God Hates Sin!
There is so much that is grieving my heart right now and so much I wish to share with you guys in the coming days, including my trip to see Mr. Agnew and what I learned from the experience, still learning…
This post however is to talk about one specific thing…sin. More specifically how God views it…He hates it. It is a repugnant stench to His nose…
First, we are all born into sin. We are not sinners because we do sinful things. We do sinful things because we are sinners.
Second, I think we have lost our view on how God sees sin.
Third, I feel that many Christians today view the LIVING WORD as dead. That it no longer has power. It is just historical text. The Word of God is living and breathing and does not return void. The Psalms still have as much power as they did when David sang them. My pastor said, “That if God could speak the world into existence, I think He could mean what He said.”
Someone once said that God’s creation was a temptation…Everything that God created is blameless and without blemish, but we have a great Deceiver that can easily twist and turn God’s creation into a vile thing…He uses God’s glory to make ashes out of men. One of the worst sicknesses that He has placed in Christian hearts is the passivity in which we regard sin. We say we are covered by grace and therefore pardoned by what we do…do we not believe that what we say and what we do has a divine affect not only on others, but through out the hills and dales of Heaven, and the caverns and depths of Hell…
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 6:11-23
When we come to salvation through Christ’s redeeming grace by the blood shed on that tree it doesn’t mean we are changed. God makes us a new creation…however; the old sinful nature still resides in us raising its ugly head to attack. We think too much of ourselves and want our way far too often. You can hear the anguish in Paul’s words when he writes in Romans 7: 13-25…
13I can already hear your next question: "Does that mean I can't even trust what is good [that is, the law]? Is good just as dangerous as evil?" No again! Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover to tempt me to do what would finally destroy me. By hiding within God's good commandment, sin did far more mischief than it could ever have accomplished on its own.
14-16I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.
17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
21-23It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (The Message)
It’s a choice each and every day which dog you choose to feed. The good dog or the bad dog. The more you feed one over the other the more powerful that one will be over the other. If you drink in your lustful desires for this world the bad dog will grow strong and fat. If you flee from sin and keep your eyes centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, then the good dog will prevail and grow strong in your life. God gave us a guide…the Holy Spirit, and a weapon…His Word. As Sara Groves once said, “…satan can’t make me do anything when I’m calling on Jesus Christ.” We are selfish selfish people.
This post however is to talk about one specific thing…sin. More specifically how God views it…He hates it. It is a repugnant stench to His nose…
First, we are all born into sin. We are not sinners because we do sinful things. We do sinful things because we are sinners.
Second, I think we have lost our view on how God sees sin.
Third, I feel that many Christians today view the LIVING WORD as dead. That it no longer has power. It is just historical text. The Word of God is living and breathing and does not return void. The Psalms still have as much power as they did when David sang them. My pastor said, “That if God could speak the world into existence, I think He could mean what He said.”
Someone once said that God’s creation was a temptation…Everything that God created is blameless and without blemish, but we have a great Deceiver that can easily twist and turn God’s creation into a vile thing…He uses God’s glory to make ashes out of men. One of the worst sicknesses that He has placed in Christian hearts is the passivity in which we regard sin. We say we are covered by grace and therefore pardoned by what we do…do we not believe that what we say and what we do has a divine affect not only on others, but through out the hills and dales of Heaven, and the caverns and depths of Hell…
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 6:11-23
When we come to salvation through Christ’s redeeming grace by the blood shed on that tree it doesn’t mean we are changed. God makes us a new creation…however; the old sinful nature still resides in us raising its ugly head to attack. We think too much of ourselves and want our way far too often. You can hear the anguish in Paul’s words when he writes in Romans 7: 13-25…
13I can already hear your next question: "Does that mean I can't even trust what is good [that is, the law]? Is good just as dangerous as evil?" No again! Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover to tempt me to do what would finally destroy me. By hiding within God's good commandment, sin did far more mischief than it could ever have accomplished on its own.
14-16I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself—after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.
17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
21-23It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (The Message)
It’s a choice each and every day which dog you choose to feed. The good dog or the bad dog. The more you feed one over the other the more powerful that one will be over the other. If you drink in your lustful desires for this world the bad dog will grow strong and fat. If you flee from sin and keep your eyes centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, then the good dog will prevail and grow strong in your life. God gave us a guide…the Holy Spirit, and a weapon…His Word. As Sara Groves once said, “…satan can’t make me do anything when I’m calling on Jesus Christ.” We are selfish selfish people.
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." – 1 Peter 1:13-16
We ask how do we fight sin in our lives. WE FLEE! We run for the hills from temptation. God always gives us an out, He always gives a choice. So, often we are too weak or don’t wish to resist. In Galatians 5: 16-26, Paul contrasts for us the spirit man. God has already given us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. It is our duty to seek and develop this attributes. We must cleave to Him with all of our might. We must search our hearts and we must lay prostrate before the throne room…saying as Paul did…”I am chief of sinners…” Jesus Christ is our only hope, but I fear sometimes we just do what we want too….
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. (NLT)
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