How Serious Is Sin? Part II

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: How Serious Is Sin? Part II ------------------- Date: 6/18/2003
Keywords: "sin"
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Passage: Mark 9:43-47*

43. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-

44. where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'

45. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-

46. where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'

47. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire-where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'

Questions

1. What is sin?

 

2. Is sin different from temptation? If so, how?

 

Practical help

Yesterday we studied this passage and found that sin is serious. Today, let's try to discover what sin is — but first, a personal confession.

I became a Christian, trusting Jesus as my answer for salvation over death, yet was pretty clueless about the whole idea of sin for many years afterwards. I knew He had to die for me, but didn't think my problems were all that bad (which is a weird set of beliefs when you stop to think about it).

My experience with trying to understand this topic and talking with other Christians about it has left me with the conclusion that most professing Christians don't have a good handle on it either. This is a big reason, I believe, why many of us have succumbed to pop ideas that tend to negate its importance. This then makes it easy to justify things like porn.

As part of my research in order to write this study, I ran a computer search of the New Testament on "sin". From this list, I narrowed it down to the book of 1 John . You might continue this activity yourself with other books of the Bible. As you read these passages, ask God to help you understand them and apply them to your life.

The following passages are from 1 John

1:7 — But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1:8 — If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

2:1 — My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

3:4 — Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

3:5 — And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

3:6 — Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

3:9 — Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

5:16 — If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin [which does] not [lead] to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not [leading] to death. There is sin [leading] to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

5:17 — All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not [leading] to death.

5:18 — We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
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*Scripture taken from the New King James Version (NKJV), © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.