The Sin Behind the Sin

Sin is a powerful force in our world. Why is it that, despite all of man’s efforts, we have a world so full of sin?

Morals in this world, or lack of them, cause many of us great grief. Sin runs rampant and affects the lives of everyone. There isn’t a single person in our world that hasn’t been negatively affected by sin.

According to the Bible, murder is a sin (Exodus 20:13). Since murder is also illegal around the world, outlawed by human governments since the beginning of human history, it would be logical to expect that this sin of murder has diminished.

The statistics say differently. According to the FBI, 14,748 people were murdered in the United States in 2010. The UNODC estimates that 468,000 deaths were homicides in 2010. These sad numbers show that humans can’t prevent sin even though they want to.

If mankind’s laws can’t stop it, then what is the key to stopping sin?

Symptoms of sin

In Ezekiel 36:26 God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

This verse indicates that God knows something that most of mankind doesn’t.

God knows and despises the physical actions we commit that are sins. Yet God also knows that those actions aren’t the main problem. Actions such as murder are only symptoms of the real problem. Stopping the actions is like treating the only symptoms of a disease. We may alleviate the symptoms, but we will not cure the disease until we deal with its cause.

With sin, such an approach can be deadly.

Beyond the deed

There is more to sin than meets the eye. Before sin is committed, a mental process takes place—often without our realizing it.

This process is laid out plainly in James 1:14-15: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Temptation isn’t synonymous with sin. After all, even Jesus Christ was tempted (Luke 4:1-12), and He was without sin (1 John 3:5). But if we follow it, temptation does start us on the path toward sin. For Christ, that path also ended with temptation. He resisted the temptation and went no farther. Mankind, however, often wants to move on to the next step after temptation.

The second step is when we are “drawn away by [our] own desires and enticed.” This is where sin incubates. No physical action has been committed yet, but sin has started. It is in this step that a person starts to think about and lust for something that is against God’s law.

In Matthew 5 Christ reveals the spirit of the law. In Matthew 5:21-22 He says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell [Greek gehenna] fire.”

Murder is a sin, but it’s not the only sin committed if we kill someone. The thoughts that precede murder—the hate and planning to end another life—are also sin. After these wrong desires comes the act of sin.

Sin’s solution

When Christ said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old,” who was He talking about?

The answer is, God’s chosen people of ancient Israel! They were told not to sin. They were told that blessings come from obedience to God’s law and curses come from disobedience. God taught them His Ten Commandments, including do not murder (Exodus 20:13). Yet Israel’s history shows a multitude of murders and various other sins.

Israel failed to attack the underlying cause of their sins and repeatedly fell back into their old ways.

God promises a solution to sin. In Ezekiel 36:26 He promises to replace our hearts, spiritually speaking. But there is also something else that He does to aid us in our attempts to overcome sin. In Joel 2:28-29 God promises to give us His Holy Spirit—His very power.

With God’s help, we are to root out and destroy sin. We see now this ultimately means both the deed and the wicked thoughts that precede the deed. With God’s help, there will be no murder or any other sin.

Unfortunately, we have to wait until Christ’s second coming for this to begin to be practiced worldwide. Still, we have our part to do until then.

So, have you tackled the sinful thinking that precedes acts of sin yet?

To learn more about the process that leads to sin, read our articles “Temptation” and “Desire.”

Joshua Travers is a member of the Athens, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.