Dealing With Sin
God doesn’t expect us to live perfect lives, but He does expect obedience. This means when wrong comes our way we deal with it.
Sin isn’t a popular word. Most people think of sin as doing something really bad, like murder, assault, or robbery. But the word “sin” has the idea of missing the mark, not hitting the target.
The idea is that God has set a glorious standard and when we fail to live by it, we sin. We say, do, and think things that are contrary to God's standard, and the problem is that no matter how much we try and achieve change by ourselves, we just can't succeed.
The Bible teaches that our nature is imprisoned to sin. We miss the mark because we choose creation over the Creator. We look to succeed by our own strength, yet we never shake our own selfish sin. No matter what our education, religious heritage, ethnicity, or financial status, we cannot overcome the power of sin by ourselves. This is a problem.
God doesn’t expect us to live perfect lives, but He does expect obedience. This means when wrong comes our way we deal with it.
Erosion is never sudden. It happens over time as you change your standards and accept things once rejected. Erosion can happen in anyone’s life.
We’ve all experienced times when our prayers for healing go unanswered. But no matter what, God is in control. He heals according to His perfect timing and plan.
The Bible gives us a preview of future events. It teaches us to be alert because Christ’s return could be tomorrow...it could be today!
Rage is the most dangerous form of anger—it can so overcome a person that acts of violence are committed without conscious awareness.
Spiritual erosion is subtle, slow, and silent but taking time to reflect and evaluate can stop erosion in your life.
Erosion is a slow and silent process and no one is immune from it. If you don’t stop yourself in a downward spiral, then last week’s wrong choice doesn’t seem so bad this week. And on and on.
The world says our main goal should be getting what we want. And if we have to sin in order to do so, that’s OK. But the reality is getting what you want can leave a wake of victims. Sin always has consequences.
Even though we are forgiven by God’s grace, sin has consequences and sometimes they’re devastating. When our actions harm others they can have lifelong ramifications.
Pastor Chuck Swindoll wraps up this series on grace by concluding that, while God loves unity, he doesn’t demand uniformity. Understand how you can extend grace to others even amid differences.