God’s perspective of sin is unique. You see, there’s nothing which has adversely affected human history more negatively than sin. Its impact is felt throughout all of humanity, especially where our identity is concerned. On top of that, sin spills over to adversely affect everything in the universe too.
When we see sin from God’s perspective, we begin to see how thoroughly it corrupted our identity and why the forgiveness found in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and through His resurrection is such a vital part of our new identity in Christ. It truly is good news that sin is not an issue between us and God anymore.
For us to be able to see God’s perspective of sin will require us to talk a bit about what sin is. To be honest, when I first became a believer, the word “sin” didn’t really mean a whole lot to me. I just had no frame of reference for the word.
I had a vague idea that sin meant “bad stuff”. But beyond that, it didn’t really register for me. That lack of understanding made things a bit more complicated for me when I first stated my walk with Christ.
When I read the Psalms and saw David talking to God and saying something like, “against You, and You only have I sinned,” it didn’t seem to apply to me. I mean, what did I ever do to God?
Obviously I had a lot to learn.
What do they say in management courses? In order to solve a problem, you must first understand it.
Defining Terms
You see language can be a tricky thing. That’s a lesson Lisa and I learned when we lived some years in Scotland. It didn’t take long to realize that the Scots had a different way of saying things.
For example, they call the season before winter Autumn. As an American I think it should be Fall because that’s when the leaves fall off the trees.
What’s their term for that place for pedestrians to walk next to the road? They call that the pavement. To my mind, that’s the sidewalk. In America, any hard surface, especially those for driving on, is called pavement.
Then there’s those large open areas with lines painted to denote spaces for cars to park in. In Scotland, that’s called a car park. I was always taught that was the parking lot.
They say America and the UK are two countries separated by a common language. There were days when we lived in Scotland that we experienced that as our reality.
My point is this. We need to talk about our terms, and nail down what we mean by them. That way we are all talking the same language.
What Sin Really Means
When we talk about sin, we are talking about violation of God’s divine law. The Hebrew word for sin literally means to miss the mark.
That means when we sin, we miss the mark and fall short of God’s perfect standard.
But it’s bigger than that. The first time we see sin mentioned specifically is not until after the fall, in Genesis chapter 4.
There we see Cain and Abel, two sons of Adam and Eve, give offerings to God. Cain gets angry because God accepted Abel’s offering, while rejecting his own. Then Cain kills Abel.
But let’s focus in on verse 7, where God warns Cain after rejecting his offering. Here is what God says,
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
— Genesis 4:7 (NKJV)
This verse starts off by talking about our actions. Right behavior is accepted. At the same time our attitude is also a factor. That Hebrew word for “do well” can also mean “be joyful”.
If we look at that verse with that in mind, we see something that I think is interesting. “If you [are joyful], will you not be accepted? And if you [are not joyful], sin lies at the door.”
When it comes to missing the mark, our attitudes have a huge part to play in determining our actions.
This is what Jesus was getting at in the sermon on the mount. We see this sermon a whole string of passages where He starts with “You’ve heard it said… But I say to you…”
Being angry with someone is murder. Looking lustfully at a woman is adultery. Sin starts in the heart. But the biggest one is where Jesus throws out the “love your neighbor, hate your enemy” thing.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
— Matthew 5:43-45 (NKJV)
Again, sin starts in the heart. Our attitude is a huge factor in determining our behavior. When we allow ourselves to have a lousy attitude we allow sin to lie at our door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
Sin’s desire is for you. What did Jesus say about the thief in John 10:10?
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
— John 10:10 (AMPC)
The enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. That is its whole focus. Everything about the enemy is oriented towards those three objectives. Sin’s desire is for you, to consume you, to steal from you, to kill you, and to destroy you.
But you should rule over it. Jesus contrasts the thief with His own purpose: so that we can have an abundant life. I love that the Amplified Bible adds “to the full, till it overflows” to the end of that verse.
That’s what it means to rule over sin. It has absolutely no place in your life. When you overcome sin, you find in the place of loss, death, and destruction, you instead have blessing, a rich full life. As a result, you grow and multiply.
Sin’s desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
Unfortunately we come into this world like Cain, completely powerless to rule over sin. So for our perspective as mankind, sin is a problem that must be dealt with somehow. The good news is that Jesus dealt with it once and for all. Praise God!
God’s Perspective of Sin
The Bible is very clear about God’s perspective when it comes to sin. Time and again scripture states that God hates sin. Here are some examples.
The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
— Psalms 5:5 (NKJV)
You hate all workers of iniquity.
The Lord tests the righteous,
— Psalms 11:5 (NKJV)
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
These six things the Lord hates,
— Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV)
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Why does God hate sin? There are several reasons.
God is Holy
The biggest is probably because God is holy. To be holy means to be declared sacred and set apart, undefiled. God is all together righteous
Here are some of the verses which tell us God is holy and has no unrighteousness nor wickedness in Him.
No one is holy like the LORD,
— 1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV)
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
— 1 John 1:5 (NKJV)
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
— Psalms 5:4 (NKJV)
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
Sin Causes Separation
God also sees that sin separates us from Him. This is a big one. God is love. Because of His love for us, He desires for an intimate relationship with us. Sin causes separation and distance between us and God.
Here are some verses that speak to that separation.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
— Isaiah 59:2 (NKJV)
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.
Your iniquities have turned these things away,
— Jeremiah 5:25 (NKJV)
And your sins have withheld good from you.
Sin Blinds Us to the Truth
Sin also blinds us to the truth. When people sin, it hardens their heart and dulls their perception of what is right. As the perception of those practicing sin grows dull, their hard hearts actually become blinded and no longer able to discern truth.
We see the truth of this blindness to sin in scripture.
Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
— 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
— John 3:19-20 (NKJV)
Sin Reduces Our Love for God
Our love for God flows out of the revelation we have of how much He first loved us. Unfortunately, when we sin we dull our ability to perceive the truth of that love God has for us. This dulling of our perception ultimately reduces our own love for God.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
— 1 John 2:15-16 (NKJV)
James reveals this trruth even more strongly….
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
— James 4:4 (NKJV)
Therefore, for all these reasons and more, God hates sin.
The Overwhelming Draw of Sin
Unfortunately, mankind is born into this world in sin, and inescapably drawn to it. In Adam, before we believed in Jesus, sin was all we knew. Many are unwilling to let go of their sin.
Jesus said it this way:
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
— John 3:19-21 (NKJV)
So I hope you can see by now that sin has been a big problem for mankind throughout the ages. As we’ve seen, there are several reasons why God hates sin, including:
- God is Holy
- Sin separates us from Him
- Sin blinds us to the truth
- Sin reduces our love for God
- Sin is something everyone in Adam is drawn to
Sin is a powerful force that enslaved all of mankind for millennia. But there is good news! God had a rescue plan laid out before the foundation of the world. So next, we’ll take a look at God’s plan to rescue mankind from the slavery of sin.
