The Nature of Sin
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Do you sin?
We all do. That is just reality, but most Christians find our sin to be troubling. We don’t like to sin because it hurts our relationship with God, but we cannot stop ourselves. Paul describes this in Romans 7:15, where he writes, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
Paul explains that the things that he does not want to do are what he does, and that which he wants to do are the things he can’t do. It is the battle that each of us struggles with, fueled by our sin nature.
Do you find it hard to do the right thing and avoid sin?
Why do you find it a struggle?
Understanding Sin
We struggle to do the right thing because of our sin nature. To understand this concept, we must first address what sin is.
How would you define sin?
Your answer is likely centered around doing something “wrong.” We often equate sin with wrong acts, and that has some merit.
In Hebrew, the word for sin is חָטָא (pronounced khata). This word means to fail at doing something or to miss the mark or goal. In Greek, the word translated as sin is ἁμαρτία (pronounced hamartia), which also means to miss the mark or to fail in one’s purpose.
What this tells is that sin is not necessarily about doing something wrong, but is about missing the mark. That may lead you to wonder what mark is being talked about.
What do you think God sets as the mark for us?
If your answer is to be like Him, then you would be correct. The mark we shoot for is to be like Jesus. To follow the way He lived and to live out a life that emulates what He taught. This is the mark we aim for.
When we miss that mark, that is when we sin. Yes, you can be doing something wrong when you sin, but you may miss the mark in other ways as well. For example, if you see someone suffering and feel a nudge from the Holy Spirit to talk to them, but you don’t, you have not committed an offense against God or broken the Law of Moses, but you have missed the mark. God was prompting you to help that person and you refused to do so. That is sin.
What Is the Sin Nature?
God set an incredibly high bar for our conduct – to be like Him. That is a standard we are unable to achieve in our own flesh, because of our sin nature.
What you may not have realized is that you have two natures in you, what the Bible describes as the “old man” and the “new man.” Paul describes these two natures in Romans 7:5-6, where he writes: “5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”
At one point, all you cared about was committing sin. You were just worried about yourself and your desires. It was the very nature of your being – your sin nature. You were doing things that led to death (Romans 6:23) because God and His ways were far from you. However, when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you. At that point, a new nature begins to blossom. One that is set on serving God in a new way.
That battle you face is between your sin nature (the old man) and the spirit-led nature (the new man). Just because God is dwelling in you does not mean that you are completely changed. Your new nature is dwelling in you, but you still have your old nature. These two natures are battling with your old self wanting to keep doing the things you did before, while your new nature is pushing you toward a relationship with God where you are hitting the mark, in essence, free from sin.
Paul describes these two natures perfectly in Galatians 5:19-23. As for those in their old nature, living to serve their fleshly desires, Paul writes, “19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
All these things are missing the mark. They are not necessarily wrong to feel or criminal in any way, but they are off target on how God’s Spirit is guiding us. On the other hand, the new man demonstrates the new nature in Galatians 5:22-23, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Where It All Began
You may be wondering why you have a nature that is against how God wants you to live. After all, if you are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), why would you have a nature that is at odds with Him?
The answer is rooted in the original sin that Adam committed. When Adam disobeyed God and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, his perfect nature, the one described in Galatians 5:22-23, died. No longer was Adam driven by the Spirit of God but was, instead, driven by his desires. That nature then got passed onto you and to every other person who came after Adam.
This is the essence of the sin nature – to miss the mark. Our old man’s nature seeks to do things in direct opposition to God.
The Effect of Sin
God’s standard is perfect and righteous. Knowing that, it seems obvious that we will miss that mark. After all, we have a nature in us that is focused on missing the mark and doing the wrong thing.
All of that is true, but God wants us seeking after His ways. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus told His followers to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” All of us have desires and wants in our lives. There is nothing wrong with that. However, when those desires are fueled by our flesh, that is when a problem occurs.
Instead, Jesus tells us to seek the ways of God first. When we put God first, then we are hitting the mark and sin is not leading us. In addition, God will then give us the things that we desire, because we will be in alignment with God.
However, when we miss that mark, there are consequences. First, your relationship with God can be hindered by the effects of your sin. When you are openly disobedient to God, purposely missing the mark, then your relationship with Him suffers.
That would be true of any relationship you have. If you are constantly doing things that your family or friends ask you not to do, they are not going to want to be around you for very long. You hurt the relationship through your actions.
This is true of your relationship with God as well. When you sin, you are hurting that personal relationship. It can create a barrier between you and God.
Your sin also hurts others around you. Drug and alcohol addiction does not only hurt you; it hurts those you love. If you went to prison, it hurt your community. Your sin likely hurts other family members, your friends, neighbors, and co-workers. This is not intended to cause you shame, but to simply help you to understand that you are affecting many people when you miss the mark.
What are some areas in your life where you are missing the mark?
How is that affecting those you love?
Repent of Your Sins!
So, what do you do when you sin? The Bible is very clear about this – Repent!
We discussed forgiveness and repentance in our last block of classes, and it is important to see that this is the remedy for our sins.
Your old nature wants you to keep doing the wrong things in your life. It wants you to seek things that feed it. These sins can be very difficult to overcome, something you will learn more about when you discuss strongholds.
However, you can turn from them. That begins by acknowledging the things you have done wrong and then turning away from them. That is the nature of repentance. We want our sin nature to have less power over us. We want it to be defeated and for our spiritual nature to rule our lives. This starts by speaking the truth about our sin nature, and acknowledging our sins for what they are – disobedience to God’s ways.
When you do this, you take away the power of sin. Sin thrives in secret, but calling it out, acknowledging how wrong it is will take away that power. This is the essence of repentance.
Are there things you would like to repent of right now?
Start by Aiming at the Target
You may want to defeat your sin nature but may think that it is too hard to accomplish. There is so much sin in your life, so where do you begin?
That is a question that many Christians ask. The task of defeating our sin nature seems daunting, maybe even unwinnable. However, you have an amazing God who is dwelling in you, prepared to help you to live by the Spirit.
While God wants you to be free from your sin nature, He is not dumb or naïve. God knows that your journey toward a life led by the Spirit is a long one. You need to endure your own form of the wilderness experience, like the Israelites endured, so that your sin can be removed.
Your goal is not to be sinless, but to sin less, to miss the mark far less frequently than you are right now. That is something you can do, and it starts by addressing those areas where you have the most control over.
For example, if one of your sins may be to gossip about others, the easiest thing to do is to stop talking so much. Proverbs 10:19 states: When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Do you know what will inevitably happen when you talk a lot? You are going to say something that you shouldn’t. It is what our sin nature does. It wants to lie, gossip, embellish, slander, and accuse, so it is happy when you are talking. If you close your lips and reduce the amount of talking you are doing, you will find that your sins will go down exponentially.
What are some simple ways that you can reduce the number of sins you are committing? How can you implement that plan?
One thing you are going to find is that success breeds more success. If you are winning in one area of your life, you are going to feel like you can win in other areas. Let that success become inspiration to help you to have victory.
Also, seek God’s help. He most definitely wants to assist you in winning in all areas of your life. In no way is He expecting you to fight this battle on your own, so bring in the greatest General ever to help you to win!
In Exodus 17:8-16, the Lord gave the Israelites a big victory over Amalek. After they won, Moses declared that God was יהוה נסּי (pronounced Yahweh-Nissi), the Lord is my Banner. A banner, in this case, is a leader… a general. God is your General when you need to win a battle against your sin nature.
Do you know God is there for you to help you defeat your sin nature?
Are you calling on Him to help you?
All Are in This Battle
Romans 3:23 declares that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Every person has a sin nature that they are battling to control. That sin nature is often winning the battles, but it does not have to do so any longer.
You have a God who can change your heart and wants you to be like Him. He wants you to change your heart and let His nature rule in you.
Are you ready to no longer let your sin nature control your life.
Bible Passages for the Week:
Monday – Psalm 51:4
Tuesday – Revelation 3:15-18
Wednesday – Ephesians 2:1-20
Thursday – Romans 5:12-21
Friday – Genesis 3
Saturday – Pick a passage from Scripture that teaches you the nature of sin or the battle between your sin and godly natures.
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© 2024 Dr. Robert Pannier, Hope CDA, All Rights Reserved
