What you are about to read comes heavily from sermons, commentaries, and bible studies.

I just like compiling what I learn into something dense (But this time not at all brief) that I can share with others. that being said, What is sin anyway? Sin (noun/verb): The unbelief, distrust, and rejection of God; A persons purposeful disobedience to God as evidenced in a concrete thought or act. As an inherent part of the human condition, sin is universal as well as corporate, & individual First I want to show you Gods response to sin, through what He has already revealed in past events: So how does God respond to sin? We see it with our first parents, Adam & Eve. In Gods interaction with them we see how He works. He comes down in the same condescending way He had dwelt among them before; walking in a visible form, asking Adam, where are you? (Genesis 3:9). Of course God already knew the situation in its entirety. His questions were not out of ignorance, but for the purpose of letting the man explain why he was hiding and what he had done. God was waiting for, and allowing Adam to confess on his own. And the reason He sought out Adam first, is because Adam is the head of the family. Whatever occurs in a family is ultimately the mans responsibility, because he is in a position of leadership. First we see that God judges sin. He tells the man, Here is your sin. (Genesis 3:17-19) He tells the woman, Here is your sin (Genesis 3:16) Then He explains the consequences. He tells Satan, Here is your sin and the consequences. (Genesis 3:15) You need to know that God judges sin. If He didnt He wouldnt be a good God. He wouldnt be just, holy, or righteous. Secondly, God gives grace. He pursues them. They dont pursue him. Theyre hiding. God pursues them. Then He allows them to speak and explain everything, although God already knew. And then God speaks to them, not out of anger, but in fairness and with a calm spirit. Thats really kind.

Additionally, we see that God teaches them. Heres what you did. Heres what you did. Heres what you did. When you hear God give the commands in Genesis, dont think of a judge giving out a law. Think of a Father giving out wise counsel that the children didnt heed. So Dad shows up and this is a teachable moment. I love you, but what youve done is horrible and theres some serious consequences for this. Thats a loving Dad. Third, He covers their shame. He maintains their dignity, and He sends them away so that they would not eat from the Tree of Life. If they had, they would live forever in a state of sin and spiritual death. God sends them away so that physical death could come, in addition to spiritual death, so that they could then be resurrected one day like Jesus, to walk again in the newness of life. Unlike religion, where God is at the top of a mountain and we have to climb to Him, God comes down looking for us because were lost. Some of you are here today and you dont know it. Jesus is looking for you. Because He is seeking you. He knows you. He loves you. He died for you. Hes pursuing you. Hes a humble initiator. He doesnt owe us anything, but He pursues us in love. So what effect has sin had on mankind? Sin is universal. It doesnt seem as if were born as a naturally pure person with a blank slate, as evidenced by the fact that no one has to teach us to be selfish, to steal, or to lie. If we raised a child without discipline or instruction, and just let him live by his own standards, he would become a hedonist; One who would believe that lifes all about their pleasure & their benefit. The only intrinsic good is pleasure, so the ends justify the means. After all, its never had negative consequences for him personally, so, no problem. We see this way of thinking within the first three years of childhood. We are by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. -Ephesians 2:3 ...there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God -Romans 3:22-23 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, no, not one. -Psalm 14:2-3 It would seem that from the time of conception we arent too interested in submitting to any authority, let alone Gods. Our natural proclivities are to repeat the sins of Adam and Eve: Blatant and willful rebellion against God. We spurn the Creator's authority over us. God beckons the clouds, and they come. He tells the wind to blow & the rain to fall. All of creation responds in obedience to God, until you get to you and I. We have the audacity to look to God and say "no". We want nothing to do with God, and so we make ourselves His enemies. But when we sin we dont cease to be human. Were still image-bearers of God: Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness; let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female... -Genesis 1:26-27

So were not utterly depraved. We have His law written in our hearts in the form of a conscious. Were not as bad as we could be. We could do more evil, more intensely, more frequently. This is why some will claim that morality comes from man, not God. Because we, unlike any other life-form, seem to have the ability to consciously determine what is morally right & wrong. Of course, being made in Gods image would give you a reflection of His morality. So the presence of this trait doesnt explain its origin until God reveals it to us: ...Gentiles, " (Gentiles being unbelievers) who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them (Romans 2:14-15) This is basically saying that even those who dont follow Gods law still attempt to uphold some of it. They value honesty, justice, compassion, & goodwill, reflecting that the divine law is in their hearts. But this reflection, this image of God is distorted. All of the magnificent potential we have is incomplete. It is for self, not anyone else, & certainly not God. All of our person is stained by sin. This includes our our own minds. We do not think as we ought. We do not think the thoughts of God after him. As well as our emotions. What we feel is not always right. Sometimes we say, But this is what I feel! If youre an intense feeler learn to doubt your feelings a little bit. They could be wrong. Theyre affected by sin. If you live in your head and youre a thinker, dont always trust your analysis of every situation. You could be wrong. So be humble. Some people are offended that we seem to be portrayed as less than God. As if Hes higher than us or something. And my response is...yeah, that sounds about right. When I first read the Bible I thought This seems to have a higher view of God than man. And a lower view of man than God. And that offends me But if I dont like the way that sounds, does that necessarily mean it isnt true? So eventually, I got over it. God is higher than I am. Deep down we all know it, because by definition God is the highest authority in all of Creation. Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. -Matthew 13:14-15 The funny thing about the truth is that if every aspect of it is just the way we would like it, then theres something wrong. And if this is the case then obviously we havent been objective in our research. It shows that we simply picked out what we wanted to hear and chose to believe it. And then that we continue to close our eyes & ears to anything that contradicts what weve already concluded. Sometimes the truth isnt what we want to hear. The fact is, if we have a high view of man, then we have a low view of God. And vice versa. And we tend to assume that He isnt good, but we have to make Him good; That we could do a better job, and were smarter than Him. We say in our hearts, So what if God warned us against certain things? His Words are outdated, they arent eternal. We know how to

get around those things now. or sometimes its just as simple as I dont want anyone telling me how to live my life. I want to be the highest authority. I dont want to even think theres anything above me. And the result is disobeying and/or rejection of Gods authority. So in acknowledging that our analysis of a situation can be wrong, and that our emotions cannot always be justified under every circumstance, we must realize that there are incorrect ways in which we view sin. I will give you nine common misconceptions of sin, as well as ten ways we tend to respond to sin incorrectly. We are only human, and sometimes dont have a full grasp on the situation. How we view sin plays a key role in how we live our lives. What I am going to list are nine grievous errors in identifying sin that in turn, lead us into more sin: 1. The first error is thinking that sin is just the breaking of some rules. The rules that God gives in Scripture are representative. They come from His character. So when you break Gods rules, youre really violating Gods nature. Youre breaking relationship. See, when you and I see laws such as no trespassing or speed limit 55, we say Well, who cares? But behind Gods laws is God. And when you break Gods laws youre violating relationship with God. So its not just the legal breaking of a law, its the violation of a loving relationship. Many many times Jesus likens God to a father, and a loving & caring one at that. Some of you have a father who doesnt quite fulfill his role, and I would ask you not to project that negative example of a father onto God. Because God fulfills the role of a father to those who He has adopted into His family: "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him." -Psalm 103:13 *This fear means a reverence, love, obedience, and respect for someone who is above you in authority, and who you also share an intimate relationship with. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land. -Psalm 68:5-6 As adopted children of God, He is our Father, Jesus is our big brother, & our whole identity changes. God takes us and brings us into His family, the church, and then we get to share in His name, Christian. We get access to all of His blessing, provisions, and His kingdom. Our God is a lavish, generous, amazing giver. That means other adopted children, Christians, are our brothers & sisters. So in light of this loving relationship we must also consider that not obeying God has negative consequences. Its as if God is a parent who warns His child not to touch a hot stove. But we dont fully understand why it is that He doesnt want us to do this. Frankly, the fact that He says we cant makes us want to do it even more. And God says Youre violating relationship with me, youre hurting yourself, and if I didnt warn you, youd just do it over & over again until you destroy yourself

2. Number two, a sinful view of sin is when some proclaiming Christians say, Well, Jesus died for all my sins, so Im forgiven no matter what I do. So I dont need to take my sin very seriously because Jesus forgives it. Not even close. At times God holds us back from doing wrong. Other times He will leave us to our own devices, as a parent at times must let a child make his own mistakes to learn that certain choices are ultimately not beneficial. So if we presume upon Gods grace we may find ourselves falling far deeper into calamity than we ever intended. But Jesus didnt die so that you can have a free ticket to do whatever you want. He died that you might put your sin to death. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. -Romans 6:1-4 Jesus does forgive all your sins, but should we sin, Paul asks, so that grace may increase? By no means. Were not to try to take advantage of Jesus sacrifice and Gods love. If someone has the attitude of using grace as a blank check to sin, I have to ask, Are you even a Christian? Jesus died so I can use women for sexual conquest, get drunk, live for myself, and treat others with contempt...Really? Jesus got out of the grave, and defeated sin so you could keep sinning with no conviction or repentance? Here I thought Jesus rose so you could live a new life. That you would hate sin and love Jesus. And if you love sin, then you hate Jesus. ...Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. -James 4:4 3. Number three, a wrong view of sin is that some are so paranoid by their sin that theyre believing wrongly, If I dont confess every sin Ill go to hell, cause one of my sins wont be forgiven. No, Jesus died for all our sins past, present, and future. There are sins we commit unknowingly and ones we forget about. His death was still for all sin. 4. Number four stems from a myth that is pervasive in our culture (This is how I used think myself.): that says Deep down inside, theres nothing but goodness inside of me. Im pure on the inside even if it doesnt show outside. So what if my life is bad? Sure, I occasionally do, think, and say horrible things, but God knows my heart Actually, He does know your heart. And all life is, is an echo of the heart. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. -Luke 6:45

Theres absolute congruence between the heart, the sum of who we are, and the life that we live. You cant say that a tree is good if it never bears good fruit. It doesn't make sense. Oh, thats a fantastic apple tree, but it produces grenades. Really? It doesnt seem like a fantastic apple tree to me. And if weve learned to act good & follow rules we can fool others. Then those who we have fooled, the people who we have only shown one side of ourselves to, continue to reassure us that we are wonderful people. Because in our culture all we evaluate people based upon is their outward moral behavior. And if they're not behaving rightly, we want to change their behavior. But behavior modification cannot accomplish heart transformation. Because even if we change an action, we are simply dealing with a symptom, not the main issue itself: the heart. Not only is this way of thinking not helpful to our condition, its also prideful. Which by the way is another sin. In fact, its why Satan got kicked out of heaven. An angel (Satan) tried to rebel against God, so God flicked the little booger out of heaven, and that booger landed here on earth. "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." -James 4:6 God resists the proud because the proud resist God. Pride basically says Well, I feel that compared to all the other people around me, Im better than them. Those people are bad, but Im pretty good. I can safely assume that what I am currently doing puts me a step above all others and I dont need to change. Its exalting yourself above everything else and looking down on everyone else. A mans pride will bring him low, but the humble spirit will retain honor -Proverbs 20:23 Ultimately the proud have unrealistic expectations of their potential which eventually leads to despair when they fail, or reach a point where they cant go any further. When your worth is based on what you can accomplish, failure strips you of your self-worth. After all, your worth, identity, and happiness are all tied to yourself, and how much you can accomplish. ...as Jesus sat at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? When Jesus heard that, He said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. -Matthew 9:10-13 The proud just dont understand grace. They believe they can be their own savior. When Jesus said He didnt come to the righteous, He is referring to the self-righteous who want nothing to do with God. And sinners are those who realize they arent their own savior. They are receptive to His gift They understand fully their situation, allowing themselves to be humbled before one greater than they. Jesus was always calling sinners to repent of sin & religious people to repent of their religious pride. Ultimately a lot of the sinners love Him. They want to have dinner with him, they follow Him, and they turn away from their old lives. But the religious people shouted "crucify him!"

As we can see in Matthews eyewitness account, and even now, over 2000 years later, outwardly religious people focus on rituals & ceremonial aspects while neglecting the inward, eternal, & moral. In doing so they became self-righteous, harsh, and critical of others. They tend to feel like if they sin, they owe God, so they have to pay him back through their good works, by going to purgatory, karma, suffering, etc. But if they do good, they feel like God owes them. But we dont pay God back, Jesus does. And God doesnt owe us anything, but He gives us grace. If you want God's grace all you need is need; All you need is nothing. But that kind of spiritual humility is hard to muster. We come to God saying, "look at all I've done" or maybe "look at all I've suffered." God, however, wants us only to look to Him 5. Number five, some say, Well, sin is fun and I dont want to live a boring, dull life. I want to have a little bit of fun, so sometimes I allow myself to sin, because otherwise I cant have fun. Does this sound familiar? It should. Thats the same the lie that Satan told Adam and Eve. Gods withholding something really cool. Go get it. Hes not giving you full pleasure. Theres something more.(Genesis 3:1-6) And It was fun. But only before they reaped the consequences of what they had sown. Sin is only fun for a season until we see the outcome. Satan lied then, and he continues to lie to us today. ...Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. -John 8:34-36 Sin enslaves us. We couldnt stop even if we wanted to. It promises satisfaction, yet doesnt deliver. But because we get to choose what it is that enslaves us, we mistake this for freedom. Whatever we choose to let control us is our master, so to speak. Choosing your master is essentially choosing which pleasureful sin you will allow to rule over you. For example there is one woman in the church who lived a life seeking pleasure, and she found it. But she also found that ultimately it was wrecking her inside. Ive got a ministry to gals. she said, My ministry comes out of the fact that I lived a certain life. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, whatever it was, Id get dressed up. Id go out. Id get drunk, and Id let guys destroy me. Then Id come home and cry. And then Id do it again, and I did it week after week for I dont know how long- 2, 3 years. And she said, But I dont do that anymore, and I have a heart for girls that are like that, getting all dressed up, and drunk and abused. So I tell my story, and they come to me, and they want me to pray for them, and talk to them, and help them. This woman had only been baptized a few weeks before, and she is already reaching out to people who were where she was. Who were a slave to sins that were destroying them inside. And shes just being honest with them about her life, and pouring her heart out to them. Additionally, if you belong to Jesus, you see sin as it really is. I can testify to this. I love Jesus because He changed me. What I used to do, I dont want to anymore. What I used to enjoy, I dont anymore. The enslavement that I was in, Ive been set free. Im a new person. I dont think like I used to think, I dont act like I used to act, and its not me, its God. Some of you

who are Christians have had fun sinning until you became a Christian. You used to be a nonChristian who loved to drink and sleep around or whatever. And then you became a Christian. And you go to sin again is it fun? Its misery. You feel terrible. The Holy Spirit convicts you. You realize, What I used to love, I dont love. I feel convicted. And the guilt, misery, and slavery is replaced with joy and freedom. You dont have to sin to have fun. And ultimately its more beneficial, enjoyable, and fulfilling not to. 6. Number six, some would say, Its not a sin if no one gets hurt. I hear this all the time with singles who are sleeping together. Thats a sin. Oh, nobodys getting hurt. Were both consenting adults. Really? I assure you its hurting both of you. When you break up, a physical relationship rips you apart more than a non-physical one. Because you bonded with that person on the most intimate level. In a way that was only intended to be done with one person in one lifetime. And that affects not only you, but it will also affect whomever, whenever, however you marry. Those who are in the church (If youre a Christian), those who are in the family. Those family, friends, co-workers who are observing you; it affects them. It certainly affects your relationship with God, because sin separates us from God. Dont say that nobodys getting hurt. Lots of people are getting hurt. 7. Number seven, some say Its only a sin if you get caught. Secret sin doesnt count. And you know what? Theres no such thing as secret sin. God knows, and it does affect. I see this all the time in relationships. The woman is with the man one day, and he is distant, cold, and doesnt pursue her. Shes saying I dont feel like were emotionally connected. I just start here: I ask the guy How much porn do you look at? Whats that have to do with anything? I thought we were talking about communication. I am communicating. How much porn you looking at? Whats that got to do with anything? If youre looking at any, thats too much. Because You feel guilt. You feel shame. You separate yourself from others. You hide behind your little proverbial fig leaf. Youre behind the tree like Adam hoping God cant see you. But your tree is the computer monitor. And if you say, Well, it didnt affect anything until he got caught., I say It affected everything. She knew something was wrong and that you were distant emotionally. Secret sin counts. Because it still has its effects. And those who are close dont know what the sin is, but they see the effects. 8. Number eight, some people like to say about sin, Well, if its very popular then its okay. Everybodys doing it. aka the bandwagon effect. Or sometimes well make a cultural argument. Well, thats just how we do it in our culture. Its not a sin because were of a certain culture. Since when did the amount of people participating in an activity determine whether or not it was a good idea? Since when did a large number of people doing a bad thing make it a good thing? And since when, Christians, did culture dictate the lifestyle of those who are in Christ? Do we look to culture or Jesus for our identity? ...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God -Romans 12:2

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." Matthew 12:30 When we sin, its more than a matter of what we choose to do at that moment; its picking teams. If youre not with Jesus, youre against Him. "Youre the king, youre the boss, youre right, youre perfect, youre true...and I disagree. Every time we sin, thats what were saying with our actions. 9. Number nine, some Christians like to make everything into a sin issue even when its not. Sometimes its a difference of opinion. Sometimes its a difference of conscience. You think this is right, I think this is right. You want to worship in this kind of church, I want to worship in this kind of church. You know what? If you both love and belong to Jesus, its not that big of a deal. But they make it a sin issue. Well, youre in sin cause the way I do it is the way everybody should do it. You need to know this: Making an idol out of doctrinal accuracy, ministry success, or moral rectitude leads to constant internal conflict, arrogance, & self-righteousness. Ive seen this repeatedly in the history of the church, when people come in and say, My convictions have changed. I dont agree with certain doctrines of this church. Im leaving. You know, Calvinism & Arminianism, and all their debated issues, and they fight and argue about it. But we're to say I love you. You are a Christian. Your convictions are different than mine, but Im not saying youre in sin. I would debate with you biblically the position, but youre not sinning against me or us by transitioning to another church. Because in the end were all going stand before God and give an account. Lets not declare war. Lets not fight. Lets open the Bible and try to come to resolution. And if we cant, lets live at peace and move on. Its not always a sin issue. As you can see viewing sin in the wrong light can heavily affect our actions and how we treat others. But our responses to it can be even worse. Because how we deal with our sin, even if we know what it is, is essentially what we say to God and who we have hurt after the sin has been committed. So I am going to give you ten incorrect responses to sin that we commonly face: 1. Some people love to minimize their sin. Its not that big of a deal. Youre totally overreacting. Jesus had to die for it, you couldnt pay the debt without burning in Hell if it weren't for Him, and Jesus himself describes sin as slavery that He has freed us from. Sounds pretty serious to me. 2. Other people say Im the exception to the rule. I know thats true for everyone else, but I have special circumstances. I know youre not supposed to live with your boyfriend or girlfriend, but they lost their job. And were gonna get married. And we love each other. So were gonna live together and sleep together. But its okay, because were the exception. What I think is curious is everyone thinks theyre the exception.

3. The one thats probably the most popular is blame shifting. We see this in Genesis. Its the woman that you gave me Lord God thats what Adam says. (Genesis 3:12) The woman says, No, its the devil (Genesis 3:13) blame shifting.I spoke with a guy not long ago who screams, raises his voice, & yells at his wife. Total violation of1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. -1 Peter 3:7 Be considerate with your wife, dont be harsh with her. Shes the weaker vessel. Shes a wine glass & youre a thermos. You can toss a thermos around. We can take a few hits. In fact, guys dish out insults and beat each other up for fun. None of this is advised with a woman however. I say, Hey, you cant scream and yell at your wife like that He said, Look, she makes me really angry. She makes me yell at her. No she doesnt. Whether or not she sins against you is issue her responsibility, yes. But how you respond is your responsibility. You cant blame it all on her. And some of us are hardcore mercy people in these situations. We want to see everyone as a victim. We have a hard time saying, Maybe they did sin. But again, if the way youre responding is sinful, then youre responding to sin with sin. What does that accomplish?. Proverbs 18:17 says The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him Everyone seems right until the other side is heard. Be very careful. People love to blame shift. 4. Another response to sin is diversion. Changing the subject. Have you realized kids learn this very early? I have a nephew who is 2 years old. He hits another kid, and I ask, What did you do? Kendall says, Look, a birdie! Well, you laugh, but adults do this too. There are those who, when confronted about their sin, change the subject to talk about how they feel about you confronting them about their sin. That really hurts my feelings. I feel like youre judging me. I thought we were friends. Dont change the subject. We are friends. But were two friends talking about what you did. It makes me really mad that you would say that I did that. But you did do it! And let me add this: Those who say they are Christians and love Jesus should have higher expectations placed on them. If they say they serve God, then we need to hold them to the standards of His Word. The absolute worst way to represent Jesus is with hypocrisy or impersonation. (pretending you're a Christian when you're not.) So Christians should judge one another. not in a condemning way, but in a discerning way. Not to destroy them, but to help them. In order to say: Youre stuck here. Im here to help. We need to get you out. This is a wreck, and by the grace of God, it needs to change. We need to be humble, prayerful, careful, biblical, merciful, and gracious as we approach our brothers and sisters. We all believe in judgment, by way of constructive criticism. We believe in saying Thats acceptable, but thats unacceptable. Thats why youd be very bummed if someone broke into your house, pulled a gun on you, took all your stuff, and you called 911, but they said, Hey man, didnt you read Luke 6? Thou shall not judge."

But when it comes to the non-Christians, we shouldnt expect them to act like Christians. The first priority is that they meet Jesus. Because if you dont really care about pursuing righteousness, repenting of the damage youve done wont always matter to you. Youll just shrug it off and keep sinning. 5. A sneaky response is partial confession. You tell a little bit of what you did hoping they wont find the rest, and move on. You never get the whole confession all at once. Partial confession is basically saying Im going to tell you bits and pieces of the truth and hope that will distract you so that you wont ask anymore questions. Ultimately this doesnt help you overcome the sin, and it doesnt allow others the full knowledge of the situation needed to help. Partial confession is counter-active. 6. Paul talks to the Corinthians about the sixth response: worldly sorrow. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. -2Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow means that you feel bad about what you did, so you then take the necessary steps to ensure that you dont repeat the offense. Worldy sorrow says I feel bad about the consequences of my sin, but not my sin. I feel bad that people are hurt. I feel bad that people are upset. I feel bad that people are negatively affected. But I dont really feel bad about actually doing it. 7. Number seven, excuse-making. And the excuses are innumerable. You know, youre looking at that all wrong. Thats your cultural presupposition Of course that's the philosophical argument. Thats your opinion thats the more street-level version. I have a good reason. You dont understand. Let me tell you the whole story. Instead of actually taking responsibility for what happened, this person tries to justify their actions. 8. Number eight is victimization. Im a victim. Someone did this to me. I cant help it. We have very formal genetic arguments. I have bad genetic predisposition. Our first father was Adam. We all have a bad genetic predisposition. Then the argument of origin: Its my upbringing. I grew up poor", or "I grew up rich", or "I didnt get enough affection. And that may all be true. Maybe you were sinned against. All of it counts, but that doesnt mean you can say, For the rest of my life I get to act in certain ways because I was sinned against. That gives me a blank check to live in this way. Pity me. Im a victim. You may be a victim, but when you sin in the same way, you victimize others. And victims rarely think of that. 9. Number nine is mere confession thats confession without repentance. Thats saying, I know its wrong, but not changing. These people are so confusing because you say, That was a sin. They say, Youre totally right.

Okay, cool and then it keeps happening. So, I thought you agreed it was wrong. It is wrong. Thank you for pointing that out. And then they do it again. You feel like youre reconciled, but then youre not. Theyre confessing, but not repenting. Theyre agreeing, but not changing. Theyre being honest, but theyre not being humble. 10. And number ten, one of the worst ways to respond to sin is to turn a blind eye to it. To tell people, You know what? Youre a good person. You need to find all the things in your life that you do well. You need to focus on those. Try harder. Im sure youll do better next time. Thats totally denying sin. Its conveniently overlooking it entirely. So much self-help and pop-culture spirituality does this. Youre a winner! Try harder. Look at all the things you do well. Be proud of yourself, Im sure youll do better. Pop-Culture Spirituality is more concerned with sparing the persons feelings and never having an uncomfortable conversation than actually getting anything done or changing anyones heart. AN Now some of you would judge Christians and say, I dont like where theyre at. But if you look where theyve come from, you may realize that God is working on them, and that they have made some progress, but theyve still got a long way to go. Every single one of us at some point in their lives will respond to sin in most if not all ten of these ways. I will be the first to admit that I have. Writing this has been a humbling experience. Im realizing where I was, where I am, and where I need to go, but Im moving forward by Gods grace. Even after conversion Christians need the Gospel because they see God in His holiness & dont see in themselves the required righteousness. I was saved, not because I was or am righteous, but most likely because I was someone who needed i the most. ...consider your own call; not many of you were considered to be wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and , not many of high and noble birth. God deliberately chose what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. God also selected what in the world is lowborn and insignificant, even the things that are nothing, that He mightdepose and bring to nothing the things that are. So that no mortal man should have pretense for glorying and boast in the presence of God. -1 Corinthians 1:26-29 Grace, by definition, is to those who are ill-deserving, not just undeserving. The Grace that God offers brings with it an assurance of His love for the rest of eternity. We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19) If He offered grace us when we were His enemies, how much more will He show love to those who are now His children? And if I did nothing to earn my salvation, what can I do to un-earn it? (John 10:27-30) There is no difference between the Christian and the non-Christian, but that one has been loved, reborn, and granted eternal life by Jesus Christ. So to be theologically reformed and personally prideful is a profound contradiction. It doesn't belong to any race or class of people, nor do religious people deserve it anymore than the irreligious. It does not come from any quality or morality on our part at all. Salvation is a gift, and it comes only from the Lord.