How do you feel about sin?
Psalm 97:10 says, “Hate evil, you who love the LORD”
and Paul says in Romans 12:9, “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good”.Disciples of Jesus should detest sin and do our best to keep away from sin by staying close to God who is good. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Since Jesus has paid the penalty for sin, we don’t have to fear eternal punishment, but we do know that sin ruins our fellowship with God and others and that it keeps us from being an effective disciple. Sin requires payment and Jesus paid the price. Believe in Him if you haven’t before and appreciate that price He paid for you. If you don’t place your faith in Jesus there will come a time you will receive the wages you earned of eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). If you are a Christ follower, keep yourself close to Him and away from sin and evil.
How can we come to hate sin?
There is not a “how to” formula, but the closer we grow to God and the more we love Him and the more we understand and see what sin does to people’s lives, the more we will hate it. I would like to hate it enough that there was never any attraction, but sin is fun. Much of it very pleasurable, it is natural to the old flesh and it is easy. If it wasn’t, we would not be so easily drawn to sin against God.
One thing we can’t do with sin is to be neutral.
J.B. Phillips said, “The refusal to be committed and the attitude of indifference can in fact never be neutral.” Either we trust God and are obeying Him or we are sinning because “whatever is not from faith is sin”. (Romans 14:23)
Look at what it took to pay for sin; it took the death of Jesus on the cross and Him becoming sin and giving us who believe His righteousness. Perhaps if we remind ourselves daily of the Gospel and the mercy and grace of God that allows us to fellowship with Him as His children we can have a heart that is grateful and in love with God. Then we can come to love what God loves and love Him enough to keep away from sin and close to Him.
"There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."
Proverbs 14:12 (NASB)
"Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:21-23 (NASB)
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