As we view the Ten Commandments, we realize that we break
the heart of God in sin whenever we worship anyone or thing other than Him, use
His name as a curse word, disregard Sunday as a day to worship the Lord,
disobey our parents, murder, have physical relations with someone to which we
are not married, steal, lie or covet what belongs to someone else (Matthew
5-7).
Jesus taught us the nuances of some of these commandments
when He stated that anger is as vile as murder, and lusting as sinful as
adultery. He even said that when we belittle one another we are in danger of
going to hell (Matthew 5:22-28).
Paul goes into even more detail when in Galatians 5:19:21
he list as sins: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and
witchcraft, rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23); hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
and the like.
He also stated that whatever we think, say or do that is
not coming from faith is a sin (Romans 14:22-23). John tells us that all wrong
doing is sin (1 John 5:17). James says that when we know the right thing to do
and we omit doing it, we are sinning (James 4:17).
Under the law, Saints had to keep every word of the law
or be cursed to an eternity in hell (Galatians 3:10). Reading these lists may
cause us to feel condemnation from Satan; but thankfully, if we stop doing
them, we are free from condemnation (Roman 8:1).
That is why we need Jesus as our Savior. He is the
blameless Lamb of God who takes away our sins (John 1:29). With his dual nature
as God and man, He could do what we could never do. He lived in sinless
perfection.
Now, Christ lives in us with this same divine power and
nature (2 Peter 1:4). Through His sacrifice on Calvary's cross, He exchanged
our sin for His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
By faith in God's saving grace, we receive His Spirit to
cleanse our spirit from Adam's sin and our own (Galatians 3:13-14). God's
Spirit also gives us both the desire and the power to live in holy communion
with God at all times (Colossians 1:27; Philippians 2:12-13).
Prayer:
Father God, while we were still lost in our sin, You
loved us (Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:1). Even though we do not deserve it, You faithfully
forgive us for every sin from which we repent and turn away (1 John 1:9). You condemn
no one, but we condemn our self by refusing to believe in Jesus (John 3:16-18).
Remind us that You know that the rewards of sin are
actually wages that we have to pay for partaking in this destructive behavior. Teach
us that we reap what we sow, and You want to spare us from the degradation and
suffering caused by sin.
Thank You for desiring instead that no one will ever
perish in hell, but that everyone who truly repents and surrenders their life
to You will enjoy eternity with you in Heaven (2 Peter 3:9).
Thought for the Day:
The sins listed for us in the Bible are there to help us to
realize that without Christ we can do nothing. - Philippians 3:14; Galatians
3:24
