As Christians, we must live according to what God commands us to do in His word. Even after becoming saved, we will still have imperfections on this earth. But what happens when you are living in sin every day? Are you seeking God to help you break that bad habit? Are you going to church every Sunday to just go through the motions? Do you want to go by your desires or God’s will for your life? We often make decisions quicker than we should and this often leads us to troubled times.
Maybe you know you are in sin, but it almost seems like it is just a part of your normal routine. John 8:34 says, “ Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”. Notice this verse says ‘a slave of sin’. Jesus is not referring to a physical slavery, but one who practices sin habitually. Sinning inhabit is a spiritual bondage to sin, and we know that sin is of evil, not righteousness.
We have a choice to make, we can either be children of God, or children of the devil. You cannot be both at the same time. 1 John 3:8-10 says, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 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. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”
How do we become children of God? First, you need to be born again, if you want to go to heaven after your time on earth. Jesus said in John 3:5-6, ““Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”. Notice Jesus mentions being born of both water and Spirit. He is not referring to actual water but the need for cleansing, renewal, or spiritual cleansing. This cleansing is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:25-27, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
John 3:15 says, “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”. What happens if you aren’t born again and don’t believe in the one and only Son of God Jesus Christ? Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”. If you are living in sin and are not born again, then your paycheck will be spiritual death. However, if you believe in the Son of God, then you receive everlasting life. We might be undeserving of everlasting life but God loves us, and He sent His only son to die for our sins. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”. The opposite of everlasting eternity in hell, which is the paycheck for living a sinful life and for not believing in Jesus Christ. Matthew 10:28 says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”. Furthermore Revelation 21:8 says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”. Also Jude 1:7 says, “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”.
I could go much more on with the topic of sin. However, the key lesson to take away is to make your heart right. Ask Jesus into your heart today and to forgive you of your sins. Claim that you will give him your best. Make him your Lord, the King of your Heart today. Once you do this read the Word of God every day. Live as much of a sin-free life as possible, and when you make a mistake admit it to God in prayer and seek forgiveness and guidance on improving. By reading the Word of God daily you can transform your mind. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”.
My next blog post will be an in-depth look of Revelation 21:8.