Sin

  • God’s Devil

    1 Chronicles 21

    God is much greater than we are, so He is able to do things that we could never do, such as being sovereign over the Devil without ever being guilty of the Devil’s evil. Knowledge of this truth should ...Read More

  • God’s Just Judgment

    Psalm 51:4–5

    We cannot forget the consequences our sins have on the world around us. However, if we do not understand that our sin is primarily and ultimately against God, we have not truly repented. Perhaps you have sinned against another person ...Read More

  • Grieving the Holy Spirit

    Ephesians 4:30

    Just as we experience the joy of restoration upon repentance, so we make amends for grieving the Spirit when we turn from our sin and seek to do His will. When we sense a distance in our relationship to God ...Read More

  • He Who Was Born of God

    1 John 5:18–19

    Because we all know sin still remains in us, these verses claiming true children of God do not keep on sinning can be disheartening at times. Yet, as we have often seen, John does not teach that Christians can be ...Read More

  • Holiness and Justice

    Leviticus 10:1–3

    Many people complain that the doctrine of election is unfair and deny it because they think fairness demands that we all have the ability to believe the gospel. But if we are sinners, the one thing God would be fair ...Read More

  • Holiness and Justice

    Leviticus 10:1–3

    From delaying Adam’s eternal death after he sinned to the grace shown the church today, it is clear our Father gives mercy to the unworthy. But we must never use this grace as a license to sin or believe ...Read More

  • Honoring God

    Romans 1:18-32

    The flippant references about God and lack of respect for authority that are rampant in our culture reflect the primal sin of not giving honor to the Creator. Unfortunately, even those of us in the church are not entirely guiltless ...Read More

  • Idolatry Defined

    Philippians 3:19

    Anything or anyone can become an idol in our lives because whatever we love more than the Lord is, by definition, an idol. Because our hearts are idol factories, as John Calvin taught us, we are all continually tempted to ...Read More

  • Ignorance and Hardness

    Ephesians 4:17-19

    Sin affects our entire being, including our ability to love, our capacity to reason, and our physical bodies. The longer we persist in sin, the harder it is to see and do the will of God, so we must endeavor ...Read More

  • Keeping Watch

    Psalm 39

    Do you keep watch over your life daily? List areas where you are most prone to temptation. Beside this list write out situations that are most likely to introduce such temptations. Ask God to help you watch for and guard ...Read More

  • Knowing Your Sin

    Psalm 51

    Read Luke 18:9–14. How is the confession of the tax collector like David’s? Have you ever confessed to God not only your sins but that you are a sinner by nature? Do you confess your sins daily ...Read More

  • Learning Christ

    Ephesians 4:20-22

    John Calvin writes, “He whose life differs not from that of unbelievers, has learned nothing of Christ; for the knowledge of Christ cannot be separated from the mortification of the flesh.” Scripture never asserts that sinless perfection is attainable before ...Read More

  • Life Before Christ

    Colossians 3:7-8

    One commentator has said that “we should never confuse being moral with being Christian, but we cannot claim to be Christian if we ignore morality.” An outwardly upright life is not a sure sign that somebody knows Christ, but a ...Read More

  • Loud-Mouthed Boasters

    Jude 16

    While showing favoritism to those with power or money was normal for the false teachers Jude opposed, we do not have to be false teachers to commit this same error. How many of us consciously or unconsciously give deference to ...Read More

  • More Sin, More Grace

    Romans 5:20

    What sins do you most regret? Did you ever doubt that it would be possible for God to forgive you for those sins? How did you come to understand that His grace was sufficient even to cover your most heinous ...Read More