The reason we sin is that we reject the commitment we once made to Christ. When we live our lives as if we are the center of the universe, we forget our lives are not our own. God has purchased us for an astronomical price and we are now the sole property of Jesus. The Bible declares we are slaves to Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 6:6; Galatians 1:10; 1 Peter 2:16).
Because of the modern connotation of the word “slave”, we immediately bristle at the thought of being anyone’s slave. But don’t let modern culture and human injustice allow you to deny the holy and inspired Word of God. We are slaves of Christ, bought at the price of Him dying in our place. It is a debt we can never repay.
Our God is a gracious Father. He is our Creator, and we are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). We belong to Him in every way possible. So, one reason we sin is because we forget this life is not about us, but is all about our Master, King, and God. When we remember we belong to the Lamb of God, we will not sin. It is only when we ignore the fact that we are slaves of the King that we act out and do things that grieve His heart. Knowing we’ve disappointed our Savior should be enough to break our hearts. It should be enough to keep us from ever wanting to sin again.
Another reason we sin is because we forget salvation is not a one-sided deal. When you came to Christ for salvation, you no doubt came desperate, broken, and seeking peace and healing. Jesus offers all that plus eternal life. When you accepted His offer of salvation, you committed your life to Him and surrendered to Him as Lord. Somewhere along the way, we forget about our side of the agreement. We still want peace, rest, and eternal life, but the whole Lordship thing seems to escape our memory.
Salvation is one hundred percent by the grace of God. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve it. Still, it is not a one-way street. Our part of it is to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. You don’t get one without the other (Romans 10:9). Every time we sin, we reject Christ as being Lord. Don’t misunderstand me as implying we lose our salvation every time we sin. But recognize when we choose to sin, we are proclaiming ourselves as Lord. We elevate our selfish desires over our devotion to Jesus. So, if we consistently fall into sin without remorse, we must question whether we have truly recognized Jesus as being the Lord of our lives.
The reason we sin isn’t complicated. We sin because we forget we are slaves to Christ and reject Him as Lord. It’s sobering when you break it down to its core. It’s much easier to overcomplicate, rationalize, and try to explain why we sin. But let’s just see it for what it is. We prefer our lordship to that of Christ. That’s not what a regenerated person does (John 3:3-7; John 15:6-8; John 14:15). We will fall into sin. It’s as certain as we have the old nature at work in our bodies. But don’t stay in sin. Repent immediately and let the gravity of what you have done weigh on you for a moment. When we sin, we reject Christ’s authority over our lives. That should terrify you. It does me. No true follower of Christ will choose to live in sin.