I was stunned when my younger cousin was murdered. It brought home to me, in a very personal way, how appalling an unlawful, sinful act like murder really is. Besides being a crime, murder is a heinous sin, and a direct affront to the God who created us.
Excluding even the mention of sin from polite conversation is becoming increasingly common these days, but expressing an opinion about crime is perfectly acceptable, and generally regarded as proof of civic concern. Yet crime and sin are both violations of similar laws established to safeguard people and their property.
One reason divine law, defining sin, does not receive the same support is that human law deals mostly with unacceptable actions, but leaves the motives for such crimes to investigators and courts. Divine law often addresses motive up front, and that is confronting.
The rule of law is a major foundation of any society, and the stability it has provided in many Western nations, in particular, has helped facilitate incredible advances, accompanied by both economic and social stability, to a degree that nations ruled by the caprice of men have not been able to maintain. However, the mere existence of law does not guarantee its observance. The effective rule of law requires the commitment of most citizens to respect, obey and support the enforcement of their laws. If that support isn’t there, lawlessness prevails.
How human beings think, with uncontrolled selfish desires, emotions and feelings dominating many of their decisions, makes both crime and sin difficult to combat. The solution to this all-too-common human weakness must ultimately begin in the mind. Neither crime nor sin can be stopped completely as long as the selfish disregard for the well-being of others remains so dominant in human thinking. The finest laws ever devised have not and cannot fully stop human beings from exploiting and abusing each other. And that is just as true for divine laws as it is for human laws. Laws alone are not enough.
The real problem lies deep within man. Sin is the transgression of God’s law, as the Apostle John states: “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4, New International Version). Lawlessness, as described by our Creator, implies more than just ignoring behavioral restrictions. It also implies undisciplined attitudes, stemming from the way our minds work.
The more our sinful, selfish nature controls our behavior, the less we will be able to enjoy good relationships with others and our Creator. Sin hurts us and others, separating friends and destroying relationships. It can lead to violence, addiction and untimely death, locking us in our own prisons of heartbreak, suffering, misery and fear. It never bears good fruit. That’s why God hates it, and why you and I should hate it too.
If we object to crime, we should also object to sin. Both are violations of law. The only difference lies in whose law is being violated, and the fact that humanity is hostile toward God’s role in determining the laws we observe. Paul explains: “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Romans 8:6-8). In other words, people naturally resist the idea a supreme Authority exists who declares what is right and wrong.
Sin has unseen, and often unrecognized, consequences. The end result of many of our wrong choices may not be obvious enough at first for us to recognize how damaging they’ll be in the long run. We could avoid many pitfalls if only we would first learn what God teaches and then trust Him enough to follow His advice. God has given us the freedom to choose, and He urges us to choose the right path, but He won’t make that choice for us.
In the short term, ignoring God’s instructions may often seem the easiest and most enjoyable way to live, but this is not the case in the long run. God wants us to see beyond the immediate present, and reevaluate the way we live. He wants us to live an abundant life. That is how Jesus Christ saw His role in teaching God’s will to humanity: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
God gave us the fundamental principles by which we should live, which are established on the foundation of love. When Christ was asked: “…. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets'” (Matthew 22:35-40). Loving our Creator and each other—are the basis of every teaching and command of God.
The Apostle James encourages us: “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). He then goes on to warn us: “…. each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).
God will not grant eternal life to anyone who refuses to put the brakes on his or her selfish desires and foolish impulses. Only those who repent, receive the help of the Holy Spirit, and begin building the self-control God’s law teaches can be trusted with the greatest gift of all — eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
