Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Iron Sharpens Iron #9 - The Reality of Sin and Living a Godly Life
Can Christians truly claim to be sinless? Join us in this thought-provoking episode of Berean's Corner where we tackle one of the most critical misunderstandings in Christianity today. We promise that by the end of this episode, you'll have a clearer understanding of sin's reality, even among the righteous. We delve into scriptures like Ecclesiastes 7:20 and 1 Kings 8:46 to reveal the universal nature of sin and discuss why it's crucial for believers to acknowledge their imperfections. We'll also explore Jesus' teachings in Mark 10:17-18, emphasizing that only God is truly good and that denying our sinful nature can be harmful, especially to those new to the faith.
But we don't stop there. We also dive deep into the essence of living a godly life, focusing on practical teachings that guide us towards spiritual maturity. Discover the biblical principles of marriage sanctity, the importance of honesty, and the transformative power of loving and praying for our enemies. While perfection in the flesh may be unattainable, we emphasize that true spiritual perfection comes from continuously seeking God's guidance and relying on His wisdom to navigate life's challenges. Tune in and be inspired to pursue a deeper, more genuine relationship with God, fully acknowledging our flaws and striving towards the virtues that mirror our heavenly Father.
How is everyone doing? And thank you for joining me. Thank you for hanging out with me here on Berean's Corner. As I always say, grab yourself a glass of water, a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and let's get into today's lesson. This is another episode of our Iron Sharpens Iron series.
Speaker 1:Today, I want to talk about sin. The reason why I'm coming with this topic today is because in just the last week, I have actually heard different people and I'm going to call them Christians for argument's sake, because that's what they claim to be they claim to be believers in Christ. I have heard different Christians, believers, make comments such as I don't sin. You may sin, but I don't sin, and this has bothered me and it is something that I want to talk about, because these could be very dangerous statements to people who are new believers and people who are just now coming into the faith, people who are on the fence, or maybe people who don't believe, and we need to reach them for the Lord Jesus Christ, when they hear a believer, or even those of us who are here, a fellow believer, say that I don't sin. So I want to start with now. They always have pet scriptures they want to go to, but I want to start in the Old Testament and I want to talk about some scriptures that talk about sin.
Speaker 1:So first we're going to go to Ecclesiastes, chapter seven. Ecclesiastes, chapter seven, and the focus will be on verse 20. But I am going to let's see, let's. Let's start back at verse 15. Ecclesiastes, chapter seven, starting at verse 15. I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility Ecclesiastes, chapter 7, starting at verse 15. Excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other, for the one who fears, god comes forth with both of them. Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than 10 rulers who are in a city. Indeed, there is not a righteous man on the earth who continually does good and never sins. I want to start there because whenever I hear people talk about they don't sin, ecclesiastes, chapter 7, verse 20 always comes to my mind. There is not a righteous man on the earth who continually does good and who never sins. So when you hear someone say that they don't sin, then first of all, they're saying that they're not going, they're not squaring with what the word of God says right here. Second, they're saying that they're wiser than Solomon, the man who asked for wisdom, and the Lord said that he was the wisest man to ever exist. It was Solomon who said that no one continuously does good. It doesn't mean that you sin all the time or you're bad all the time, but he's saying that no one continually does good, meaning that every single second of every minute of every hour of the day that all you do is good.
Speaker 1:Next, we want to go to first Kings chapter eight. So let me, let's get that pulled up. We want to go to first Kings eight and we want to look at verse 46. Okay, I'm sorry about that. As soon as I get there, you'll probably beat me there.
Speaker 1:1 Kings 8. Here we go and we want to focus on verse 46. Now what's going on here is you have Solomon saying a prayer. This is Solomon's prayer of dedication. And in first kings 8, verse 46, solomon says when they sin against you for there is no man who does not sin and you are angry with, angry with them and deliver them to an enemy so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy. Now I want you to go back to the first part of the verse and look at what Solomon says when they sin against you, for there is no man who does not sin. So here is another time where we have Solomon making it very clear that there is not a man who doesn't sin he's not talking about, there's not a person who never sinned in the past. He's saying that there is no man who does not sin.
Speaker 1:Now I wanted you to go to jeremiah. Go right in your bible, go to jeremiah, chapter 17, jeremiah, chapter 17, and we want to focus on verse 9, jeremiah 17 9. The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it? Why did I go to that, to that verse? Because the heart can be sick and the heart is very deceitful and a lot of people are out here, in my opinion, in their pride, saying that they don't sin. Now, if people are saying that they are a new creation in Christ and we're about to get into some New Testament scripture, and that you know they're, that they have been washing the blood of Jesus, as we all have who are believers, that is true. We are washing his blood and his blood does forgive our sin, but that does not mean that there is not any sin in you, still, that you are just this new creation and you go about every single, every single minute of a 24-hour day and no sin ever comes across you.
Speaker 1:Let's go to the new testament and let's go to the book of mark, and I want to, I want to go to chapter 10. So, mark, chapter 10, and our focus is going to be on verse 18. This is jesus. Uh, jesus, and the rich young ruler. And jesus said to him see, you know what? Let's start. Let's start at verse 17, let's start, let's start at 17. And he was setting out on a journey. A, a man ran up to him and note before him and asked him good teacher, what shall I do to inherit internal life? And Jesus said to him why did you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Why? Why did we go there? Because the Lord is the only one who is good, and we know that Christ is the only one who walked this earth sinless. So that's why he corrected the young man there.
Speaker 1:Now, let's go to Romans. Let's go to Romans. I told you we were gonna, you know, hit, uh, quite a bit of scripture today. Romans, chapter 3, romans, chapter 3, and we want to start by looking at verses nine and 10. What then, are we better than they? Not at all, for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one. So this is for those who claim to, who claim to be righteous there is not one righteous, not even one. Drop down to verse 23,. Same chapter, verse 23,. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all have sin. Now I know some of these people who say they don't sin. Their comeback will be well, brother, I didn't say that I've never sinned in my life. I'm saying that I don't sin. Now. The truth is, is that you would have to be perfect to not sin. Now let's keep going.
Speaker 1:Go to 1 John, first john, and we're looking at chapter one and we are focusing on verses eight through ten. You know what? Let's just do? Let's just do five through ten. This is the message we have heard from him and announced to you that god is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. Who is to him? To him is God, and yet we walk in the darkness.
Speaker 1:Now I want to stop for a second, because some of these I don't see, and people will go here and say see, it says right there, we lie, we lie and we do not practice truth if we walk in, if we say we walk with him but we are not in the darkness right, here's the thing there. If we follow him and yet walk in the darkness. Walk in the darkness means that you're practicing a sin. You're continuously in a sin. Not you slipped up and something happened or you said something, but it's your, you're continuously in it.
Speaker 1:Verse 7 but if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. Yes, it does. Verse eight If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. Let that stick to you. Verse nine If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. So the defense of some of these folks would say well, verse 10 says if we say we have not sinned, I didn't say that I've never sinned. I said that I don't sin now. But the truth is is that only Christ walked the earth I know I already repeated this, but I'm doing it for emphasis and he never sinned.
Speaker 1:Speaking of Christ, we can wrap this up by looking at some of the things Christ said. So turn in your Bible to Matthew chapter five. So go back to the left in your Bible and go to Matthew chapter five. And what we're going to do here is we're going to do quite a bit of reading Matthew five as soon as I can get there. And what we're going to do here is we're going to do quite a bit of reading Matthew five as soon as I can get there, and we are going to start at verse 21. This is Jesus. This is part of his sermon on the mountain. This is Jesus talking about personal relationships. We're going to go 21 through 48, matthew five, starting at verse 21.
Speaker 1:If you excuse me, you have heard that the ancients were told, you shall not commit murder, and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. The reason I'm reading this is because Jesus is going to go through quite a bit of sins here, but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court. Okay, if you have been angry with someone and I know that you have, I have, and I'm sure you have as well that that is a sin. So you can't say that you don't sin, but yet you have been angry with someone. Continue on, for whoever says it was brother raka shall be guilty before the supreme court, and whoever shall say you fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. If, therefore, you are presenting your offering at the altar at the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your offering there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering. Now we don't put take offerings to the altar like they did, but we in our time that could be. Let's say, you and one of your brothers had an argument, had a disagreement. You need to go and make that right with him. That would still be classified as a sin. 25 make friends quickly with your opponent at law, while you are with him on your way, in order that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. Therefore, I say to you you shall not come out there until you have paid the last cent.
Speaker 1:You have heard it was said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. Now I want to talk to the men for a minute, especially you. I don't send men, whether you're married, like myself, or even if you're in, if you're engaged or if you're single. You're telling me that since you've been saved, you've never seen a woman, whether you were watching a football game and they pan to the crowd, they pan to the cheerleaders. You've been out to eat, you're out shopping, getting groceries, or you're at work, or even you're at the gym. You're telling me that you've never seen a woman where you looked at her and thought you know, or you know, you had some thoughts that go across and you know you had these kinds of thoughts that go. That went in your mind. You've telling me that you've never seen a woman, who you lusted after and said, uh, whatever, you know I'm not going to use an example whatever came up in your mind that the only thing that came back to your mind was the Lord. And then, after the Lord, was your wife.
Speaker 1:Some of you may, somebody out there, may say yeah, that's me, man, you know, hey, if that's you and you've never seen another good looking woman, god bless you. You have a lot of strength that a lot of us don't have. Let's continue on. And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you, for it is better for you to put parts of your body excuse me, for the parts of your body to perish than your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you, for it is better for you that one part of your body perish than the whole body be thrown into hell.
Speaker 1:And it was said, said, whoever sends his wife away let him give her certificate of divorce. But I say to you, anyone who divorces his wife, except for the cost of unchastity, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Now I want to uh, say something to all of you I don't send men who are on your second and maybe even third wife. That's a sin right there. If your wife, if it was for any reason other than unchastity, you are in sin and you have sent her into sin.
Speaker 1:Verse 33 again, you have heard. The ancients were told you shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the lord. But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of god, or by earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, or by jerusalem, for is the city of the great king. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be yes, yes or no and no, and anything beyond this is of evil. So, in other words, stick to your word, let your yes be yes, let your no be no. You have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other cheek. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him too. Give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from sin. Who wants to borrow from you?
Speaker 1:You have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. I'm gonna stop right there. How many of us actually pray for our enemies? Some of us have grudges and things against people that we just have no interest in letting go, so that right, there would be another sin if you committed it in order that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven, for he causes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sin reign on the righteous and the unrighteous. In other words, god blesses all. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax gatherers do that. In other words, god blesses all. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax gatherers do that. In other words, the lord is saying even sinners do that I mean big, big whoop. If you love those who love you verse 47 and if you greet your brothers, only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the gentiles do that. So, in other words, you're not supposed to just greet your brothers, who you sit in church with, you're supposed to greet everyone. Let's wrap it up with.
Speaker 1:Therefore, you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. The reason it's a reason why I read that whole, a part of the sermon to put in this context, because a lot of the I don't sin at all people will go right to chapter 5, verse 48, that we just read. Therefore, you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. What is really going on here when he says be perfect? We all know that you cannot be perfect in the flesh. You won't be perfect until you are in your spiritual body. But to be perfect as your father is perfect means that you are to do the will of your father. We are to go to the Lord in prayer. We ask him to get us through things so we can be like him. Yes, it's true, the goal is to strive to be like our Lord, to be perfect. But the Lord also tells us over and over in these scriptures that there is not one man who only does good and he never does evil. In other words, you can't be perfect. You're only perfect is in the Lord. You're only perfect by reaching out to the Lord every day, asking for his guidance, asking for his wisdom and asking for him to deliver you from temptation, because you cannot do it yourself. It has to be in the Lord, and that's the point that I'm making when it says be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. We have to be perfect in him. That's why the blood of Jesus cleanses our sin, because we can't do it on our own.
Speaker 1:What I hear people say they don't sin. What I hear is someone saying I am doing this every day. If I told you all right now that I don't sin? What I'm saying is is that, in my own power, I walk out of my house every day and I don't sin? What I'm saying is is that, in my own power, I walk out of my house every day and I don't sin? I don't have lustful thoughts in my head. I don't have lustful thoughts when I see another woman. I don't have lustful thoughts when I'm on social media and I'm looking up something sports related and something pops up. I don't have thoughts of hatred in my mind or disdain for other people. Not at all. I don't say a bad word or a bad thing to my spouse. That is what these people are saying when they say they don't sin. They're saying that they love all of their enemies. They pray for all of their neighbors every single day. They never have a bad word to their wife or to their husband in an argument. In other words, they just do everything perfect, because to not sin would mean that you are perfect. All right, I just want to get that off of my chest because, like I mentioned in the beginning, I have heard too many people say that they don't sin. And you know what. Someone may come across this and say you know what, brother Baran? You know I don't sin. I hear what you're saying, I understand what you're saying, I'm following you, but I don't agree with you. I don't see it. You know what? More more power to you if you are a sinless saint, if you are a sinless christian. In the end, the lord will be your judge. I'm not your judge, but the lord will judge you according to your own words.
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