by R. L. Morrison

Sin is a terrible thing; it's consequences are also terrible, almost, if not indeed, beyond the ability of men to understand. Yet by far the majority of humankind act as if they are unaware of this thing called "sin." Sometimes those who should know better are overcome by the world and become partakers of sin. Some one has said, "You hardly ever see an old fashioned sinner anymore. So many excuses have been made, so many new names have been created for sinful practices, that many do not know sin and evil from truth and righteousness." Possibly this is true, but sin has been in existence as long as the human race has existed. Our common parents, Adam and Eve, became guilty of sin, and with them sin began among mankind.

The Bible in many places defines sin. Anyone who will read what it says should have no problem recognizing sin when it makes its appearance. "And God saw that the wickedness of men was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 3:6). This is God's description of man some 1600 years after creation. Then all, with the exception of one family, died by the flood of water, which God caused to cover the earth.

When the descendants of Abraham were brought out of Egyptian bondage or slavery, under the leadership of Moses, God gave them a system of law. They were warned about law violation or corrupting themselves. "Lest ye corrupt yourselves and make you a graven image, like the similitude of any figure, the likeness of any male or female, the likeness of any beast that is in the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth; and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and thou seest the sun, and the moon and the stars, should be driven to worship them and serve them ..." (Deut. 4:16-19). God said that for them to turn to the worship of created things would be sin. The penalty for so doing was announced a few verses later: "I will call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations ..." (Deut. 4:26-27). This was said to fleshly Israel: the sin was idolatry, and the punishment was to be driven from the land and scattered among the nations of the earth.

In Genesis 19, we read of the sin of the inhabitants of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. This sin (at times) is still called sodomy after the name of the city of the people who practiced it. In the New Testament this sin is called "effeminate". It means perverts or homosexuals, both then and now. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire because of the sin of which they were guilty.

Jesus spoke of some things that defile or corrupt a man: "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man" (Matt. 15:19-20).

Paul gives a list of the sins of the Corinthian people before they obeyed the gospel. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revelers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9-10). In this same letter, this same apostle, referring to the works of the flesh, wrote: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21).

Paul also describes the heathen world after they had forsaken God and followed their own lusts. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, deceit, debate, malignity, whisperers, back biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" (Romans 1:28-32).

There is more but this should be enough to convince anyone, not only to know what sin is, but to recognize the consequences of it as well. But, if not, consider this: "For the wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23). This death is NOT physical death, the separation of body and spirit, but rather an eternal separation of the guilty from God and all righteousness ... FOREVER! Hear Paul: "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7-8). "And these (those who did not the will of God), shall go away into everlasting punishment" (Matt. 25:46).

This is a sad sorrowful word picture, even more so when we realize this will be the final end of the vast majority of mankind. But it need not be, for a way of escape has been provided. Obey the gospel of Christ. Then keep your heart pure, with all diligence, for out of the heart come the issues of life.

How is your heart?