Why Sin is Serious

It is common to hear people make an appeal to a form of religiosity by declaring something is a sin. Presumably this is done to give their declaration some form of power or impact, but it usually just sounds trite. My wife's parents said it was a sin to throw away food. I say it's a sin to eat Brussels sprouts.

Anyone can make such a claim, but can seldom support it with Bible verses or scriptural principles. This is not surprising, since most professing Christians are biblically illiterate. Worse, they are functional heretics and are unsaved! To say that something is sinful without having knowledge is trivializing sin and the death of Jesus on the cross.

Kneeling at the Cross, PxHere

When posting material that refutes the idea that Christmas and Easter are of pagan origin, I see many professing Christians clinging to their uninformed opinions and traditions rather than examining the well-researched material. They were judging knowledgeable Christians and acting like they were somehow on a higher plane of sanctification.

I have concluded that they are prideful and want to feel and better than others. This is similar to blandly declaring something to be a sin, but having little real knowledge of it. Did Jesus die on a cross and rise from the dead so people could feel superior? Not hardly! Christians need to understand the nature and seriousness of sin, and many need to repent because they are in a dangerous place.

Far too often, I’ve had church members and leaders tell me something is a sin that is not. I’ve had people tell me hate is a sin, anger is a sin, wine is a sin, listening to music with drums is a sin, denim jeans are a sin, and the list goes on.

Looking at God’s Word, God hated Esau (e.g., Malachi 1:3; Romans 9:13) and commands that we hate evil (e.g., Proverbs 8:13). Hate is not a sin—if it were, God would be a sinner, and we too would be sinners for obeying God.

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God alone defines sin because God himself is the ultimate standard of what is good and right (and by contrast, bad and wrong). God’s revealed Word is the absolute source that defines sin for man. Sin is any thought, word, or deed that breaks God’s law by omission (not being or doing what God requires) or commission (doing what God forbids).

So, is God’s law important to know? Yes, it is essential to know “what is sin.” When God speaks, it is all essentially law because God is the ultimate Lawgiver—though what was preserved in the Bible is sufficient and the absolute standard on all matters.

I strongly urge you to read the rest over at "The Seriousness of Sin—Breaking God’s Law."