Sin is what keeps us from being able to be in the presence of God. Sin is what “Man” does everyday but should endeavor to avoid at all times. Sin is used to cause “Man” to fall and is the tool which the enemy and his minions use to entice us away from God’s presence. Sin is seductive, powerful, and evil.
So why am I talking about sin and what does it have to do with our everyday life? Well, let’s give this some thought and see where it leads. So, Satan has dominion over the earth but is still subordinate to God who has all authority, period. Satan was given power and dominion over the earth but it is limited and remains below God in every way. What does that mean really? Basically, it means that the forces of evil are like flies, they constantly buzz around our ears and stir up as much trouble as possible. Annoying beyond belief and troublesome in every way. We must swat them away and avoid them at all costs but that is certainly easier said than done.
What is sin? Basically, sin is anything that is not glorifying or praising God but rather leads us to be removed from God’s presence. God gave us the “Ten Commandments” which are the top ten.
When looking at the list represented above, most of them are very straightforward and simple, right? Stealing, killing, lying are all pretty basic and yet seem to be nearly impossible for most of us. A review of the list above coupled with some self introspection and honest accounting show us how much we actually do sin and how often we do so. In short, we fall short of the glory of God daily and frequently. The goal is to avoid sin and make every effort humanly possible to not do so. Our lives should be directed by the list above and doing everything humanly possible to focus on God, praising and glorifying God with every thought, action, or word. Should be pretty simple and straightforward and yet, it isn’t.
Secular society has never been more rife with sin than today. Sin abounds in every direction and seems to be utterly unabated by the people in the secular society going about their lives. No one is exempt from the lure, draw, and attraction of sin. No man, woman, or child is exempt from being sucked into the “Black Hole” of sin, especially when we are interacting with or in secular society. Primarily, the lure of sex, lying, and stealing are some of the most prevalent that plague the majority of us. For some, it almost seems that they embrace the evil and relish sin.
Christians typically will make the most effort to live the most sinless lives. A life that is free of sin is one in which we read and study the Bible which is God’s Word given to man. Christians will worship and fellowship together. And, Christians will make effort to focus on the lifestyle as dictated by God’s Word. Christians will and must avoid sin at all costs. Christians must keep a lying tongue in check, a thieving hand, or murderous intent must all be controlled at all times to keep from sinning. Giving in to the lure of sin in any way moves us further and further from God. Christians will focus on God and always seek to be in His presence and favor. There is nothing better for a Christian than being in God’s presence and living a Godly life.
Can you be a good person and not be a Christian? That is very difficult to answer but this author’s opinion would be to say no. If you are doing good works but do not recognize God or Jesus, you have not found salvation. We can give the appearance of being good or presenting a facade of goodliness publicly and be completely consumed by sin in our private lives. It is the private sin that can be the most deadly as it is that little voice in our heads and in our ears that is constantly gnawing at us to do this or that. This type of ever present nagging can lead to plotting, contemplating, or carrying out evil deeds and acts. At times, it can drive us mad and become completely consuming our thoughts and actions.
Life today is arguably consumed with evil and sin. This is simply a fact and is not even debatable. Sin is rampant and ever present at every turn. Even the smallest sin is to be avoided. And yet. so many seemingly embrace every form of sin. We currently have an Education system which teaches lies, a media which does little else than lie, and a political party that promotes lying, theft, and violence completely. If we remember that God can not tolerate or be in the presence of sin, then God can not be found in segments or factions that embrace sin, right? Absolutely, therefore a political party that embraces sin and lusts for power and control over all of us can not be considered Godly. But, we see how some exemptions are made as in the example of certain political leaders being allowed to participate in the religious practice of taking “Communion” despite being proponents of abortion for example. Such action would fly in the face of reason and stretch the limits of being credible, and yet, it happens. Why? Because those who embrace a certain worldview are given a pass, have excuses made for them, or simply exempt themselves from what the rest of us must abide by.
As a Christian, we should avoid sin at all costs. If that means that a political party, a government, or any other entity is involved in sin, we are to avoid it. Avoiding sin is the bottom line and we must endeavor to do so at all times. Is it difficult to do so, of course, seemingly impossible. But, we must always try to seek God in every way, every day. Sin is all consuming, seek God instead.
