Why Do People Dislike The Word “sin?”

 

Years ago, after I spoke to a teenage Bible Club, the director told me that I should never mention the word sin. I was taken back by this comment because I had read it in the Bible over and over again. Being raised in a Christian home, I had been reading my Bible from a very young age and did not see what all the fuss was about concerning the little three letter word “sin.” This club director seemed to think that high school teens could not handle the word sin and it was somehow demeaning to them.

You can dance all around the word “sin” and try to parse it any way you want, but the truth is, sin is a God-term. Why should people dislike it so much? Should we not try to understand what God meant when He used the word sin?

We live in a culture where people are coddled and pampered, babied and pacified. Somehow we think that we cannot speak the truth to people because they might get their feelings hurt. I understand that. No one likes to have their feelings stepped on and most of us do not like conflict.

God says that we were born with a sinful nature and our desire is to live in accordance with that nature. We are familiar with our natural instincts. You can give in to those instincts and do what comes naturally which is what most people do. They do not want anyone telling them how they should live. “Follow your heart” is advice we hear so often on TV or in the movies and that will definitely get you into trouble. No matter how hard we try to live life with all the gusto we can, we still find ourselves wanting and sometimes quite empty. We sense a void inside of our being. There is a reason for that.

You see, God created us with a God-consciousness that makes us aware of Him. We don’t have to be told to be moral, we have a sense of right and wrong that is programmed into our spirit by God Almighty and we know when we are doing wrong. One can just ignore that inner voice and trample on its impact and soon you will only faintly hear it.  No matter how hard you try to get away from Him, you cannot avoid the moral consciousness that is within you put there by God. Why? Because God created you to live a certain way and He will not quit calling you until you take your last breath.

People usually try to live a happy and fulfilled life, but there is a constant yearning deep inside for something more than what we have experienced. We may try many things to fill that need, but it cannot be done. Many seem to think that money, love, or material things will bring them satisfaction, but those things are only temporary and then they vanish away like the wind.

Life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then is gone. It is like the grass that grows green in the early summer but is brown by fall and winter. Life is like a flower that blooms for a short time and then fades. Those are words taken from God’s book on life.

Now, sometime or somewhere in our journey on this earth, we must face the truth of what God has said to us. Let me quote some of what God said and see what you perceive concerning the word sin.

“Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.” I John 3:4

That is pretty simple isn’t it? You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand it and you don’t have to get upset at the word. God wants to make your life better by understanding what life is all about and what He calls sin.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

Our hearts cannot be trusted to give us correct advice when it comes to spiritual things, especially things that concern this life here on earth. We must seek advice from a higher power than we are and that is God.

You see, we are born with a sinful nature that is deceptive and at odds with God. Actually, it is described as being at war with God. We have all sinned and come short of God’s standards, but do not worry because God has made a way for you to be at peace with Him if you so desire. He will make you clean within and that cleansing will last forever. Don’t you want to be clean? To get rid of all that baggage you’ve been carrying?

Note this verse in 1 Peter 2:24: “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.”

God saw our condition and made a way for us to make peace with Him. You can receive His forgiveness by simply asking Him. He paid the price for you to be made whole as a person. It is a commitment that one must make alone with God. It is placing your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin. It is not praying a simple prayer to go to Heaven. It is much more than that.

If you want to follow Christ, it means changing directions from where you are right now. This new life cannot be acquired through your good outweighing your bad deeds. It is not through baptism. It is not through the organized church. It is through faith alone, believing that what Jesus said was true and that He is the way, the truth, and the life. When you believe Him and take Him at His Word, He will make you a new creation within. Old things will pass away and all things will become new and take on a new meaning.

God has a way of changing our life and our thought patterns. Normally, we just follow the other people in the world and think that this is what I should do or not do. However, if you read God’s teachings that have been around for thousands of years, you will discover what God meant life to be. It is rich and powerful so be careful when you read it because it can totally disrupt what you thought life was to be like and fill your head with what God intended it to be. You will find life taking on new meaning and hope for the future. It is all up to you. It’s your decision. You are the one in control of your choices. Will you experience this new life or keep going in the direction you are now headed?

If you have questions, write me at Ken@KenLewisMinistryBlog.com and I will answer you.