Lies Women Believe… About Sin

Just a warning, this is deep. But it’s good. This is a topic we looked at in Bible study a few weeks ago and I thought it was worth sharing.

All deception is deadly, but nothing is more deadly than what Satan tells us about God and sin.  In today’s society, we tend to minimize sin, become desensitized to it, compare our sin with others’ to justify our own, and think we can get away with it. While we are all sinners, we must also recognize that ALL sin separates us from God. We sin through our thoughts, words, and actions- against ourselves, against others, and against God.

The Hebrew word for sin in the Old Testament is translated to “missing the mark.” And that’s exactly what it is. We are called to be like Christ, and because we live in a fallen world, we miss the mark.

Here are some of the lies we believe about sin & the truths from God’s Word about sin:

“**THE LIE: 1) I can sin and get away with it.  We must keep reminding ourselves that Satan is a liar. The things God calls sin, Satan tells us are: fun, safe, innocent, desirable, no big deal, meeting our needs, unavoidable. Satan wants us to believe the consequences are worth the pleasure. Sometimes the consequences of sin are not seen until months or years down the road; sometimes they don’t show up till the next generation; sometimes consequences will be delayed until we stand before God at the judgment seat. This is why we persist in foolishly thinking we have somehow managed to get away with our sin.

• Ø Sin steals joy. (Psalm 51:12)
• Ø Sin removes confidence. (1 John 3:19-21)
• Sin brings guilt. (Psalm 51:3)
• Sin gives Satan the upper hand. (2 Corinthians 2:9-11)
• Sin quenches God’s spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
• Sin brings physical damage. (Psalms 38:1-11, 31:10)
• Sin causes an ache in the soul. (Psalm 32:3-4)
• Sin breaks God’s heart. (Ephesians 4:30)
• Sin opens the door for other sins. (Isaiah 30:1)
• Sin breaks fellowship with God. (Isaiah 59:1-2)
• Sin produces fear. (Proverbs 28:1)
• Sin makes me its slave. (John 8:34; Romans 6:16)

**Is it REALLY worth it? Is the price I want to pay??

THE TRUTH:

· The choices I make today will have consequences. I will reap what I sow. (Genesis 3:4-5; Galatians 6:7-8)

· Sin’s pleasures only last for a season. (Hebrews 11:25)

· Sin exacts a devastating toll. There are no exceptions. (Psalm 10:6; 11, 13)

· If I play with fire, I will get burned. I will not escape the consequences of my sin. (Psalm 32:1-5; Ecc 8:12; 12:13-14; James 1:13-15)

Proverbs 28:13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

**THE LIE: 2) My sin isn’t really that bad.  We have a tendency to compare ourselves with others and justify our own sins. Our sins of wasting time, talking too much, eating or drinking too much, a sharp tongue, a critical spirit, overspending, worry, fear, selfish motives, or complaining don’t seem that major to us. In fact, we may not consider them sins at all, but rather weaknesses, struggles, or personality traits.

Ex: Eve! Eve didn’t leave her husband; murder, or curse God/deny His existence. When you think about it, all she did was take one bite of something…so what’s the big deal? The big deal is God said “Don’t,” and Eve said “I will anyway.” That one simple act of eating something God said was off limits produced enormous consequences- in her mind, body, will, emotions, relationship with both Adam and God. That one “little” sin influenced her husband to sin and resulted in the entire human race being plunged into sin. Like a rock thrown into a pond, the ripples caused by sin go on and on.

“One leak can sink a ship just as one sin can destroy a sinner.” –John Bunyan

THE TRUTH:

· Every act of sin is an act of rebellion against God. (Romans 5:6-7, 10; 1 John 1:5-10)

· No sin is small. (Proverbs 5:21; 20:27; Habakkuk 1:13; Romans 6:23; Galatians 5:19-21; James 5:19-20)

1 John 1:7-9 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

**THE LIE: 3) God can’t forgive what I’ve done.  Interestingly enough, the Bible never speaks about needing to forgive yourself…so what many women are conveying here is they do not feel forgiven by God. Though they KNOW God can forgive them, deep down they do not truly feel fully forgiven.

THE TRUTH:

· The blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover any and every sin I have committed. (1 John 1:7)

· There is no sin too great for God to forgive. God’s grace is greater than the greatest sin anyone could ever commit. (Psalm 85:10; 130:3-4; Romans 3:24-25; 6:11-14)

**THE LIE: 4) I am not fully responsible for my actions and reactions.  It is a recurring theme in Scripture that we will give account for every deed we have done. God did not approach Adam and ask about Eve or vice versa- he asked each one, “What have YOU done?” Like Adam and Eve, we tend to blame others. When we are angry, depressed, bitter, annoyed, impatient, or fearful, our natural response is to shift responsibility to the people or circumstances that “made us” that way.

THE TRUTH:

· God does not hold me accountable for the actions of others. (Genesis 3:11-13; Ezekial 18:19-22)

· I am responsible for my own choices. (Psalm 51:1-10; Phil 4:8-9; Colossians 3:1-17)

James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

**THE LIE: 5) I cannot walk in consistent victory over sin.  Most believers believe that we cannot live in consistent victory of sin, which leaves us feeling defeated and susceptible to bondage. Deep down, we WANT to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, but we are constantly warring with our flesh. (p. 107) Every time we give in to the flesh rather than yielding to the Spirit, we allow sin to gain mastery over us. On the other hand, when we say YES to the Spirit, we give Him greater control over our lives. When we make repeated choices to sin rather than obey God, we make habits that are extremely hard to break. Remember, what we believe determines the way we live.

Romans 6:18; 8:2 “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to….because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. “

THE TRUTH:

· If I am a child of God, I don’t have to sin. (Romans 6:14)

· I am not a slave to sin. Through Christ, I have been set free from sin. (John 8:31-32; 14:6; Romans 6:6-7; Galatians 5:1; Hebrews 10:10)

· By God’s grace and through the finished work of Christ on the cross, I can experience victory over sin. (John 15:5; 1 Cor 6:9-11; Galatians 2:20; 5:22-25)

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh. Moody Publishers; Repreinted edition edition (April 2002).