Sin. Do we really need to talk about sinning?
On our way to a nearby village, we came across a railway crossing. Before the crossing, there was a warning 10x that there was a level crossing. Ten times.
That almost seems like an exaggeration, but let’s be honest… if you crash into a train with your car, the chances of surviving are slim. There is also a good chance that you will become disabled (for life) if you do not comply with what those signs say: stop, look to the left and to the right, and you are only allowed to continue if no train is in sight.
And with those signs, you can also think: should we disfigure the landscape with all those signs? Yes. Because if it goes wrong, you’re dead.
But can you say, what is the probability that a train will arrive? That’s a thought, right? So, what is the chance that I will die because I don’t stop?
Imagine… you are going on holiday by plane tomorrow. Before you board, an announcement is made: “dear ladies and gentlemen, the chance that you will not survive this flight is 10%”.
Would you risk it?
Not me.
And how about our flight into eternity? Would you want to take the risk of ending up in hell or, want to take the risk that your neighbor is ending up there because he didn’t know….?
Why is it so important that we do talk about sin? Because if we don’t understand that God does NOT tolerate sin in His heaven, we also DON’T understand how great His mercy is for us, that He gave His Son Jesus to die for our sins.
Without that realization there is no conversion. Because if there is no sin, then why was Jesus needed?
“But I’m already a Christian, so we don’t have to talk about sin anymore, do we?”
If that is your approach…. Do you really realize what Christ did?
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away,they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Romans 3:9-12
Even if you are a Christian, you are a sinner. Also, today you walk in a world full of sin and not admitting that you, today, are a sinner is a sin. God is clear about it in His Bible. No escape.
Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
Ecclesiastes 7:20
And that’s why we need to talk about sin. Every sermon again, every evangelistic conversation again. Because only then, can and should we also talk about God’s grace for us sinners. That Christ came for us, to wash away those sins from us, that if we believe that, we may come before God when we die, and then stand sinless before Him.
But until then, we are sinners, and we all need God’s grace VERY badly. Every shift, every day, every moment.
Not placing road signs for a deadly intersection is something that cannot and should not be done. You have to warn people about the death that is just around the corner if we don’t listen to God’s (traffic) rules. If you really love someone, then you also warn him about that oncoming train, don’t you? Or do you think: well, that’s an annoying message, let it go? Is that real love?
Repentance—turning from sin—means more than just regretting something wrong. It means changing your mind about pleasing yourself instead of pleasing God. It means rejecting the selfish desires that rule your life.
Faith—turning to God—means more than just believing that He exists. It means trusting in the death of Christ as the only sacrifice for sin that God will accept. It means building on Christ to teach you what pleases God and to help you do it in every part of your life.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 Johannes 1:9
