SIN - 7/50

                                         SIN                                                               7/50

Cambodia Basic English Series

Ref: NI^RV.  Slideshow available

1.            What is Sin?

Sin is when we know what is right but do not obey God.

1 John 3:4. Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact, breaking the law is sin.

James 4:17. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Jesus has shown us how to think, feel and act in a way that pleases God. We can choose to follow his example.

2.      What Causes us to Sin?

God told Adam and Eve what would happen if they did not obey Him.

Genesis 2:16-17. The Lord God gave the man a command. He said, “You can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden. ¹⁷ But you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die.”

If Adam chose not to obey God he would die forever. God wanted him to learn, become perfect and to make this choice for himself.

God made people to be above the animals including the creeping things (Genesis 1:26). These were the creatures that can glide or move quickly and quietly. Eve listened to the snake. We can read what happened in Genesis 3:1-7. After disobeying God, Adam and Eve realized they were naked. They made clothes for themselves and tried to hide from God.

When Adam and Eve had children they also had the ability to choose and make decisions. Just like Adam and Eve all of mankind makes choices. People think and decide what to do and then act.  When we choose to do something that we know is wrong we sin against God and hurt ourselves and other people.

James 1:13-15. When you are tempted, you shouldn’t say, “God is tempting me.” God can’t be tempted by evil. And he doesn’t tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But your own evil longings tempt you. They lead you on and drag you away. ¹⁵ When they are allowed to grow, they give birth to sin. When sin has grown up, it gives birth to death.

Mark 7: 21-23. Evil thoughts come from the inside, from people’s hearts. So do sexual sins, stealing and murder. Adultery, ²²greed, hate and cheating come from people’s hearts too. So do desires that are not pure, and wanting what belongs to others. And so do telling lies about others and being proud and being foolish. ²³ All those evil things come from inside a person. They make him ‘unclean.’”

Sin comes from inside us. There is nothing from outside us that can make us sin. We choose! Sometimes this is very difficult and we show our strength or weakness. When life is hard we have to ask God to help us and teach us His way. We need to make this easy by staying away from things that make us weak and to learn good habits that will strengthen us.

3.    Jesus Destroyed The Results Of Sin.

God has shown us a way to escape death. If we belong to God we will not stay in the grave.

John 14:6. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We must change our thinking and follow the way that Jesus lived. God made us to desire things. We are not robots. We have to serve Him of our own free will. God created our desires for a purpose. With God’s help we can overcome temptation and the desire to do evil. We are responsible for our own sins.

1 Corinthians 10:13. You are tempted in the same way all other human beings are. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted any more than you can take. But when you are tempted, God will give you a way out so that you can stand up under it.

 

Jesus was obedient to God. He was a man just like us. He did not follow his own desires but obeyed God completely, even though it led to his death.

Philippians 2:8. He appeared as a man. He came down to the lowest level. He obeyed God completely, even though it led to his death. In fact, he died on a cross.

Jesus only did God’s will and he followed God’s instructions perfectly.  After he was baptized, God gave Jesus power to rule and judge the nations.

John 5:19. Jesus answered, “What I’m about to tell you is true. The Son can do nothing by himself. He can do only what he sees his Father doing. What the Father does, the Son also does.

27-30.  And the Father has given him the authority to judge. This is because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this. A time is coming when all who are in the grave will hear his voice. ²⁹ They will all come out of their graves. Those who have done good will rise and live again. Those who have done evil will rise and be found guilty.³⁰ “I can do nothing by myself. I judge only as I hear. And my judging is fair. I do not try to please myself. I try only to please the One who sent me.

Even though Jesus was given power from God, we must remember that Jesus was the same as us – he could sin, but he chose not to.  He went to the wilderness and fought his own natural desires.

Luke 4:1-13 shows the struggle between Jesus and ‘the opponent’ (the devil). This was the same for Eve, and is the same for us. We all have been given different strengths or talents and challenges in our lives but no one is above another.  We are all called to serve and give our best to God.

Snakes:

·         Move quickly and quietly.

·         Are able to move from one place to another without being seen.

·         Can disappear if we look away for a moment.

·         Are clever at getting what they want.

·     Can kill with poison or by squeezing the breath out of their victims,

Sin also kills us and, just like snakes, Adam and Eve tried to hide from God.

We recommend that candidates study Learn to Read the Bible Effectively and God’s Plan With Man (Cambodia friendly versions) before preparing for baptism. Slideshows and translated versions of these are also available. See Lessons 13 and 14: Maps.