James 1:14-15  “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  (15)  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Sin is a terrible thing. It’s a transgression of God’s law. Sin is a selfish and childish act. When sin comes about, the only person at fault other than the devil is the person who committed the sin. James 1:14-15 clearly states that sin is a result of one being “drawn away by his own desires.” “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23) and yet it is prevalent because of a self-seeking train of thought that is manifest in all our lives. Sin has consequences. Death being the greatest. What does it mean that the wages of sin is death?  Physical death was introduced when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.“Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”–  (23)  therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.  (24)  So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:22-24). The privilege of eating of the tree of life was taken away due to sin. A physical death is a result thereof. However, there is an even greater death conceived from sin. Sin brings forth a spiritual death. A separation from God for eternity. The mere thought of being separated from God for eternity is devastating. Christ reveals what eternal life is in John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Life is only found in knowing God, and our savior Jesus Christ. Not everyone will go to heaven, but those who do the Father’s will (Matt. 7:21). Christ will declare to those who fail to do the will of God “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23). Sin results in a separation from God.

Some might exclaim, “People make too big of a deal out of sin. Mind your own business. Besides, it’s only effecting me!” Again the selfishness in sin is seen. The failure, or even choice, not to see the effects that sin has on others around it is repulsive. Sin not only has an effect on the sinner, but people around the sinner. There are more results from sin than one might realize. Sin has an effect on it’s surroundings. The scripture warns that “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9). Like leaven effects the whole lump, sin effects the surrounding people.

Sin not only results in a separation from God, but a separation from brothers and sisters in Christ. “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (1 Cor. 6:14). Sin is lawlessness and there is no place for fellowship between it and a disciple of Christ. An unrepentant sinner must be dealt with. Paul writes to the church of the Thessalonians telling them to “withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us” (2 Thes. 3:6). This takes the sin away from the church lest it spread to others. This is also discipline to the sinner “that he may be ashamed” (2 Thes. 3:14). This is an act of love in that we are not to “count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thes. 3:15). This is a necessary action taken in order to expose the sin and bring the person back to Christ. Although this is necessary, it is not an easy thing to do. There are physical relationships that God has given us to enjoy. We have family and friends. These same people are often our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is extremely hard  to enforce discipline on one of your loved ones. The person you once could turn to in good and bad times is no longer available due to their selfish act of sin. Sin tears relationships apart. It is an abhorrent and evil thing. Sin results in a separation from brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sin also brings reproach upon the church. The work of the church is to spread the word of God. We must not be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). When we sin, we cannot “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” When others see us sin they might assume that the act is acceptable. We are to be different from the world. If we are truly transformed by the renewing of our minds, people are going to notice a difference between us and them. We are “the light of the world” and “a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14). We are to let our light shine. We are to further the borders of God’s kingdom. When we sin publicly people question our faith. When someone sees us commit a sin, they view us as a hypocrite (especially if they were already aware of our faith). When we let our light shine, and are like a city that can’t be hidden, we paint a target on our backs. There are people who see what we stand for and what we claim to be. With this awareness, they try to find fault in us! When we sin the church is immediately judged according to our own actions. We are members of Christ’s body and therefore a reflection of the body as a whole. Sin brings reproach upon the church.

We must consider the fact that sin does not only effect the sinner. Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. His death was not just for the people of that time, but for the people who lived before, and for us who live now. It was necessary for Christ to die because “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). He shed His blood for the sins that we have yet to commit. His blood is the only blood that can wash away sins. Some say that they are not guilty of Christ’s death, but every time we sin, we are proving that His death was necessary because of us.  “I could not do a single thing to hurt God’s only son, but every time I sin on earth, I feel that I’m the one.” We recognize these lyrics from a song we sing in worship. The sentiment of this song illustrates the fact that we had a part in crucifying our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus made the decision to die for us because He knew before we even existed that we would sin. We must understand that when we sin, it’s another reason Christ had to suffer.

Sin has many consequences, and brings forth many results, but there is nothing good that comes from sin. Remember that sin brings forth death, but it also hurts the people you love. Christ died for our sins, but we must not “continue in sin that grace may abound” (Rom. 6:1). Paul says, “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it” (Rom. 6:2). We should not be tricked by the allurement of sin that the devil creates. The devil hates us and only wants us to fail. When he succeeds in bringing us down, he is going to try to bring as many others down with us. Remember, sin effects more people than we might think.