Whosoever commiteth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Sin is corrosive. It does not exist without a host. It is a perversion of something else. Just as a sore cannot exist apart from flesh, and rust cannot exist in the absence of some type of metal, sin cannot exist without something to destroy. Sin is not a thing, it is the destruction and degradation of a thing. More specifically, sin has been the perversion and violation of God’s perfect design since the start of human history. Sin, like a rot has decayed the good that God placed on this planet. Through the self-will and self-serving desires of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, sin entered the world and brought its side-kick, death. The blackening, molding, putrefying work of sin has continued ravishing the earth and its inhabitants for centuries. Throughout history it has been accelerated by the dark, natural desires of corrupt men; and sadly, even now, the curse and devastation is perpetuated by our own desires and lusts. Greed, sexual lust, and pride corrupt the hearts and bind the lives of all men. Where God prescribes merciful “giving” as the best way, the sin-bent heart of man has sought “getting” as its sole aim. Where God has offered perfection and beauty in the simplicity of monogamy, self-destroying man has sought the complications of polygamous lusts and uncommitted relations. Where God has shown that humility heals and offers the way of peace, the arrogant and self-justifying heart of iniquitous man degrades others and ends in exacerbation and conflagration. Sin offers ache.
But thank God for Jesus. As John says in today’s text, Jesus showed up “to take away sin.” The tumor can be excised. The malignity can be decimated. Jesus has come to a sick and broken world and drawn the malady into His own body so that we can be liberated from its control. He Who was sinless willingly took on sin and was brutalized for us. Not only did He offer us a future that was gloriously bright and beautiful, but He offers us a present that through faith in Him and Spirit-led obedience to God’s design can be much brighter. No longer must sin reign in your mortal body, but rather you can find victory in Jesus, the sin destroyer.
Food For Thought: Explain what sin is in your own words.
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