Sin... - Joey Ferrell

The title says it all. Sin. That is what has been on my mind…well, not the actual sin itself, but the idea of sin. From the very time that man first sinned in the Garden of Eden, until today…and even into the future, sin lives on, and it is our worst enemy at work.

Sometimes, we tend to discount sin. We might overlook this or that because of societal changes, or because “everyone else is doing it,” and so on. Sin becomes more natural to us each and every day when we allow it to enter into our lives. Sin enslaves us, making us more adept to continuing in it day after day as a habit more than a vice.

Paul had plenty to write about sin. Let’s look at a few verses:

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

(Galatians 5:1)

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

(Romans 6:16–18)

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

(Ephesians 2:1–7)

We could probably continue with posting scriptures about sin and how it enslaves us; however, you probably get the idea. What bothers me about sin is much more than just the idea of a trespass. I cannot help but think about the consequences of sin, the pain that sin has caused many from the age of creation, the misery in even death that was caused as a result of one man’s sin (Romans 5:12-21). I also cannot help but think about how my own sin has caused heartache for even my own family, but more importantly…my God. I am sure you can say the same thing.

But…there is some good news!

Sin CAN be forgiven. Sin CAN be overcome. Sin CAN be healed from in part.

Romans 6:23 talks about the wages of sin being death…and certainly that idea rings heavy, but don’t lose sight. The back half of that verse tells us to have hope in the eternal ife in Jesus Christ with His gift!

What does that mean? That means that even the vilest of the vile, the meanest of the mean, the lyingist of the lying, and so on…can be washed from those sins in the soul-saving blood of Christ, our Lord.

Paul recounts his conversion in Acts 22. In this story, Paul is told that he must go to find a man that would tell him all that he would need to do. He finds him. That man tells him how to be saved, and then he asks a very important question:

“Why tarryiest thou? Arise and be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord, washing away your sins…”

Did you see that? Those sins were gone with the empty mop water bucket. History. Never to be held against Paul any longer. Friend, you can have that same cleansing in Christ Jesus! Maybe you believe you are saved, yet you have not done what is required based on the scriptures. In Acts 19, there were some who had been baptized that did not know why they were baptized, or were not baptized into the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. What happened? Well, we see Paul teaching them and they were baptized…correctly after learning the truth! Hallelujah for second opportunities!

Maybe you need to find out more about the free gift of life…maybe you have questioned your own salvation in recent times. We have answers. We want to help! May God bless you as you seek truth.