To understand what sin is, let us go back to Genesis 3, where sin first entered the earth. The serpent, who was called the devil, through deception and lies, introduced sin into the world. Adam and his wife, Eve, were given charge over all earthly creation but lost that position of authority by yielding to the enticing words of the serpent. Their disobedience to the command of God, coupled with their obedience to the serpent, opened the door to sin and death. Man became a servant, or slave, to sin and the devil because he obeyed him. We are servants to the one we obey. The devil and his hordes are now called the prince of this world, the prince and power of the air, and the powers of darkness because Adam surrendered his authority by obeying the devil.
Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. NKJV.
Sin is a lie and the devil is the father of lies. (see John 8:44) Sin is deceitful in that it promises fulfillment but leaves us empty and broken. The lie suggests that we were not created whole, but lacking. Sin claims to be the solution and able to complete what is lacking in us. Ironically, sin is the cause of lack and has left man searching for something to fill that gap ever since. Like most addictive substances, sin provides momentary relief and pleasure but, in turn, creates a greater emptiness within, and requires an even larger dose to fill the gap.
Sin also promises to be a shortcut route to the things God has already given us or has set in motion to be in our future. In the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus saying:
Matt 4:8-9 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." NKJV
Jesus’ destiny was, and still is, to be ruler over all the nations but He had to first go to the cross. He had to defeat the devil, and remove him from his position as the prince of this world, or mankind would be forever a servant to the devil.
God made man in His own image and likeness, yet the serpent suggested that God only forbid Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge because its fruit contained power to make them like God. Sin promised to make them something they already were. The serpent suggested they were defective or deficient and that God was holding back a god-likeness from them, as if they would become a threat to His position as “The Almighty.” The devil’s recruiting method was to project his belief about God into Eve’s consciousness, in hopes she would agree. Lucifer had recruited many of the angels in heaven to rise up in rebellion against God, for which they were cast down to the earth. (see Isaiah 14:12-15, 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6). It appears that, after they were cast out, he continued his practice and recruited mankind to join in the great rebellion.
Sin destroys the innocence that allows intimacy. Adam and Eve were clothed in God’s glory prior to sin entering in, but shame caused them to take cover and hide. Eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil made them suspicious of God. Their new found knowledge left them feeling naked and vulnerable. They no longer trusted the motives of their creator. Their innocence was gone. The knowledge they found in the fruit made them god-like in a perverted sense. They became the judge of what was good or evil and what was best for them, something they had not previously had to consider.
Innocence allows for complete trust. We will not expose ourselves to, or become transparent with, someone we do not trust. Fear of rejection or punishment will cause us to remain hidden. We have been declared innocent through the blood of Christ, yet, today, the devil will look for every excuse to condemn us, or to remind us of past failures, in hopes that we will agree with him and go back into hiding from God.
>Rom 5:17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) NKJV
Adam’s transgression gave way to the rule and reign of sin over this world, but the gift of righteousness reigns in greater power over sin in this life, through Jesus Christ. We that have entered into Christ have been given a greater authority: that sin is no longer our master.
Sin has been defined as missing the mark. In terms of hitting a target, if our arrow misses, it would be considered sin. It is more likely that our arrow doesn’t just miss the bull’s eye, it falls way short of the target. People who could care less about obeying God don’t even shoot an arrow, but none the less have fallen short of His glory. Anyone who strives for righteousness through human effort may shoot their arrow in the right direction, but lack the power needed to reach the target. Sin always causes us to lack; it never brings strength or fulfillment.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; KJV
No one has enough power required to reach that glorious target without the empowering grace of God. Adam and Eve were clothed in the glory before sin entered. It is now God’s plan that we be clothed with the glory that is revealed in Christ. Those who have entered into Christ are clothed with Him. In Him we are declared innocent and righteous. Now we can have intimate fellowship with the Father as Adam did in the Garden.
The good news is that sin has been defeated. The plans and strategy of our enemy have been exposed and we no longer need to be hoodwinked by the devil. It is evident that, at least for now, until the devil is cast into the bottomless pit, he still rules over all who have not entered into Christ. Our victory over sin and the devil is a matter of maintaining our position and standing in Christ. The devil still rules over those who obey him. Though we have made a choice to follow Christ, the serpent is still at work to deceive and convince us that God is not all we need, that He is holding back something good that only sin can fulfill.
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. NKJV
Self righteousness is sin. Probably the most deceptive form of sin is self righteous religion. It appears to be in submission and obedience to God, but only outwardly. The devil uses religion as a disguise to appear good and righteous. If he can not drag us back into gross, outward sin he offers an appearance of holiness, while appealing to our fleshly desires for power, position or wealth, just to name a few. He does not like loosing his servants to God’s Kingdom so he will pose as a servant of God himself to try to hoodwink God’s people, to lure them away from the faith. He appears as an angel of light and as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He offers God’s people counterfeit religious practices to sidetrack and shipwreck them if possible.
The antichrist is called the man of sin, a man that will come onto the world’s scene in the last days, but his spirit is alive and active even now. (see 1 John 2:18) He is not only the counterfeit messiah that will come, but he is now operating in the church world through false teachers, and false converts, claiming to be children of God. According to the book of Jude, the angels who have fallen are at work to promote and integrate evil practices and ungodly lusts into the true worship of God’s people. They follow the example of Cain, who killed his own brother because he was righteous. They greedily follow the way of Balaam, the prophet, using their gifts for financial gain. They boldly show up to feast at the table God has spread for His children. Sin has robbed them of life. They are like clouds with no water, a mirage in the desert. Thirsty souls race to them for a drink, yet are left even more dry and thirsty.
The book of Jude describes those who are recruited into false religion, even those who are found mixed among the true. Many have taken cover behind a religious garment of good works in an attempt to cover their own sin. They follow the example of Cain, who trusted in the fruit of his own toil and sweat as a payment for sin. As a result, they are alienated from the intimate presence of God and their end is destruction. We are not of those who abandon the faith to follow after vanity: we continue in the faith that is empowered by grace and God’s love.
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