The Trouble with Sin

“For a branch cannot produce suit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4 NLT)

Jesus brings up some uncomfortable truths. Sin cuts us off from Christ and we will remain fruitless until we repent and return. We live in a culture that shies away from the word ‘sin.’ I find this surprising because we are clearly besieged by the very vice we won’t name. The trouble is, we can’t admit what we won’t speak of. We can’t address what we won’t confess. When Christians are reluctant to label sin, we get stuck, stunted in our spiritual growth. We are fruitless because sin has cut us off from the One who hates sin. But He doesn’t sit in condemnation. No, He waits patiently for our contrition, ready to cover our sin with His own blood, to heal our wounded relationship and even regrow the piece of us that died sin’s grip.

Culturally, we tend to talk about sin abstractly, as though it plagues others and maybe at one time, we were involved in some small way. We say things like “Oh, well I used to sin.” as if it’s in our distant, barely recallable past. We may religiously point at people obviously stuck in the cycle of sin and death and shake our heads at the ‘sinners’. But we are glacially-paced when it comes to examining our own heart and souls with the same strong sense of right and wrong. Since sin is at epidemic proportions, since we are living “as in the days of Noah” it is frighteningly easy to minimize and justify the ‘smaller’ sins in our own story. We attempt to serve the Kingdom with bad attitudes, lustful thoughts, personal pride or covetousness. All the while we fail to muster the courage to label these infractions as the sin they are. We miss the fact that a heart steeped in sin (no matter how seemingly insignificant) is steadfastly stepping further and further from God. More concerning still; the church is cut off at the knees when it’s congregants are mired in unconfessed sin.

The thing is, sin extracts it’s own price. Of course, we quote Romans 6:23 with the bit abut sin bringing death, but what we fail to realize is that death commences at sin’s first bite. We sin and our soul immediately begins it’s retreat from our holy, living God. Adam and Eve hid and so do we still.

What’s worse than death? An existence lived apart from God’s goodness. What’s worse still? An eternity resigned to that poor decision. No man is more miserable than an unrepentant sinner.

Here’s where it gets personal. Are you miserable today? Are you brave enough to honestly examine the state of your soul? Look carefully for those compromises; the little white lies, the bit of pride that keeps perking up, the anger that rises unchecked, the unforgiveness that sends rigor mortis throughout your soul. Invite the Holy Spirit into this moment. Ask Him to bring a spotlight to any corner where sin has settle in. Confess it, evict it, beg Christ to fill that square footage with more of Himself. Repent. Repeat. Repent. Repeat. Repent. Repeat. Refuse to believe the lie that sin is something other people do. Look for the evidence in your own life and then deal with whatever you find there. Continue this soul-examination daily until the sweet hour arrives when you finally swap out your earthly tent for a permanent heavenly address.

“Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and I stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone!” (Psalm 32:5 NLT)

Lord, we hate admitting that we have been walking in sin. Our stuff seems insignificant in comparison to the way most of the world lives. Help us realize that even a speck of sin creates deep dissonance in our most crucial relationship. Upon closer examination, our speck may be revealed as a log; a source of many stumbles and falls. Give us the courage to engage in regular, thorough soul examination. Holy Spirit, assist us in this process. May our sin cause us as much pain as it causes You. Absolve it upon our confession and come close enough to fill the gap left in its place. We long to walk in true intimacy and obedience with You, Lord. This is only possible by Your great sacrifice. Thank You. Amen.