Sin destroys you!

Sin destroys you and keeps you from experiencing the goodness  of God.

However God loves you and wants to set you free from sin, so you can enjoy life to the full, as a blessed and fulfilled person, who lives in true freedom, peace and joy. In this article you will learn what causes sin and how you can be set free from the power of sin, so you can experience the overwhelming love of God.

Please know that God has a wonderful plan for you and He loves you so much more than you realize. His heart is full of mercy towards you and He longs to embrace you with His arms of love and lift you up, into His glorious presence where you will see who God is and how wonderful your future is in Him. He is not against you, but He is for you, to help you and set you free from every sin that defiles you.

What is sin?

When we are honest we know that all of us have sin, in one way or another. We may not all rob banks or murder other people, but we all have selfishness in our hearts, some level of dishonesty and we lack the true sacrifical love that is the main feature of God. Sin contaminates every human being. Even the smallest children have sin in their hearts, causing them to fight with one another, lie to their parents, steal candy, and so on. Sin is inherent to every human being born on this planet. Therefore the Bible says:

‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ (Romans 3:23)

What is the glory of God? It’s his overwhelming love, goodness and kindness. God is pure love that offers up Himself for others. God is the complete opposite of selfishness that hurts others for personal profit. When we look at mankind, we see there is very little sacrificial love, and a lot of selfishness everywhere.

Selfishness is the main characteristic of sin.

Although everybody knows that nobody is perfect, many people will deny they are sinners. That is a direct result of the sin in their heart, which makes them proud and unwilling to admit their unrighteousness.

The Bible says sin separates us from God and hinders us from experiencing His help and blessings.

‘Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.’ (Isaiah 59:1-2)

Sin keeps us from knowing God and makes us blind, deaf and insensitive for God. Therefore most people will say there is no God, because they don’t experience Him. In their reality God does not exist. Sin causes people to turn away from God.

Sin causes suffering

Most suffering on earth is caused by sin. For example: selfishness and lust for money causes big food industries to ignore the need of healthy food and instead they produce empty harvests of fruit and vegetables that are void of essential nutrients and filled with poison like pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The same industries put unhealthy processed sugars in every food product they sell. This is causing hundreds of millions of people to end up with diabetes, cancer and countless other diseases.

This is just one example of how sin destroys mankind. Selfishness and lust for money blind us for truth and honesty.

Most environmental issues which produce horrible natural disasters, are caused by the sinful hearts of hundreds of millions of people who don’t care about the environment and who destroy our planet with their behaviour. Both small people and big industries alike treat the world with an attitude of pure selfishness and unconcern.

Many blame God for the disasters that strike our planet, but very few are willing to acknowledde their own responsibility. When God created man, He gave him authority over all of creation, and the responsibility to steward it.

‘Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

Ruling over the earth means taking good care of it, so it produces blessings and not curses, life and not death, cures and not diseases. But the sin in our hearts causes us to be indifferent and only care about our own pleasure.

Therefore sin doesn’t only hurt us personally, it also destroys mankind on a global scale.

Not only does sin cause worldwide destruction through big industries, it also wrecks the lives of countless individuals like you and me. People fight with each other, unwilling to admit their own wrongs and always pointing to the other. Millions of beautiful marriages fail because of the pride, dishonesty, lust or harshness of people. The refusal to look at our own mistakes and blaming the other person for everything, is typical for sin. People act as if they are very nice, but in secret they hate others, are jealous, spread gossip, betray friends, use others for their own gain and so on.

Sin is truly the reason of most suffering on the earth.

Sin makes us selfish, rebellious, proud, and it blinds us for the reality of God. Because of the rebellion and pride sin injects in our hearts, we think we don’t need God, making our situation even worse.

The origin of sin

The first book of the Bible, called Genesis, describes the creation of the world and the origin of man. It also tells how sin entered this beautiful world. In the beginning, God created man in complete holiness, purity and perfect love, just as God Himself:

‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’ (Genesis 1:27)

God is good and He created man to be good as well. Adam only knew what is good, he had no clue about evil. He was completely innocent. That’s why the Bible says:

‘They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.’ (Genesis 2:25)

Sin had not perverted their minds yet, everything in their heart and mind was good, pure, innocent, loving and kind. Not a single filthy thought could erupt in their imagination.

They were undefiled, just like God.

The Bible also speaks about another supernatural being besides God: the evil one, who is called ‘satan’. Jesus Christ says about him:

‘He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.’ (John 8:44)

Just as God is the origin of all that is good and true, so satan is the father of lying, deception, killing and destruction. Jesus made the difference clear between himself and satan:

‘The thief (satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ (John 10:10)

This ‘murderer from the beginning’ and ‘father of lies’ caused sin to enter our world, as described in the book of Genesis. God created Adam and Eve to know only what is good and have no knowledge of evil. But He didn’t want them to be robots, who have no choice. So He put a supernatural tree in the center of the garden. If they would eat from this tree, their eyes would be opened for evil as well, and they would know both good AND evil.  God however strongly warned them for this tree:

‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ (Genesis 3:3)

So God gave them a choice: obedience or disobedience. They had a free will and could choose…

God obviously didn’t want them to be slaves. He wanted people who would choose God and his goodness from their heart, not because they had no other choice. Satan knew this and tried to tempt them to disobey God:

‘The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.’ (Genesis 3:1-7)

Eve believed the lie, ate from the fruit and the rest is history… Evil entered her heart and mind, and she became sinful. She offered it to Adam as well, who also fell for the temptation and both were defiled forever.

Instead of being pure at heart and mind, they suddenly realized they were naked and covered themselves. Sin entered their heart and their world. Satan had won. Because of his lies, Adam and Eve stopped trusting God and his goodness, and wanted to become ‘wise’, through the knowledge of evil.

Even creation changed, as the result of evil entering the world. God said to Adam:

“Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:22-24)

As the result of sin, creation came under a curse: ‘cursed is the ground because of you…’

The words ‘thorns and thistles’ symbolize pain and suffering entering nature. Everything changed… Evil had been given free entrance into creation, through Adam and Eve who were supposed to be the keepers of it. Since that day pain, suffering, sickness and death began to rule over mankind and nature.

Sin is passed on

The horrible result of this, is that not only Adam and Eve became sinful, but also all their descendants. The Bible says sin entered the entire human race, through the sin of Adam:

‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…’ (Romans 5:12)

One of the greatest authors of the Bible, King David, lamented this condition of fallen human nature:

‘Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.’ (Psalm 51:5)

Everyone who is born, is contaminated with evil, wether they want it or not. That is the result of sin. It entered the first father and mother of all mankind, and through them it was passed on to all their descendants, which is obvious, all throughout history…

The solution for sin

Are we doomed to be slaves of sin forever? Is there no way to break this curse of evil over our world? Well, now it’s time for the good news. The Bible says God is faithful and His love is everlasting. All throughout the Bible we can see how God showed His love for mankind and kept trying to draw them back to His heart, beginning with Abraham and his descendants.

But God had an even greater plan. From the moment satan gained authority over Adam and Eve (because they submitted to his lies and obeyed him), God had a plan to redeem all of us.

God’s love for you and me is so great, that He payed the highest imaginable price to set us free from sin and darkness and bring us home in His arms of grace and goodness.

How did God do this? Let me explain… The Bible shows us a great mystery: God is not a single personality. He is first of all the Father who created all things. But the Bible says God is also the Word, through whom the Father created all things. And God is the Holy Spirit, who is the power to create all things. So we have Father, Word and Spirit. All three of them are God. They are the most perfect unity we can imagine. That’s why Genesis states:

‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;’ (Genesis 1:26)

God the Father, God the Word and God the Spirit are One Being: GOD. It’s key to understand this, in order to grasp how God saved mankind from sin. God did something which is truly the most incredible miracle of all time:

God became a human being, just like you and me.

God the Father sent God the Word, to become mortal flesh and blood and live among us. So God Himself descended literally from heaven into the body of a human being: Jesus Christ. Consequently the Word of God became the Son of God. (You can read all the details in the gospel of Luke.) This is what the apostel John wrote about the Word of God becoming human:

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:1, 14)

Why did the Word of God become flesh? So He could be tempted with sin, just like all of us. He had to endure every possible temptation the way all humans do. But… He resisted every temptation and remained perfectly innocent and pure. By maintaining His perfect holiness and innocence, He could now do something that changed the history of all mankind forever: He offered up Himself to be punished, in our place.

Jesus Christ gave Himself as the perfect, innocent Lamb of God, to be slain for the sins of the entire world.

He literally payed the price to set you and me free from sin and eternal judgment. He gave His own life, His own blood, to save us. This is the most incredible miracle of all history, the greatest message of hope for all people worldwide, the wonderful salvation for every living soul, the good news of Jesus Christ.

God Himself became a man and died for us, to pay for all our sins, so we can be forgiven once and for all.

Jesus Christ is now able to wipe away all your sins and bring complete restoration. That is the true expression of the love of God. It’s why the apostle John said:

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)

Forgiveness of sins

How can you receive this salvation and forgiveness? By simply believing in Jesus Christ. Believing is receiving! He offers His love and forgiveness to anyone who believes in Him. When you put your trust in Him and not in yourself or something else, then He can be your savior and redeemer. Having faith in Jesus Christ means you look at Him for your redemption and not at anything else. By believing in Him, you acknowledge that He is the One who died for you. You don’t have to become very religious or pay some sort of price, in order to be forgiven. Jesus Christ is God who payed it all for you and me and everyone who wants. He gave himself as the perfect ransom for all our sins.

So put your trust in Jesus Christ and receive His forgiveness for your sins.

The Bible says about Jesus Christ:

‘God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Romans 5:8)

‘But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.’ (Isaiah 53:5)

“He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Become a child of God

What happens, after you put your trust in Jesus Christ? You become a child of God! The apostle John said it like this:

‘As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.’ (John 1:12, 13)

Wat does this mean? Jesus Christ explained it to a religious leader, who came to him with some honest questions:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8)

What Jesus Christ says is: first we are born from water, that is our natural birth from the womb. If we want to become children of God, we must be born a second time. This is a spiritual birth, caused by the Spirit of God. When we have been born from God as well, then we are children of God. How can we be born again? Jesus explains it very clearly:

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16)

Once you put your trust in Jesus Christ, and receive His forgiveness for your sins, you will receive the new birth, through the Spirit of God.

So the solution for sin is actually extremely simple. We don’t have to pay some high spiritual price for it or accomplish some impossible task. No, God did it all for us. That’s His great love. All we must do, is let go of our pride and rebellion, bow our knees for Jesus Christ and believe in Him. This act of humility opens the door for us to become children of God. Our sins are forgiven, we receive a new heart, a new identity, a new freedom, a new future and we can begin to know God as our true Father, who loves us with all His heart. No longer are we slaves of sin, but we are sons and daughters of God. Once we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, He will help us overcome the power of sin in our lives, through His love, His truth and His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit helps us

Who is this ‘Spirit of God’ and what role does He play in our walk as children of God? When Jesus Christ left the earth He said that He would not abandon us as orphans, but He promised to send the Holy Spirit. He said the Holy Spirit would help us, teach us, lead us, comfort us, strengthen us, anoint us with the power of God and fill us with the love of God.

The Holy Spirit gives us the second birth, so we become children of God. And He also helps us walk as children of God.

So we have God the Father who sends God the Word, who gives us God the Spirit. It’s an amazing mystery and a very powerful reality, experienced by hundreds of millions of people all over the world.

The consequences of choosing sin

It is obvious that the grace of God is overwhelming, for all of us. Does this mean we can continue in sin, while ignoring the repeated call from the Father to live holy, as He is holy? No. There is a big difference between struggling with sin, with a heart that longs for purity and victory, and choosing the way of sin, from a rebellious heart. Weakness is not the same as wickedness. Both result in sin, but with a different outcome.

Weakness hates sin, wickedness loves sin.

When we choose sin from a wicked heart, in rebellion and unwillingness to be holy and pure, then the Lord makes it clear there is punishment awaiting. The apostles made it very clear that those who choose to continue in sin, thereby ignoring the grace of God that calls them to be holy, have no place in the kingdom of God:

‘Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.’ (1 Corinthians 6:8,9)

‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.’ (Galatians 6:6-8)

The grace of God empowers us to overcome sin. But it is also the Lord’s call to holiness, that helps us understand how serious deliberate sin is in the eyes of God and how important His demand is that we live in His light, just as He is light.

‘Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 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 1:13-16)

Serve Him who loves you

The Lord is your Father and Friend, and He gave His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for you, so you could be forgiven and become a beloved child of God. That is the most incredible act of grace we could ever imagine. I encourage you to read this article, the prophetic words and the bible verses again and again, so the truth can sink deep into your heart. He loves you more than you could ever imagine, and He is happy with you, as His child. He sings over you with songs of deliverance and crowns you with His goodness, forever. Serve Him with an honest and pure heart and hide in His arms, when you struggle and fall. He will give you the strength to become a bright light.