Dealing with Sin
If you’re human, you’ll have to deal with sin. Or, it’ll deal with you. A common misconception is that once you become a Christian you won’t deal with sin anymore. The truth is quite the opposite. Once you become a Christian you’ve decided to finally start dealing with your sin.
Sin is not who we are in our truest selves, it’s a perversion of who we really are, who we were created to be. Who we really are is the image of God (Gen 1:27). We’re our truest selves when we’re most like him. We are designed and purposed to look like him and do the kinds of things he does. Sin comes in and disrupts that, it distorts us, and makes us look like something else.
God’s problem with sin isn’t first and foremost about us needing to be good. It’s about how it gets in the way of who we’re created to be, it destroys real life.
Sin brings nothing but destruction and death.
“Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34)
“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10a)
“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a)
God doesn’t want that for his kids!
Listen to what God says about his people in Isaiah 48:18, “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”
Peace that flows like a river, and well-being rolling over you again and again like the waves of the sea. Yes, I want that.
God’s words are for our protection and blessing. God’s way brings about what everybody is ultimately looking for, full life.
In John 10:10 Jesus proclaims, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have LIFE and have it to the FULL.”
And again in Romans 6:23, Paul says “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
We’re not “missing out” on anything good by saying no to sin. Sin destroys people, relationships, and the world around us, but God’s way brings life. That’s the big deal with sin. If we don’t deal with it, it deals with us, and not kindly. With Christ we have what we need to fight, and we have each other, so let’s get to it!
- How would you define sin?
- How can these verses shape our view of sin and of God?
- Is that the same or different than what you grew up thinking? How so?
- How does sin tempt us into believing something different?
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
And from Ephesians 4 and 5:
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
- Which of these sins do kids your age deal with the most?
- Go through the ones that are most tempting to you and your peers, how can each of these be damaging to self or others?
- Is there anything you wonder is a sin or not? Talk through that together and if you can’t decide, do some research this week!
- What does he mean by “dragged away”?
- Have you seen this happen to yourself or others before? What did that look like?
- How can we guard against that?
- Why do you think confession is so powerful?
- What holds you back from confession?
- Have you ever confessed sin before? What was that like?
- What’s a sin you’re struggling with that I can keep you accountable for and pray for you?
- What does it look like to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness?
- What might be some good “boundaries” to set for yourself?
I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary. But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
- What did you learn today or what was most impactful to you and why?
Hopefully you see the problem of sin a little more clearly, and maybe you’re realizing how difficult this path of Christ is but don’t lose heart, next week we talk about grace!
Read the whole book of Ephesians! (It only takes about 20 minutes.)
Paul is telling them the good news of Jesus, what to leave behind and what new life in Christ looks like.
- As you read, write down what Paul says is part of thw old way of life. Then write what good things Paul says we have in Christ.
- What’s hardest for you to leave behind?
- What’s most exciting to you about what we have in Christ?