that would fall upon every person who dwells upon the earth.  And this fear of God ought to lead to the conversion of every person who would no longer take the glory but give the glory to Almighty God.

    We do not know how much longer it will before the God of glory returns to judge.  So we ought to be ready by fearing God and giving glory to Him.  Too many fear other things and other people while we need only to fear God and honor His Son by elevating Him in our daily walk.

  • Accountability

    “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (I Tim. 4:15).

    Over the years, our understanding of discipleship has changed — and not always in a good direction.  Discipleship has shifted — from an ongoing process over the course of one’s life to a class you sign up and hopefully complete.  Usually after some time the class that started with twenty dwindles to eight or ten.

    I grew up on the tail end of the “training union” of the late 1960s and early 70s.  But even in this the shortcomings were felt.  Again, it was based upon this premise…you come and sit, I’ll teach.  You and I ought to be dissatisfied with mediocrity.  God has placed in each of us the desire to minister and develop through others.

    Discipleship should not be left to chance.  The Lord Jesus was intentional and calculative from the beginning.  In fact, as Jesus discipled the twelve men who would change the world, He gradually released them into ministry through a definitive four-step process.

    First, Jesus ministered while the disciples watched.
    Second, Jesus allowed the disciples to assist Him in ministry.
    Third, the disciples ministered with Jesus’ assistance.
    Finally, Jesus observed as the disciples ministered to others.

    If Jesus had a model and a plan, shouldn’t we have one?  If discipleship was then, should it not be for today?