FallSample

How are we affected by sin?

Sin brings guilt, shame, and death into our lives, making us unclean before God, who is holy.

Most of us know that God doesn’t like sin. And most of us know that we shouldn’t sin. Sin causes problems in our lives and makes life much harder. It creates tension in our hearts, our families, and our relationships.

But what does sin do to our relationship with God? 

To understand the effect that sin has upon us, we have to understand something fundamental about the nature of God. God is holy. Being holy means that God’s nature is so pure and so good that we can hardly imagine it. His character defines what we long for—to be loving, good, filled with peace—but see only in part. And because God is holy, he can’t be in the presence of something that is unholy.

So if we sin, we are unholy. Does that mean that God stops loving us?

No. Never.

God could never stop loving us. That’s in his nature as well.

But, because God is holy, he can’t be in the presence of what is unholy.

So, back to the results of sin. Sin corrupts us and makes us unholy, and this unholiness separates us from God. We want to be close to our loving Father. We want to be in relationship with him, and he wants those things for us, too. But with sin in the mix, we’re unable to do so. Sin comes with a cost. 

Luckily for us, Jesus bridges the gap with his payment for our sin. He promised that the Holy Spirit would give us the power to reject sin and be more like Jesus. Spend some time in prayer today thanking him for what he’s done for you. Then spend some time asking God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and to make you more like his Son.