Sin is Sin

My child, if sinners entice you,
    turn your back on them!
My child, don’t go along with them!
    Stay far away from their paths.
¹⁶ They rush to commit evil deeds.
    They hurry to commit murder.
¹⁷ If a bird sees a trap being set,
    it knows to stay away.
¹⁸ But these people set an ambush for themselves;
    they are trying to get themselves killed.
¹⁹ Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;
    it robs them of life.
-Proverbs 1:10, 15-19 (NLT)


I'm certain that if we are honest with ourselves, all of us has a sin problem. We all make mistakes, we all fail at times. I've heard some people say that there is a difference between a willful sin and a sin is the result of a situation you're in. I don't subscribe to that theory. Here is why: If you put yourself in a situation that may cause you to sin, then you've willfully put yourself there. Just like there is no degrees of sin (they are all wrong, no matter what), I don't believe that there are types of sin. Sin is sin, and it is time we stop trying to cover it up, or make it look better. You can put makeup and a wig on a pig, but it is still a pig.


The writer of Proverbs 1 writes about sin, and gives practical advice on how to stay away from it. Verse 10 says, "My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!" Wow, that is a bold move. If sinners call out to you to join you in their sin, we need to look the other way. All too often, though, we just turn and look to make sure no one sees us going with them. Verse 15 warns us, "My child, don't go along with them! Stay far from their paths." Don't run to join in the folly of sin, we need to stay away. Sin can't entice you if you're not looking for it. It's like what James wrote about in James 1:14-15, "¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death." The temptation to sin comes from inside you. You are enticed by your own desire to sin. But, if you turn your back on sin, and stay away from it, it will die. Think of it this way. Something will die. Either it is your sin nature that will die and you will inherit eternal life through Jesus Christ, or you will die in your sin nature, and be eternally separated from Jesus in a place called Hell. 


Friends, it's time we take a stand and call sin what it is. It's time we get serious about our faith in Jesus and start running away from sin and into the arms of a loving God. Are you ready to do that? Think About It.