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 Why
Do People Sin?
By Ron Boatwright
We are free moral agents. God could have made us as robots, but He
didn’t. We have a choice in the matter. "For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). There are several
reasons why people sin.
People sin because, "There is no fear of God before their eyes"
(Romans 3:18). They have no respect for God, our Creator. But the
"whole duty of man" is to "fear God and keep His commandments"
(Ecclesiastes 12:13). Before we can keep God’s commandments we must
know what they are. But God says, "My people are destroyed for a
lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). We must study God’s word because,
"Your word, I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against
You" (Psalms 119:11). We must develop an awesome respect for God and
His word so we will not sin against Him.
People sin because we are deceived by sin. We are to, "Exhort one
another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13). We can even
deceive ourselves by denying we have sinned. "If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John
1:8). Because of the deceitfulness of sin, we are to, "Beware lest
you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the
error of the wicked" (2 Peter 3:17). We are warned, "Let no man
deceive you with vain words" (Ephesians 5:6). Yes, sin is deceiving.
People sin because there is temporary pleasure in sin. Moses chose
"rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season" (Hebrews 11:25). Because of the
pleasures of sin, we are tempted and enticed. "But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then
when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin when it is
finished, brings forth death" (James 1:14-15).
People sin because, "The soul of the wicked desires evil" (Proverbs
21:10). Jesus asks, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?" (Matthew
9:4). People sin because they "love evil more than good, lying
rather than speaking righteousness" (Psalms 52:3). And because of
this they "call evil good and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20).
People sin because they are deceived by false doctrine. "If anyone
preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let
hem be accursed" (Galatians 1:9). If one wanders away into the sin
of denominationalism, he will be lost. "Whoever transgresses and
does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God" (1 John
9). We must be faithful to God and His word.
People sin because of the influence of the people with whom they
associate. "Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits"
(1 Corinthians 15:33). We must carefully choose our associates. To
protect ourselves from sin we must, "Abstain from all appearance of
evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
We also sin when we don’t do what we should do. "Therefore, to him
that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James
4:17). One of the things some people fail to do is they fail to
assemble for worship. But we are not to "forsake the assembling of
ourselves together as is the manner of some…for if we sin willfully
after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer
remains a sacrifice for sin" (Hebrews 10:25-26). If we continue
willfully in our sin and don’t repent, we will die in our sins and
be lost (John 8:24). Let us not be deceived by sin, because the
wages of sin is spiritual death in Hell forever (Romans 6:23). ~
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Angels: "Second Place"
Hebrews 1:5-14
By Warren E. Berkley
The Jews, for many generations before Christ came, held angels in
high esteem. There was a basis for this. Angels have long enjoyed a
place in God’s order, like Gabriel and Michael in the book of
Daniel.
Today there is a heightened fascination for “the spirit world” of
demons and angels. Mostly this interest revolves around claims of
personal experience, dramatic encounters and dreams which could
never be verified, but carry some sensation.
When Bible classes come to any mention of angels (as in Hebrews
chapter one), there is a temptation to stop everything, unpack
everything the Bible says about angels and add to the discussion all
the subjective options and stories about these mystic beings.
If you let that happen in Hebrews chapter one, you have acted in
direct defiance of the point of the passage. The main thing in
Hebrews one is not angels. In fact, the affirmation of the writer
is, they are second place to Jesus Christ. What is said and claimed
about Jesus Christ could never be said of angels. Our Savior is
totally different and stands at a different level. It is our great
privilege to be subject to Him.
“Let all the angels worship Him,” (Heb. 1:6; Psa. 97:7). ~
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The Superiority of
Christ
Hebrews 1:4-14
By Randy
Harshbarger
The book of Hebrews
argues that Christ is superior in all things. Christ as our Great
High Priest is superior to the priest who officiated under the
Levitical system. The covenant of Christ is superior to the Old
Covenant given to the Jews at Sinai. Christ is greater than Moses
and Aaron. These arguments are designed to lead to the conclusion
that the salvation Christ provides (since it is predicated on His
own precious blood and not on the blood of bulls and goats) is
indeed great (Hebrews 2:1-4). We ignore or "neglect" this great
salvation to our spiritual ruin. Christ is also superior to the
angels, which is the theme of Hebrews 1:4-14.
Angels are featured
throughout the OT. We generally think of angels as being messengers
for God; they did serve that purpose (Genesis 19; 22). Daniel speaks
of Michael (Daniel 12:1-2). Angels were a featured part of many Near
Eastern religions. The Dead Sea Scrolls suggest that the ancients
speculated about the role of angels in service to God. In NT times,
the worship of angels has apparently become a problem, probably as a
part of Gnosticism (Colossians 2:18). Angels had (have) something to
do with Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 11. Today, the New Age
Movement has again popularized angels; they are the focus of many
books and some movies. What place do angels occupy in Hebrews?
First, Christ is
said to be better than the angels "as he hath inherited a more
excellent name than they" (1:4). Exaltation by the Father's right
hand marks Christ as greater than the angels. Further, His name is
greater. In context, this seems to be a reference, as verse five
states, to the fact that Christ is identified as the Son (cf.
Philippians 2:9-11; here Lord is used). While on earth Jesus was
clearly the Son (Hebrews 5:9), but in this exalted position of
honor, Jesus is demonstrated to be far above the angels; He is
ranked or reputed to be above the angels. The Father never said to
the angels: "Thou art my son, This day have I begotten thee" (1:5).
This is a quotation from Psalm 2:7, which speaks of the triumph of
the King over His enemies. Paul, in Acts 13:33, applies the Psalms
passage to the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Not only is the
name of Christ above that of the angels, but His very essence, His
deity, was demonstrated by His resurrection from the grave (cf.
Romans 1:4). No angel could make that claim.
Second, did the
Father ever say to an angel: "I will be to him a Father, And he
shall be to me a Son?" No, but He said that to Christ (1:5). This OT
quotation is from 2 Samuel 7:14. King David asked permission to
build a suitable house for Jehovah. After telling David no, the Lord
said that one from David's loins would come forth and his kingdom
would be established forever. Yes, David's son, Solomon, would later
build the temple in Jerusalem; God would be a Father to him. But the
ultimate fulfillment could not be possible apart from Christ, the
Son, who sits on David's throne (cf. Acts 2:29-36). Could the angels
make such a claim of superiority? No, but Christ makes that claim.
Is He worthy? Should we listen to Him? The original recipients of
Hebrews needed to be reminded of Christ's superiority. We need that
same reminder today.
(This and previous
article from Expository Files 16.1; January 2009.) ~
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If Your Right Pinkie Offends
You... by Steve Higginbotham
October 15, 2008
"And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it
from you... (Matthew 5:20). Jesus used this figurative illustration
to demonstrate the depth of commitment one should have toward
pursuing godliness and achieving eternal life.
Trevor Wikre, a guard for Mesa State College, put a literal spin on
the words of Jesus when he literally had his pinkie finger amputated
so that he could play football. Wikre shattered his finger in
practice and needed season-ending surgery to repair it. Instead,
Wikre decided to have his finger amputated so that he could continue
to play. Imagine that! So committed to a game that he would cut off
his finger rather than to miss his season.
While I'm not sure anyone should be so committed to a "game" that
they would be willing to take such extraordinary steps to play, it
sure does help to bring into focus the words of Jesus. Just how
committed are we to allowing nothing to stand in our way of getting
to heaven? To what degree are we willing to sacrifice in order that
we might remain holy? What price have you paid, or are you willing
to pay to be a disciple of Jesus? Trevor Wikre sacrificed his finger
just to play a game. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to
go to Heaven? Give it some thought. ~
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