What is sin? It’s the one topic that most churches avoid, yet it’s the very thing keeping so many believers bound. Why don’t we talk about sin anymore? Why do so many believers live as if living sinless lives is optional?
In this episode, we’re going to explore what sin really is, why it’s dangerous, and how to overcome it—not with fear, but with truth.
This episode is for Christians. Yes. If you believe and have confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, this episode is for you.
Listen on Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube Music
What is Sin?
The word sin means to fall short; it’s morally or ethically not reaching a standard that God has set for us. What sin ultimately is, is a trespass against the holiness of God. And God explicitly tells us to be holy because He is holy. Sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4, CSB
When we trespass against the holiness of God by committing sin, we place ourselves under the jurisdiction of satan and his forces. It gives the devil direct access to our lives and our soul, and we don’t get to choose what the consequences of our sin will be. Engaging in witchcraft can lead to a spirit of infirmity that affects you and all of your descendants. Sin is that deep!
The Greek word for sinner (1 Peter 4:18) in the Bible is the word hamartōlos. That word means devoted to sin, not free from sin, and wicked. We think the term wicked is reserved for really vile and evil things, but some of the things we engage in every day that we think are no big deal are wicked to God. Sex outside of marriage is wicked in God’s eyes.
SIn Nature vs. Sin Acts
- Sin nature. The sin nature is what we inherit. We cannot be condemned for the sin we inherit—meaning, at the final judgment, the only thing each person will be judged for is their own individual sin. Now, we may suffer the consequences on earth for the sins of our ancestors but that’s another topic. We see this in many places in scripture, but if you want a breakdown of this then I recommend checking out part three of my Courts of Heaven series that breaks down the types of claims the enemy brings against us before God.
- Sin acts. Sin acts are what we ourselves commit.
I want to emphasize this. Sin isn’t just “bad behavior”—it’s a heart condition. Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:19-20, CSB “…from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies,slander. These are the things that defile a person…” And God judges the heart.
When Satan decided to disobey God he did it first in his heart. We see this in Isaiah 14:13, AMP when God says, “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly In the remote parts of the north.
Consequences of Sin
In addition to God hating sin, sin has real consequences. Let’s look at some of them.
Legal rights and access.
When someone commits habitual sin, it puts them under the direct jurisdiction of satan and his kingdom. This is how demons enter the bodies of humans and how satan’s kingdom is able to exercise their power to hinder and inflict us.
Now how is this possible? How is that satan ends up having access to people because of sin? Well, in 1 John 3:10, CSB
Ability to hear and discern will dull.
The next consequence of sin is that the person’s discernment and ability to hear the voice of God will dull. To start with, sin hardens the heart. The Apostle Paul provides some insight on the implications of a hardened heart in Ephesians 4:18–19, AMP. It says:
“for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they are] alienated and self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the [willful] ignorance and spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart. And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], having become callous and unfeeling, have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand].”
On top of that, sin brings the activity of demons, and those demons are committed to keeping.
God turns His face from those in sin.
The prophet Isaiah in Isaish 59:1-2, CSB lays this out when he says, “Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save, and his ear is not too deaf to hear. But your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.
Prayers won’t be heard.
We see this in Psalm 66:18, AMP when the psalmist says, “If I regard sin and baseness in my heart [that is, if I know it is there and do nothing about it], The Lord will not hear [me].
- John 9:31, CSB brings it further saying, “We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to him.”
- God brings this home through His prophet Isaiah when He says in Isaiah 1:15, CSB “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen.”
Judgment
Sin must be judged. This is different from the final judgment which happens at death. This judgment happens while a person is still alive. The Bible is full of examples of sin being judged from the old testament to the new testament. I have an entire series on judgment that dives deep into the things that God judges, how He executes judgment, and the seven judgments of America. I will link to it in the show notes and episode description.
Eternal Judgment and Permanent Separation from God.
It is hard to get into heaven. I’m not speaking generally, I mean it’s hard for Bible believing, professed Christians to make into heaven. This isn’t my opinion. Jesus paints this picture for us in Matthew 7:13-14, CSB. He says, ““Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.”
Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:18 that a righteous person is saved with difficulty.
“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14, NLT
How We Get Entangled in Sin
We live in a society where sin is glorified in movies and reinforced as norms on social media. There is so much deception in sin. Three methods he uses are lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. 1 John 2:16.
Lust of the flesh.
Lust is a desire or a craving. The Greek interlinear also defines it as a desire for what is forbidden. Flesh is our body.
When it comes to lust of the flesh, satan promises to satisfy our legitimate bodily needs and desires in illegitimate ways. Sex is a legitimate desire. Some would even categorize it as a need. Sexual immorality in all forms (sex outside of marriage, masturbation, etc) is an illegitimate way of satisfying the desire.
Eating is a need. We need food, but overeating is an illegitimate way of satisfying that need. So that’s lust of the flesh.
Lust of the eyes.
Satan uses the lust of the eyes to tempt our mind through what we see with our eyes. This is covetousness.
Pride of life.
The pride of life boils down to being in a state of living to impress others and not having a reverence for God. Scripture tells us that we shouldn’t even be living for ourselves let alone others. “And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.” 2 Corinthians 5:15, CSB
With pride, satan does a great job of making the “now” of our lives seem more important than eternity.
The Deception of Sin
All of this is easy for satan to accomplish. He has studied humans for thousands of years and over time has deployed a strategy regarding sin that has worked time and time again. Here is what it looks like when we peel the curtain back.
1. Sin doesn’t look like sin.
One of the most dangerous and deceptive things about sin is that it rarely presents itself as evil or wicked. It comes dressed as desire, freedom, comfort, or self-expression. Remember that when Eve saw the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she saw that the fruit was what? It was 1) good, 2) delightful, and 3) desirable. But what was it really? It was really sin and rebellion.
Well, it’s no different with us. Sexual promiscuity looks like freedom but it is in fact bondage.
Sin has a way of seducing a person into it before it destroys them. The enemy rarely tempts Christians with something that is obviously demonic—he uses what looks good, harmless, or justified. But remember, the Bible tells us and shows us over and over that there is a way that SEEMS right to a man but at the end of that path is death.
2. Sin convinces you that you can handle it.
The second deception is control—the belief that “I can stop when I want to,” or “It’s not that deep.” In these moments, sin is convincing you that you can handle it. But Jesus told us straight up in John 8:34, NASB that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. Period.
3. Sin distorts our perception of God.
The goal of sin in this area is to alter our spiritual vision so that we view God as restrictive and rigid, and we view ourselves as self-sufficient and right. This is where we begin to see people call evil good and they call good evil.
4. Sin desensitizes our human spirit over time.
The more we ignore the convictions of the Holy Spirit when we engage in sin, the harder it is to discern His promptings. This spiritual dullness happens gradually. One day you feel convicted and next thing you know, you don’t anymore and you’re full on engulfed deep in sin.
The next deceptive element of sin is one that people rarely think about it.
5. Sin normalizes rebellion through culture.
The enemy found a way to make sin and rebellion a part of different cultures. So now when followers of Christ call out the sin in something that is embedded in a person’s cultural practices it 1) makes the person defensive, and 2) creates an opportunity for the Christ followers to be labeled as xenophobic or racist. This is how the enemy uses cultural acceptance to silence conviction. Just because something is trending or a part of someone’s culture, it doesn’t mean it’s Godly.
Society and pop culture often applauds and uplifts what God condemns which is why God tells us in Romans 12:2, NLT, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
6. Sin blinds you to consequence.
The deception of sin convinces people that God’s mercy means there’s no judgment. Because consequences aren’t always immediate, sin tricks people into thinking there won’t be any. But God’s patience is meant for repentance, it isn’t permission. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7, NKJV
God gives us a warning against deliberate sin. Hebrews 10:26-31. It says:
“For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who disregarded the law of Moses died without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profane[f] the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?30 For we know the one who has said, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge his people.31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Common Sins
Here are some common sins
- Abortion
- Adultery
- Complaining
- Discrimination
- Dishonor
- Gossip
- Idolatry
- Murder
- Self reliance
- Self righteousness
- Stealing
- Unforgiveness
- Poor financial stewardship
- Being a poor stewart over your ear gates and eye gates
- Stealing
Repentance
Repentance is the first step to being restored to a right relationship with God. It’s the door. One purpose of repentance is to remove the consequences of sin. See Revelation 2:22-23. It also allows us to get back in fellowship with God.
Repentance allows for our advocate, Jesus, to intercede on our behalf. See 1 John 2:1-2
How to Stop Sinning
I want to end this episode by exploring how we can stop sinning and falling into demonic cycles of temptation. This may sound simple but it isn’t. There are people who literally hate the sin they commit, yet they still do it.
- Draw near to God. Pray daily, read your Bible often, and submit yourself to God in a way that allows Him to participate in the cleansing process. The closer you are to God, the more those things are going to just fall off of you. You won’t even have the desire for some of them anymore.
- Get Deliverance. Seek out a reputable deliverance minister for deliverance. Don’t just go to them because they are popular. Research them. Consult God about them.
- Healing. Inner healing is an underrated but necessary component of this journey, so make sure to seek inner healing. This is the work of healing those places in us that make us susceptible to sin in the first place like the trauma you may have experienced, the lack of self-worth, lack of self-control, and things of that nature. Get to the root of what allowed for the enemy to exploit an area of your life.
Want More?
If you enjoyed this episode, then you may also enjoy the episode of the show about the fear of success and how it hinders purpose or this episode detailing what to expect when operating in your purpose.
Resources Mentioned
Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love The Purpose Collective podcast.” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move toward the online life and business that they desire. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow on Apple Podcasts now!
Subscribe on Google Podcasts.
Follow the show on Spotify.
Follow the show on Audible.
Have Amazon Music? Follow the show over there!
Want to Support the Show?
If you would like to support the show, I discovered a super cool way for you to get in on the action, and that is by “buying me a coffee.” I don’t actually drink coffee, but the idea behind the site is for supporters of Content Creators (that’s you) to be able to help the Creator (that’s me) with expenses required to produce the content they create (that’s the show).
Click the button below to donate.
Connect With Me
Instagram is where I like to hang on social media. You can follow me at @pavielle.esq and you can follow the show over at @thepurposecollectivepodcast.
If you want to connect with other purpose-driven movers and shakers, then join The Purpose Collective Community on Facebook. It’s exclusive and FREE.
If you have any questions you can always email me at podcast@pavielle.com or join my Purpose Diary newsletter below and my tips, experiences, and advice about navigating a life of purpose are all yours, every week!
Disclaimer: If you happen to purchase anything I recommend in this or any of my communications, it’s likely I’ll receive some kind of affiliate compensation. Still, I only recommend things that I truly believe in and have personally experienced. If you ever have an issue with anything I recommend, please let me know. My goal is to help you thrive in your purpose. — Pavielle