What Sin Does To A Christian
When we were saved by trusting, believing, and confessing Christ, we became a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. Before our salvation, we served our own desires and Satan’s wishes. But now, as a child of God, we have a new relationship with God. We must not take this lightly, because God doesn’t take it lightly. The Bible says in I Corinthians 6:19-20:
“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Since we are no longer our own, we cannot do as we please. This sounds like we are losing something, doesn’t it? It sounds like becoming a Christian means giving up pleasure and joy. The fact is this, apart from God, we will continue (http://miraculouschurch.org/lesson5.html) to sin. We will be in the bondage to sin and its destructive influence in our lives. Never forget that SIN is the greatest destructive force that will ever come into your life. Look at what sin will cost you:
Jesus said, “. . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” (John 8:34)
The Bible explains that the believer has a new force directing him:
“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18) In other words, the Lord sets the believer free from the destructive results of sin and then guides the believer’s life toward righteousness. Righteousness means simply doing that which is right and is the opposite of doing that which is wrong.
What Are The Effects Of Sin In A Believer’s Life?
1. Sin Separates Us From The Fellowship Of God
Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
The first thing sin does in a Christian’s life is to separate us from the fellowship of God. God is holy and will not look upon sin. Our sin causes God to turn His face away. When fellowship is broken we can pray, BUT we risk the chance to receive no answer. We can read the Bible, BUT risk the chance to not receiving the meaning. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”
2. Sin Will Destroy The Joy Of Our Salvation
David was a man after God’s own heart; he enjoyed the presence of the Lord and God blessed him until sin destroyed that joy. David wept with grief, desiring that joy again. David wrote this in Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
The second phase of sin in a Christian’s life is the loss of joy in their salvation. The joy of going to church, the loss of joy in testifying to others for God, the joy of seeing souls saved. When this happens, we normally start finding fault with everything and everyone.
3. Sin Will Bring The Chastening Hand Of God
Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”
Just as a good parent corrects and chastens his disobedient child, so is God forced to chasten us because of our disobedience and unwillingness to confess our sin. This chastening may come in different ways. It may be in sickness; disappointments; financial loss; it may be trouble upon trouble, but God our Father, must chasten us for sin. Don’t ever forget that He does it because He loves us!!
4. Sin Can Bring Premature Death
The most serious state of sin is when God’s patience is exhausted and He turns you over to the devil for the destruction of the flesh (not the soul). This can occur when a believer refuses to turn from his sin and God after much chastening and conviction takes their life to stop them from sinning.
1 Corinthians 5:5 “To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
5. Sin Causes God To Take Away Some Precious Thing
Because of David’s sin God took away the most precious thing he had, the child that was born.
2 Samuel 12:14 “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”
A saved person who turns away from the Lord into sin and refuses to confess and make things right is headed for great sorrow. If necessary, God will take that which is most precious from us in order to bring us back to Him.
6. Sin Takes Away One’s Testimony and Opportunity To Glorify The Lord.
I can truthfully say, I have never seen a believer who was struggling with sin win another soul to the Lord. I have never seen a husband or wife who led their spouse toward receiving Christ who did not live a consistent Christian live themselves.
Jesus said, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. . . .Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:2,8)
7. Sin Stops A Christian From Maturing
The believer who is obeying the Bible and trying to live by God’s Word has trouble just like everyone else. However, the difference is that the maturing believer is able to go through difficult times and never lose their inter-ward joy and peace.
The believer who follows the Word of God is being prepared in advance for the trials that come our way.
One real hindrance to our overcoming difficulty is to ignore the problem. Many times we know it is destructive, yet we try to justify it in any number of ways. The most common excuse we use is to plead, “I’m too weak.” The fact is you really are, however that excuse doesn’t hold water when we read, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) Our pretext to make us feel better is dissolved in the face of Paul’s exclamation, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” (Colossians 2:10) A believer has God’s power and in Christ, we can overcome ANYTHING!
Think for a moment about why God commands us to turn immediately from all sin. What would you think of a parent who let their child drink alcohol, but would not let them have a hard drug? A foolish parent indeed is one whose thinking is so warped. God wants NO sin in our lives! His standard is perfect. He wants us never to have to experience the harmful effects of any sin. What kind of God would he be if he overlooked our pet sins?
Lesson 6 Assessment
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What Sin Does to a Christian