We don’t see it clearly like God does. It’s more like a dark fairy tale that we don’t fully believe in.
We treat “sin” as lies, cheating and murder. The obvious bad things.
And Jesus in His perfection managed to avoid all of that.
I don’t think that’s how it really is.
Sin isn’t something that we do… It’s something that has permeated our bodies and the earth. That’s why Paul writes “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Sin is like a virus that infects all of creation, twisting it and perverting it.
Think of sin like dirty hands. For the person with dirty hands, everything they do leaves smudges and greasy fingerprints. That’s true every time they do something bad like shoplifting. But it’s also true when they do something good, like taking a meal to a shut-in.
Everything they do leaves dirty fingerprints. It doesn’t matter what it is. That’s sin.
It’s what the prophet Isaiah meant when he wrote “all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags.” Sin even affects us when we do good things.
Our sin problem needs real help. We need more than not lying, cheating or stealing. We need to be washed in the blood of our Redeemer. We need daily renewal. We need continuous and repetitive forgiveness and purification.
The beauty of the cross is that through it, God deals with our dirty hands. The great exchange with Jesus means we get His clean hands and He took our dirty hands. God declares us clean and forgives all the dirty smudges we leave.
But while we enjoy freedom from the penalty of sin, on this earth, we must endure the presence of sin. Or hands aren’t fully clean. Not until we see Jesus face to face.
So as you pursue your sanctification, think about this. You sin isn’t a set of actions you do or don’t do. It’s like dirt all over your hands. It touches everything.
Your need for deliverance from the effects of sin is perpetual. Sin is far more pernicious than you might think. So let that be a matter for your daily discourse with God.
I hope this challenges your thinking about sin and makes you stop and consider.
Dennis
