4 Truths about Sin You Must Never Forget

1. Sin Is Pleasurable

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6).

The reason sin tempts you is there is some measure of pleasure you derive from the sinful activity. Rarely, if ever, are we tempted to do things that don’t give us pleasure. That’s why foods you shouldn’t eat as much, like donuts and ice cream, are more tempting than eating brussels sprouts. Most of you would agree the pleasure of ice cream is far greater than brussels sprouts. I’ve seen people stand in long lines for ice cream. I’ve never seen the same long line for brussels sprouts. 

When you consider how sin grabbed Eve’s attention in the garden, there is a lesson for us in this. One of the primary motivators for her choosing to eat the fruit is it was good and pleasing to her eye. Chefs will often say you eat with your eyes first, and that’s why they want to make their plates look as attractive as possible. It’s also why when you go to a diner, the first thing you see when you walk in is the dessert rack (not sure why I am using all these food references. I need to stop writing when I am hungry, but I digress). 

The look of all the desserts is pleasing to your eye and entices you to want to order that slice of cake. Sin works the same way. Sin looks good and pleasing, which is why it tempts you, draws you in, and seduces you to want to take a bite.

2. Sin Makes Promises It Can’t Keep

The second truth about sin is though it looks enticing, it makes promises it cannot keep. This happened to Adam and Eve and has been happening ever since. Notice the promise sin made in their situation. The food was good and pleasing, but also desirable for gaining wisdom. This was the promise it could not fulfill. It was a partial truth and a deceptive promise.

They gained wisdom, but not in the way they expected. It was a classic bait and switch. Car dealers are notorious for doing this. They advertise one thing to get you in the door, and once you are there, the deal that got you to come to the dealership is no longer available. Many times they try to sell you something else which is not what you wanted and usually costs more money. (I know this is not all car dealers, so my apologies to the honest ones.) 

Sin operates just the same. It is going to make you promises that it has no desire or intention of keeping. It is the ultimate bait and switch and the switch is not what you want and will cost you more than you bargained for.

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3. Sin Is Progressive

Sin has a progressive nature that slowly reels you in and pulls you further away. Sin doesn’t try to get you to take gigantic leaps but is satisfied when you take little steps. A great example of this is Lot in the Old Testament. As we review these two passages, notice Lot’s progression. 

“Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord” (Genesis 13:12-13).

To refresh your memory of this story, Lot’s servants and Abraham’s servants were fighting with each other. Abraham and Lot agreed this was not good and decided to separate. After they separated, Lot sets up camp in the plain near Sodom, which was a wicked city. Here is what happens a little while later.

“The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground” (Genesis 19:1).

This might seem innocent enough, until you understand what it means to sit in the gateway to the city. According to Manners and Customs of the Bible here is what it meant. 

“The gateways of walled cities, as well as the open spaces near them, were popular places for meeting or gathering, and often the elders of the city met there to judge the affairs of the city.”

In this short period, Lot had moved from the plains to the gateway, from an outsider near the city, to an elder sitting in the gates of the city. He was now entrenched in the life of Sodom, which we know was a wicked place. This did not happen overnight, but progressed over time. 

This is how sin works. A married person who commits adultery doesn’t usually start in the bedroom. It begins with a text or conversation that is not appropriate and gradually progresses from there. All the while, sin is luring you deeper and deeper into its grasp. This was Lot’s plight and sin is looking to do the same thing to you.

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4. Sin Is Punitive

The fourth reality about sin is it is punitive. At the beginning it feels good because you are fulfilling a pleasure. However, after all the broken promises and the progressive nature of sin, you are left facing the punitive consequences. One of the great examples of this is David. If you are familiar with the story, he committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). His pleasurable act of adultery progressed to murder and led to a devastating punishment for his family.

“Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel’” (2 Samuel 9-12).

Do you see the punitive result of David’s sinful actions? When David slept with Bathsheba, he did not know this would be the result. I am certain had he known, he would have made a different decision. Instead, he had to deal with the effects of his sinful choices for the rest of his life. What started with an act of pleasure ended with a lifetime of punishment.

Where Does That Leave You?

We have the benefit of learning from the mistakes and bad choices of those who have gone before us. Honestly, we should also learn from our own sinful decisions. Maturity is when you reach a place where you don’t make the same mistakes repeatedly because you learn from them. This should be your desire as you continue to grow into spiritual maturity. As you grow, hopefully, the reality of the impact sin will have in your life motivates you to do everything you can to avoid it. It might look good now, but it comes with a heavy price and it is a price you just don’t want to pay.

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Source
James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 27–28.

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