The True Nature of Sin
Dr. John Snyder is the pastor of Christ Church New Albany, director of Media Gratiae, host of The Whole Counsel podcast, and author of multiple multimedia Bible studies including the Behold Your God series and Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges, and Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early.
In Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, Dr. Snyder explains the deceitful nature of sin.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
James 1:13-17
Temptation does not lead to sin unless we let it.
Temptation does not lead to sin unless we let it. Luther said that we cannot prevent birds from flying over our heads, but we can prevent them from building a “nest” in our hair. Before temptation becomes sin, we must first allow it to “nest” in our mind and heart. When we choose to believe sin’s lies, it is because our desires are twisted around self, our mind is absorbed with thinking only of self, and our choices are guided by self-gratification.
death always accompanies sin.
Sin comes to our door like a clever salesman pitching wonderful offers to us. Our selfish desires make us susceptible to its lies. We can shut the door and turn temptation away, or we can invite it in for a conversation. Once inside the door, sin proves to be quite persuasive, and we succumb to its requests. Outside the door, sin’s child (death) lies in wait, for death always accompanies sin. Death waits to show its face until we have given into sin’s lies, yet we can be sure that death will always follow sin’s entrance into our lives.
If sin is our pattern of life, eternal death will be our end.
Death is separation from God. God told Adam that if he sinned, he would surely die. When Adam sinned, he did not immediately die physically, but the effects of death immediately entered his life. Adam died spiritually and needed redemption. If sin is our pattern of life, eternal death will be our end.
For a Christian, sin results in death to fellowship with God. It brings with it spiritual callousness, famine, drought, and purposelessness. Sin is misery for the believer. Sin brings separation from the one source of life. So, whether a temporary separation from the face of God for the believer or an ongoing and eventually eternal separation for the unrepentant sinner, do not be deceived—sin brings death!