Almost all our sins will fall into two categories. We sin because we are trying to make ourselves equal with God, or by refusing to be who God created us to be. Either way, we spend our days in rebellion, as both forms of sin deny God is who He says He is. When we make everything about us, we place ourselves on God’s throne.
We deny the sufficiency of Christ and fall into sin when our desires overrule our surrender and our wants become needs (James 4:1-3). This has been the story of mankind since the Garden of Eden as our pride and selfishness usurp God’s authority and drive a wedge between us and our Creator (Genesis 3:4-6; Romans 1:21-23).
Every time we claim we know better than God, we sin. This happens whenever we ignore His wisdom and choose to walk our own way. It’s ironic that we think we are forging our own path when, in truth, we are choosing the widest of roads that most of the world is already traveling (Matthew 7:13). We’re not being independent thinkers or the proverbial rebels without a cause. We’re going with the flow and following the crowd.
Choosing the narrow road is the more exclusive path. It’s not crowded and results in a life far beyond anything you can imagine (Matthew 7:14). Sure, you’ll miss out on some pleasures of this world, but they are all mere shadows of the ecstasies that await us in Heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17-18; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Surrendering the eternal in exchange for the temporal is not as edgy and smart as Satan wants us to believe it is. It’s just shortsighted and stupid. Nothing can ever push God off His throne and we are foolish to think we will know better than Him in any situation (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Even if you keep selfishness and pride at bay, many will still fall prey to the insidious sin of refusing to be who God designed them to be. God knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14), crafting you to play a specific role in His Kingdom (Ephesians 2:8-10). Within each of us are a set of God-given gifts and talents. He expects us to use those to further His mission on earth and lead many to salvation in Christ (1 Peter 4:10; Matthew 25:14-30).
How often do we use the excuses of being too busy, too old, too young, too timid, too inexperienced, or too unqualified for not serving the Lord? Behind all the excuses is the reality that we are just disobedient. Perhaps we are too comfortable in the ways of this world to risk losing some of what we have to follow Jesus (Luke 9:57-62). We’ll do it when it’s more convenient or when we have a big enough nest egg saved to hedge our bets (Matthew 19:21-22).
Whether we are making ourselves equal with God or refusing to be who He designed us to be, we always know when we are doing it. It’s possible to become so numb to it that it’s not always at the forefront of our minds, but deep down we know it. We feel it. No matter how we choose to excuse or rationalize it, it will always be sin. It will bog you down, rob you of God’s power, and steal your joy. Make certain the God of the Bible is always on the throne of your life. Live out the calling He gives you without fear, trepidation, or hesitation. Anything else is sin and has no place in the life of any follower of Christ.