Sin: It Was Not Meant To Be
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
James 4:17 NLT
Every sin of yours and mine is an affront to God.
Our sin is an assault on God’s authority: We don’t want to do what God says.
Our sin is an assault on God’s character: We don’t want to be like God.
Our sin is an assault on God’s Word: We don’t believe that what God says is true.
Our sin is an assault on God’s love: We don’t trust that God has our best interest at heart.
What is our essential problem? Is it our parents, our economic backgrounds, our upbringing, our circumstances, our jobs? No, our greatest problem is us. That great trinity of me, myself and I. Our own selfishness, our own desire to be first and foremost, our own self-absorption, our self-concern, and our self-conceit. Our rebellion towards God and distaste for his Lordship over our lives.
Sin is selfishness evidenced through our willful thoughts, words, or actions. Sin involves a choice in which we consider ourselves more important than God and others. The foundation of all sin is the selfishness.
Sins of commission: We act purposefully for selfish reasons. Sins of omission: We avoid doing what is right for selfish reasons. Sins of ignorance: We choose to be ignorant of what we should or should not do for selfish reasons. Sin is turning the world upside down by living as if the world should revolve around us.
Above all, when we think the curse for violating God’s Law is too severe, it’s because we don’t understand God or the nature of sin. God is transcendent in his majesty and sovereign in his authority.
In effect we’re saying, “I don’t care what You say; I’ll do as I please.” Furthermore, God has commanded us to be holy as He is holy. Therefore, each sin is an insult to His character. It’s as if we’re telling God, “I don’t want to be like You.” Think what a rebellious affront it would be for a child to say that to his parent.
Jerry Bridges, Holiness Day-by-Day (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2008), 123.