Sin: Why Do We Keep Doing It?

You might have heard a million times by now that everyone is sinful, and that sin is bad because it is a rejection of God, either in omission or commission. However, if we Christians accept Christ as our savior and God made us new again, then why do we keep sinning?

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."
-Romans 7:15

Sin is rooted in the belief that there is something out there greater than God. God is, of course, the greatest thing anyone can have, but Satan is very good at tempting us and making us believe that there is something greater than God out there. But if God hates it so much and if it's such a  bad thing to do,  then why do we keep doing it?

The thing about sin is that it feels good to do. If sin was painful to do, then nobody would want to sin. But the fact is that it is enjoyable at the time. This is because sin plays with our desires and turns them into something that is not good. For example, sex is a beautiful thing, the highest expression of love that a husband can give to his wife. However, Satan took God's design and twisted it in our minds to make us think that it's a good thing to do. He eggs us on by telling us that it feels good. And yes, sex is supposed to feel good. It's supposed to be enjoyable. If it wasn't enjoyable, then why would you save it for someone that you love? However, the point here is that twisted desires make us want to keep sinning.

So how are we supposed to fight temptation and sin? It's simple to say but hard to do. Stand firm with God. Let God be God in you life, let God take control. God knows what's best for you and what isn't good for you, and He knows what it's like to be tempted, for Jesus was tempted as well. And if you feel like the temptations in your life are too big, then know this. God will never let you be tempted more than you can bear. You are strong enough for this, you just have to trust God. Remember, sinning is a matter of choice between God and your desires.

Now, will we ever be free from sin? Yes, when we are in Heaven with God. However, here on earth, it is impossible to be without it, simply because we are human.

But that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what Jesus has done for us. He has separated us from our sins as far the east is from the west.

Then why is it necessary to be a better person? Because the God fearing life is the best possible life, and that's exactly what God guides us toward. The best life, with God.

Forgiveness

 "Truly, I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter."
- Mark 3:28

God forgives our sins and thus, we are supposed to forgive other people. Today, to forgive someone of something seems to have lost its true value and meaning; lost its power and thus, leads many people to have a wrong perspective on the nature of God's forgiveness and mercy. Forgiving someone is so much more than simply "getting over something." Forgiving someone means that you will choose to forget someone's wrongdoings.

How does that work? How can God "forget" our sins when He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and all-knowing? Does that really have to do with our own salvation?

Put it this way. If I punched you in the face right now, you probably wouldn't like me very much afterward. But when I come and ask for your forgiveness, I'm literally asking you to forget. I'm asking you to do far more than just move on, because simply moving on doesn't heal open wounds. In fact, the only way for me to truly be a friend back to you would be if you forgave, if you chose to forget what I've done.

Imagine every time we sin and fall short of God, that it's like we're slapping God in the face. God hates sin, it says in the Bible, and God surely doesn't like getting slapped in the face. However, if we just so much as ask Him, God will choose to forget. He will forgive us of our transgressions, no matter how big or small.

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross."
-Colossians  2:13-14

And that's the truly amazing thing about forgiveness. God forgets what we've done when we ask Him to. God took away our sins and carried them to the cross. That way, we are restored in God's sight, and once again we are pure in God's eyes.

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them."
-Luke 1:68

So the next time that someone wrongs us, what should we do?
Be like God here; choose to forget, for that is what God did for us.

The Christian Journey

"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,  and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.""
Matthew 14:22-33

I've heard his story a lot and read it countless times. I always thought, yeah, Peter, you doubted. So the moral of the story is don't doubt. The end. El fin.

But in this passage, there is a beautiful illustration of the Christian life and the walk with God. We see it in all of the stages: the initial step, the journey,the fall, and the rise.

In the passage, Peter gets out of the boat after Jesus tells him to. In the context of the Christian life, that life begins with a desire to want to follow Jesus. For that to happen, you need to step out of your "boat," your comfort zone. You need to sacrifice the world that you have and than walk out towards God.

It doesn't end there though. You need to continually walk towards God and keep your focus on Jesus. In the passage, we see Peter walking towards Jesus, on the water!

But along the way, the winds and the waves will be there, wanting to deter you. Some of those distractions will succeed in making you fall. Because let's face it. The Christian life is difficult. It's going to be really hard at times, and there will be storms that are going to want to sweep you away and bring you to the bottom, within its fiery depths. Satan is always going to try to get you away from God; that's his "job" if you will call it that. Also, God is going to refine you through the fire, and that's not going to feel good. It's going to hurt and it's going to be tough.

But in the passage in Matthew, we see Peter do something that is quite remarkable. He begins to sink after being distracted from Jesus, and then he cries out for help, "Lord, save me!" It's totally fine to call out to God for help. We see David in many of his psalms calling for help.

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 4:1

In the passage in Matthew, right after Peter calls for help, Jesus came over and saved him. That's an amazing thing, that God would save us from the storm. Now, He might not take the storm away, but He'll be there to pick you up, and that's the amazing thing. God will be there with us, to comfort us, and we'll know that He is there and that He'll never abandon us. This is why God refines us with fire, lets storms happen, because in the end, we'll have grown so much in our faith and relationship with Him.

That is the Christian journey in a neat little package. It's the initial step out towards God, the walk with God with the storms, the refinement through fire, and than the fact that we get to be with God. Isn't that a beautiful picture?

And a question I want to leave you guys with: Why in the world are the other disciples still on the boat?

Love

What do you think when you hear the word love? Does a particular movie scene come to mind? Do you think about sex? What about your feelings for that special someone? Is that love?

But what does it really mean when someone says, "I love you?" What does that actually mean?

"Hear, O Israel. The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

When God says that, what does He mean?

Here's the thing. Love cannot be a feeling or an emotion, because let's face reality: You cannot be infatuated with someone forever. Nor is it possible to serve God cheerfully all of the time. So then, what is love? When the Bible says that God is love, what does that mean?

Simple. It means that to love is to be like God. In other words, love is a commitment of self-sacrifice to other people. It means to lay down your life, your passions, and your beliefs to serve people like God serves us.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:13
We see God's love all throughout the Bible. When God banished Adam and Eve from Eden, He gave them clothes to cover their shame. When God destroyed the world with a flood, He gave us a rainbow as a sign of his love. The ultimate example is, of course, Jesus Christ, who died for our own sins.

So, when God put himself on the cross, He showed that he was willing to sacrifice even Himself for us, because He wanted to spend eternity in heaven with us.

So when you next say, "I love you," what are you saying?

You're saying that you're going to be like God, that you are going to be committed to self-sacrifice for other people.