Too many of us are living in sin. I’m not talking about sin happening in our lives, but sin being the pattern of our lives. We cannot love God and continue to live a life delighting in sin. (1 John 3:6-10; Romans 6:1-2) Sin is repulsive to God, and it should be repulsive to us. (Proverbs 6:16-19; Romans 12:9) It’s obvious that people indulge in sin because it is enjoyable, but how can we enjoy sin when we see what it did to Jesus?
His life was one of perfection. (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22) He knew no sin until He bore our sins on the cross. (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24) By accepting our sin, Jesus allowed sin to do what it always does, and it killed Him. It wasn’t someone else’s sin that killed Jesus; it was ours. (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 4:25)
Knowing this, how can we go on living in sin when we know what it did to Jesus? How can we go on sinning when we know God forbids it and that our sin keeps us from living the life He created us to live? (Romans 6:11-14; Ephesians 4:22-24) When we recognize what sin did to Jesus and what it is doing to us, we should hate sin! The only thing we should do with sin is to run away from it as fast as we can. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:22) Sin is death. It is insatiable and spares no one. (Romans 6:23; James 1:14-15)
Rather than living in sin, the goal of every Christian is to find freedom from sin. That will not happen until we die, but every day, we should strive to sin less than the day before. (Romans 6:6-7; Philippians 3:12-14) There’s never any excuse for sinning. Fear, inconvenience, or any of ten thousand lusts never makes sinning acceptable. God calls us to be holy, not sinful! (1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7) He calls us to be perfect as He is perfect, and to walk as He did. (Matthew 5:48; 1 John 2:6)
What good has sin ever brought to your life? Perhaps it gave some fleeting pleasure, but such pleasure always comes with consequences. (Hebrews 11:24-25; Romans 6:21) No one sins in isolation. Your sin will always have ripple effects on not only your life but on every life yours touches. It’s a cancer whose only cure is the forgiveness and cleansing blood of Jesus. (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:7-9) You can’t defeat sin on your own. (John 15:5; Romans 7:18-25) You need the power and grace of God to find deliverance from it in this life. (Romans 6:14; Titus 2:11-12) You need His Spirit dwelling in you to eradicate sin for eternity. (Romans 8:11-13; Galatians 5:16-17)
The Puritan John Owen said it well: “Sin in the believer is a burden which afflicts him rather than a pleasure that delights him.” If you love God, you will hate sin. (Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 8:13) When you do sin, it will eat at you and drive you to your knees in anguish. (Psalm 32:3-5; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10) The Christian finds no joy when living in sin. Our joy comes from living in obedience to the Savior of our souls. (John 15:9-11; Psalm 119:1-3)
Jesus alone can defeat sin, and He has! (Hebrews 9:26-28) Our victory is only through Him. (Romans 7:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:56-57) None of us is without sin (1 John 1:8-10; Romans 3:23), but no true follower of Jesus will spend their life pursuing it. (1 John 3:6-10; Romans 6:1-4) Our victory over sin will be complete when Christ returns and brings us into His perfection. (1 John 3:2-3; Philippians 3:20-21) Until then, we must put on the full armor of God and resist Satan at every turn. (Ephesians 6:10-18; James 4:7) We’ve spent enough time indulging in the flesh. (1 Peter 4:1-3) It’s time we put all that aside and live in the eternal light of Christ. (Romans 13:12-14; Ephesians 5:8-11)