What exactly is sin?

Sin is breaking any of God’s laws and commandments. 

The Bible says…

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
1 John 3:4

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” 
Romans 3:19

But doesn’t everyone sin?

Yes, because Adam disobeyed God and ate of the tree that God commanded him not to eat of, a sinful nature was passed on to the entire human race.

The Bible says…

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Romans 5:19

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
1 Corinthians 15:22

Can you name specific sins?

Yes! God’s word is very clear what actions are considered sins. The verse below is not a complete list of all sins, but are examples of some common sins against God.

The Bible says…

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21

Why is sin such a big deal to God?

God is a holy God! The heavenly seraphim cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy” in God’s presence. He is a fair and just Judge, and he must punish sin just like a fair judge will pass sentence on a convicted criminal.

“… for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”
Psalms 96:13

“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Revelation 4:8

But what if I’m a good person with a good heart?

None of us are good without Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear that without the new birth, we are lost and undone!

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
Romans 3:10

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Isaiah 64:6

But won’t my good outweigh my bad?

No! Just one sin makes you guilty before God.

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
James 2:10

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” 
Romans 3:19

Is there a penalty for sin?

Yes! Death & Hell are the penalty & payment for sin. Just like a crime has to be “paid” for, sin has to be paid for with death in a place called Hell (and then eventually the Lake of Fire).

Hell is a horrible place of suffering in a burning fire!

“For the wages of sin is death;…”
Romans 6:23a

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8

“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
Mark 9:43-44

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:28

Was Hell created for men?

No, Hell was created for the devil and his angels.

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
Matthew 25:41

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
Jude 1:6

If Hell was not created for men, why will the unsaved go there?

God made a way for every man to be free from sin and avoid Hell. Most will reject this offer because they simply do not want to be free from their sin.

Sin is pleasurable for a time, and many would rather chose to live in that pleasure rather than live a holy and godly life. But ultimately, sin leads to death.

“That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:12

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
John 3:19

How could a loving God send anyone to a place of suffering?

God is love – this is absolutely true!

But God is also holy, righteous and just! He cannot allow sin to go unpunished, just as an honest judge wouldn’t let a criminal go “free”.

God’s holiness and justice demands payment for sin. He cannot overlook sin!

“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21:3

“But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.”
Romans 2:2

How long will I be in Hell if I don’t get saved from sin?

Hell and the Lake of Fire are eternal. Once you die in your sins, you will be there forever, with no second chance. Once you take your last breath, that’s it. There’s no reset button. There’s no going back! There are no second chances!

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Matthew 25:46

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” 
Jude 1:7

But won’t my good works earn salvation?

No! The Bible is clear that:
1. Salvation is a gift
2. Salvation is ONLY given by God’s grace, through our faith in Jesus Christ’s blood payment for our sin

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Ephesians 2:8 4

“Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:9

How can I be made free from sin?

There’s only ONE way! God the Father loved us so much, that he sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for the sin of the whole world. Jesus’ death on the cross was God’s demonstration of love to the entire world!

He paid for your sin with his own blood. He GAVE himself as a sacrifice for YOU, so that you could be made free from sin and its penalty!

God’s holiness demands payment for sin, but God’s love met the demand FOR YOU through Jesus Christ! If you reject Jesus Christ, you are deciding to pay for your own sin.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”
Revelation 1:5

Who is Jesus Christ, anyway?

The Bible says that Jesus Christ was God, manifested (displayed) in the flesh. He lived a sinless, perfect life, and then suffered, bled and died to “reconcile” all of mankind back to God. He paid for your sins with his own blood. He rose from the grave, and is now seated in Heaven, at the right hand of God the Father.

“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.”
1 Timothy 3:16

What does it mean to be reconciled back to God?

To be reconciled to God means to have your relationship restored or “fixed”. Because of our sin, we need to be reconciled, or made right again, with God.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
Isaiah 59:2

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
Romans 5:10

So then what must I do to be saved from sin?

In the New Testament Paul said that he preached two things to both Jews and Gentiles:

1. Repentance
2. Faith

“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Acts 20:21

What is repentance?

True repentance is a HEART ATTITUDE of godly sorrow for breaking God’s law that is willing to turn from sin and self and turn to God!

It’s a HEART ATTITUDE that can only be produced by conviction from the Holy Spirit that shows a man his sinful condition.

True repentance is a HEART ATTITUDE that produces a desire to turn from sin and turn to God.

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
2 Corinthians 7:10

You said you can’t get saved by works, but now you’re saying I have to repent. Isn’t that a work?

No, repentance is not a “work” that you do to EARN salvation. Works-based religions teach that you can “do” something in order to EARN salvation, which is false.

ETERNAL LIFE is a gift that is only given by God’s grace, through faith. But…it’s only given to those who have a repentant heart!

It is faith that saves, but repentance is the HEART ATTITUDE that is necessary for the “seed” of the word of God to take root. It’s the “good ground” the Bible talks about in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Acts 2:37

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
Acts 17:30

Will everyone repent and believed to be saved from sin?

Sadly, even though Jesus Christ paid for the sin of all men on the cross, most men will not believe on Him for salvation because they are not willing to repent of their sin.

The Bible clearly shows that men do not get saved because they do not want to submit to Jesus Christ and give up their sinful life!

“That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:12

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
John 3:19

If I just believe the facts about Jesus, will I be saved?

No! There are many that believe the facts about Jesus, but they are not born again. When it comes to saving belief that produces the new birth, the heart of man must be truly repentant and under Holy Ghost conviction!

It cannot just be a “head knowledge” of the facts that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again.

Just like a seed will not sprout without proper conditions to produce life, an unrepentant heart cannot SAVINGLY BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus!

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10 KJV

“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;”
Acts 15:8

What is belief?

Belief (also called “faith”), is placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour from sin!

Saving belief includes:

– acknowledging in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, God manifested in the flesh

– trusting, from a repentant heart, in the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood atonement on the cross to pay for your sin

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Romans 5:1

“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” Romans 3:25

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:10