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| Photo courtesy of theologynetwork.org |
Today we'll consider what makes sin so bad. I mean, really, what is all the fuss about in the pages of Scripture? So many of us, even as Christ followers, seem to function as though some amount of sin is indeed necessary to navigate life in today's world. For example, how many of us tell "white lies" in order not to hurt someone's feelings or to make things more convenient for ourselves?
I will tell you that most of the content of today's post comes from a little Puritan paperback book entitled The Sinfulness of Sin by Ralph Venning. I can assure you that you will never find this little gem on the New York Times Bestseller List, or sadly, in most of today's Christian bookstores. It is not an easy read--it was written over 300 years ago and has small, basic font, written in an outline form. It also features a drab cover--not the airbrushed head shot of a Christian celebrity. But nevertheless, it is a very important little book (in my humble opinion) on what I understand to be a critical topic for today's Christian, and it is every bit as relevant, if not more so, today than it was all those centuries ago!
Within it's pages, Puritan minister Ralph Venning makes a biblically substantiated argument that "sin is the worst of evils; the evil of evil, and indeed the only evil." Namely, it is worse than any affliction, worse than death, worse than the Devil, worse than Hell itself. Now, I find that claim to be most interesting. It seems that most of us Christians fail to even consider this truth, let alone believe this truth and live in light of it! If anything, we might talk about Satan being our worst enemy and Hell being the worst fate of man, but I would submit to you that we rarely if ever consider that the sin which resides in our own hearts as being the WORST of all evils.
Why is this--why is sin worse than all these bad things? Well, let's consider afflictions for a moment. Even God will claim Himself to be the author of calamity in a city (Amos 3:6), and yet not of sin. And while afflictions are not to be desired, they may be endured--such as the training and discipline that is fitting for a son (Heb 12:11). Is sin worse than being beaten, whipped, and tortured? Venning would argue YES by a great deal! For Christ exhorts us to not fear those who can kill us but instead fear Him that can damn us to Hell (Matt 10:28). In Venning's words, "For one may suffer and not sin, but it is impossible to sin and not suffer." We can also look to the Apostle Paul's letters--when he speaks of his afflictions, he calls them light (2 Corin 4:17) but when he speaks of sin, he speaks of it as a burden that presses him down and makes him cry out in agony (2 Corin 5:4, Romans 7). The Bible exhorts us to rejoice in suffering, counting it joy when we face trials (James 1:2), and we see God take pleasure in the suffering of His people (Job 2:3) and in Christ's suffering on the cross as it purchased our redemption. In short, many encouragements are given us to suffer, but none to sin. Because when we suffer for God, He has promised to help us and comfort us and this suffering is evidence of His love for us and our sonship with Him (Heb 12:6-8), yet when we sin, God leaves us and withdraws his presence (2 Chron 15:2). Our prayers do not reach Him (Ps 66:18) and our fellowship with Him is interrupted.
How about death? Is sin worse than that? Sin is more deadly than death, Venning claims. You see, sin separates man, while alive, from God, while death can never separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:38-39; Isaiah 59:2). Death might deprive us of natural and temporal life, but sin deprives us of spiritual and eternal life. Death kills only the body, but sin kills the soul (bringing about the second death).
Furthermore, sin is worse than the Devil. You see, Satan knows he can neither damn nor hurt men without sin (look at Job's life for an example of this!). And as we've discussed before, sin made the devil what he is--for the Devil was not made as a devil by God. Also, Satan may tempt for a season, but as Venning points out, "sinful lusts scarcely ever do, for they haunt men more than the Devil does." In fact, St. Augustine's prayer was very insightful in this regard as he prayed, "Free me from the evil man that is myself"--indeed, no man or devil is as bad to us as our evil self is to us.
Lastly, sin is worse than Hell. Venning points out that Hell itself does not inflict so much hurt as sin does. While it is a dismal place of horror and torment and extreme suffering, it never had any existence until sin. "Sin is the worst of Hell and worse than Hell" and "it is sin that makes Hell to be Hell."
You see, in every way, sin is the worst of evils. There is no evil but sin to be repented of, and as we've discussed before, God hates man for sin. It is not only sin (Prov 6: 16,19) but sinners that God hates, and that for sin (Psalm 5:5). As one scholar puts it, "This is the highest that can be spoken of the venom of sin, that in a sense, and to speak after the manner of men, it has put hatred into God Himself; it has made the Lord hate and destroy his own workmanship. God is love, and judgment is his strange work; yet sin makes him out of love with men and in love with their destruction at last. Though he does not delight in the death of a sinner who repents, yet he does in the death of one who remains impenitent."
Easy to swallow? Hardly. We would much rather dismiss sin as a lesser evil and go about our day's work. However, if we are truly Christ's followers and believe His Word to be THE authority for our lives, I would submit to you that we must get far more serious about sin, to the point of abhoring it. Now, before you go out into the world to judge the sins of others and those of our society at large, I would humbly suggest to you that the worst evil of sin is much closer, right in your very heart. Deal with that first, dear one. Throw yourself at the feet of God' mercy and grace and confess your sins to your loving, Heavenly Father (who knows them already!). Name each and every sin for what.it.truly.is. As Him to grant you the gift of repentance for your sins (2 Tim 2:25). And do this often, making it such a natural outflow of your day as it is to breathe. Take in God's promises in His Word. Inhale. Repent and confess your sins. Exhale. Do you see the life this can take on? This is a glorious process of walking each day in the power of the Spirit, inhaling and exhaling, living a life of faith with God and seeing Him work in your heart to make you more like His Son.
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