Sin, Forgiveness, and the Pursuit of Happiness

As a Christian, I try to keep myself out of “religious” arguments.  If someone makes the mistake of asking me my opinion, it will be given honestly.  However, when a situation arises where I see a misuse of Scripture, I sometimes cannot keep from voicing the Truth.

Are we to “throw stones” at those who make mistakes?  No, absolutely not!  But, what about those times when people blatantly misuse and twist Scripture to fit their mold? Is it better to stand silent or speak out?

I think many Christians have been desensitized to sin.  Things that used to be considered immoral, no longer are, and are accepted as okay and “normal”.

First of all, what is sin?  Sin is anything that keeps us from God: pleasures, idols, someone or something being number one in your life other than God, vices; whatever holds you back from a solid and firm foundational relationship with God.

Can a Christian still sin?  Absolutely!  Yes!  But, let us bring in 1 John 3:7-9 (NIV)

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

Wow.  Those may sound like harsh words, but it is reality.  If you are a child of God, you strive to sin no longer.  Do we fall?  Yes.  But, we are caught by God’s Grace and Mercy.  But the point is, you strive to sin NO LONGER.

So, am I saying if you sin, you are of the devil?  Not necessarily.  If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, it means you are not aligned with Him, and that your eternal life is in jeopardy.

But, what about those of us {Christians} who simply decide to live our own lives?  When we choose to live as we want, in the sin(s) of our choosing: embezzling money, living with someone outside of marriage, living through addictions to gambling, pornography, drinking, etc?  When we are so busy pursuing our happiness?  I believe that verse 9 answers that question.

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin…”

So, what sins are seemingly more acceptable to Christians these days?

:: The sin of me-ism, and “I come first.”
:: Having children out of wedlock.
:: Divorce for anything other than adultery or abuse.
:: Living with your partner before marriage.
:: Relationships outside the man-woman marriage covenant.
:: Abuse and/or neglect of the widows and orphans in our society.
:: The sin of inappropriate language.
:: The sin of lust.
:: The sin of addiction.

Are you guilty of any of these?  I know I have been, and I am.  But, I am striving to sin no more.

Many of you may think I’m “hating” on you.  I hate no one… I hate SIN.  I hate sin with a fiery passion, and it saddens me to see Christians caught up in such a web, that it will be a miracle to untangle.

I will end with a verse that caught my attention today: “Let he (she) who is without sin throw the first stone.” I am not throwing stones at anyone.  If you feel that way, then maybe there is something in your life that needs to be checked.

Photo by LarimdaME

Tags: Consquenses of sin, Forgiveness, Sin

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.