Pastor's Corner: The curious thing about sin

Sin is one of those words that has lost its meaning in our modern culture. We think of it as the result of being tempted to eat or drink or indulge too much. We may even think of it as a violation of some moral law. Biblically, sin is more than those things. The bible sees sin as a disease that leads to the death of the human spirit. The spirit of man was designed by God as the avenue of communication between God and man. The first sin in the Garden of Eden, when Eve then Adam ate the forbidden fruit, brought sin into the world and cut communication with God. Our spiritual ‘cable’ was out. Man’s spirit withered separated from God and we began to indulge in all kinds of sinful behaviors. A brief look at the news shows us how things are.

How does sin work? What are the symptoms? First, if God likes something sin rebels against it. God said, “Thou shalt not steal” and sin said, “You’re not the boss of me” and people began to steal. It’s easy to test. We place restrictions on our teens for their good and how do they react? Do they thank you or do they complain? Sin always pushes the boundaries.

Sin is crafty. Perhaps you are tempted to do something you shouldn’t but you choose not to because you know it won’t be good for you. Later that temptation comes back but in a new way. You say no again but it returns in an even more subtle way. We call this rationalizing: “Maybe I do deserve that.” Sin skulks around looking for a way to entice you. You wouldn’t out-and-out sin but put in the right light under the right circumstances … and there you go. And the reason you go there is because sin is within you desiring that self-sabotaging behavior.

Now if you don’t believe in sin or only think of sin as the occasional mistake, then you are a ripe target for sin to act. But if you recognize that there are things you do that you don’t want to do because you know better, then sin is alive and well within you. How do you beat back this cancer? You can’t do it by will power. That only results in frustration or trading one sin for another. The bible tells us we are slaves to sin until someone sets us free from our slavery. It turns out that there is only one person who can buy us back from the slave master of sin, the child in the manger, Jesus. That’s what Christmas and the cross are all about. When we ask Jesus to take charge of our lives, He sets us free from the power of sin and things get a lot better. Our cable is ‘“Back on.”

Pastor Tim Zerger

Community Alliance Church