The Sinfulness of Sin.

Sin is not a surface problem to be ignored, or one that will go away if we brush it aside.  Sin remains man's biggest enemy, and sin remains unconquered by man!  Notice I said it was unconquered by man.  That does not mean that sin is unconquered.  We can go to the moon and make nuclear bombs large enough to destroy ourselves, we can look at and study nano-particles and massive galaxies millions of light years away; but, man has no power over sin.

Please consider how desperate your sin is.
The Bible says, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead." (Romans 7:7-8)

One way man tries to deal with sin is to call it something respectable.  Adultery has been made to look pretty and desirable by calling it an affair.  Fornication, sex outside of marriage, has been called pre-marital sex, and now, sexual expression, as if it is an art form that just has to come out.  The change of terms helps us shut-up our consciences that are bothering us and drowning us in guilt.  But the guilt continues for all the changed terms and support you get from friends and family.

Another way to down-play sin is to change laws.  This has happened in Western society over the last 150 years.  I do not wish to talk society and politics though, let's stay focused on you and God, personally.  In the Scripture (Romans 7:7-8) above the problem is not with the Law of God; the Law of God is holy, perfect.  The problem is with you and I, we cannot keep the law of God.

And worse: not only can we not keep the Law of God but our own sinful hearts take "occasion by the commandment," our sinfulness is so deep seated and insidious that when it hears the holy Law of God it sees an opportunity.  An opportunity for what, you ask?  To work in you "all manner of concupiscence."  Concupiscence is strong desire.  Our sinful natures hear a law and we have a strong desire to break it.  Is this not, in the simplest of our experiences, what happens when your mother told you not to touch the cookies--you desired them all the more.  God gives us His high and holy Law, and what do we do with it?; we take occasion to break that Law all the more.  Sin, in us, is so filthy that our response to the holy is to show ourselves increasingly sinful.

Another passage that speaks to the sinfulness of sin is found in the Biblical prophet Ezekiel.

"And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary." (Ezekiel 16:34)

Here God is speaking to the people of Jerusalem.  The people of Israel had entered into bond with God to be His people long before Ezekiel.  But, rather than be separate and different as God wanted them to be they, as a nation, wanted to be just like the other nations of the world.  Jerusalem was in a covenant relationship with God but constantly went after other nations to have relations with them.  So God, here through Ezekiel, refers to Jerusalem as a whore.  She was going whoring after other nations.  God makes the scathing point to Jerusalem that she is a whore contrary to the normal practice of whores.  Usually a whore will draw a john (whoremonger) after her and take a fee (reward) for the use of her body.  Jerusalem was not doing that.  Jerusalem, in her relations with the nations, was not drawing other nations to her and changing them for what she gave.  Rather she was running after other nations, giving them what she had and then paying them a reward--backwards!

Consider the nature of sin revealed.  We love sin so much that we will run after it, give it all we have, and then sin takes a price from us.  Of course, we can speak of very obvious sins like drunkenness and drug intoxication.  The person runs after the booze, gives the booze their self-respect, self-control, clarity of thought, and health and then the booze takes off with our money and much more.  But consider that we are so backwards when it comes to sin.  We will sell all we have to increase our pet sin and then thank it for leaving us with nothing.  Take note:  different people have different sins.  Pride, lying, booze, lying religion, fame, illicit sex, etc. are all sins people give all for.  Sin, in general, controls your life; and, your pet sin, in particular, is robbing you of all.  The wages of sin is death! Romans 6:23.

Sin is conquered by Jesus Christ only!  Only in Jesus Christ can you have freedom from the bondage of sin and victory now and in eternity.

Your sin was placed by God on His Sinless Son so that the offence of your sin

could be forgiven by God.

2Corinthaisn 5:21
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Galatians 3:13
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
1Peter 3:18
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"

Your sin was fully paid for (atoned) by the death and shed blood of Jesus Christ.

1Peter 1:18-21
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."

The power of sin and death was broken when Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave.

1Corinthians 15:55-57
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Hebrews 2:14-15
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Jesus Christ is God, who became a man, to die in the place of men, to satisfy to justice of God, so that men could be graciously and saved from their coming judgment.

1Timothy 3:16
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."