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A BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE OFFERED BY THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST "And you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). CENTRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST BEGINNING SinLesson 6WHAT IS SIN? John says: "...sin is lawlessness" [breaking the law] (1 John 3:4). Again, he says that "All unrighteousness is sin..." (1 John 5:17). Every nation has laws. When a person does not obey these laws, he has done wrong. God has laws which we are to obey. These laws are found in the Bible. When we do not obey Gods law, we sin. All grown people have sinned. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
THE CAUSE OF SIN All things in life have a cause. We sleep because we are tired. We eat because we are hungry. No matter what we do in life there is a cause for it. This is also true with sin. Desiring something we should not have may lead to sin.
The cause of sin is lust [desire]. If we do away with these wrong desires, then we will not sin. DIFFERENT WAYS WE SIN There are two ways that we can sin. First, by doing that which we are not supposed to do. A father once told his son not to swim in a river. The son went and swam in the river. The son did not obey his father. He did that which he was not supposed to do. God has told us what we are not to do.
When we do these things, we have sinned. We have done that which God told us not to do. Second, we sin by not doing that which we are supposed to do. A mother told her daughter to wash the dishes. The daughter did not wash the dishes. She did wrong. She did not do what her mother had told her to do. God has told us what to do to be pleasing to Him. It is all written in the Bible. When we do not do what God says to do, then we are guilty of sin. For example, God has told us to worship Him on Sunday, the first day of the week. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). When we do not worship God on Sunday, we sin. There are many other commands that God has given for us to do. We must read the New Testament to learn what they are. Then we must do them. If we do not do them, then we are guilty of sin. RESULTS OF SIN Earlier in our lesson, we learned about a girl who did not obey her mother when she was told to wash the dishes. Now what does the mother do with such a girl? She must punish her. Why? Because the daughter must learn to do what she is told to do. If the girl is not punished, then the next time she is told to do something, she wont do it. God will also punish those who do not obey Him.
CONCLUSION We must believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We must repent of our sins. Then we must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. If we do this, we will be obeying God. He then will not punish us forever and ever. Have you obeyed God and done what He says to do to have the forgiveness of your sins? STUDENT INFORMATION For Further Information Contact:
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