-What God Hates: Proverbs 6:12-19

“You who love the Lord, hate evil” –Psalm 97:10

God hate sin. In proverbs 6, the author singled out 7 specific transgressions that are an abomination to the Lord. Sin is so horrible that when the Lord Jesus, the perfect son of God, bore our guilt on the cross, the Father turned His back on His beloved son. And Christ in the blackness of that dreadful hour, cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). If sin is so horrible in the sight of God, then we must fear it, hate it, and avoid it.

A German theologian, told a story about a religious leader who was hated by the emperor. Some of the rulers advisors said to the emperor, “Burn him, confiscate his property, put him in irons, or have him killed.” But others disagreed. They said, “You will not again anything by all this; for in exile he would find a home with his God… he kisses his chains, death opens heaven to him. There is only one way to render him unhappy; force him to sin. He fears nothing in the world but sin”.

Do we fear “nothing in the world but sin”? Unfortunately, we often become so comfortable in sin’s presence that we practice it rather than fear it. But remember how God views it. As lovers of him, let’s be haters of sin.

It is not enough for gardeners to love flowers: they must also hate weeds.

-Keeping Clean: Genesis 5:18-24

“Keep yourself pure” -1Timothy 5:22

A writer who visited a coal mine noticed a perfectly white plant growing by the side of the entrance. The author and the other visitors with him were astonished that there, where coal dust continually blew and settled, this little plant would be so pure and white.

As the people watched, a miner took some black coal dust and threw it on the plant, but not a particle stuck. The visitors repeated the experiment, but the dust would not cling. Nothing can stain the plant’s snowy whiteness.

This illustrates what every Christian life should be like. We live in an evil world, surrounded by ungodly influences. It is our duty to be pure amid all this dirt and remain unspotted from the world. How is this possible? Enoch lived in the days before the flood, a time when “the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). Yet the Bible tells us that “Enoch walked with God three hundred years” (Gen 5:22).

If the lord can keep a plant white as snow amid clouds of black dust, can He not by his grace keep your heart pure in this world of sin?

We live in the world, but the world must not live in us.

-Arithmetic of Sin: Matthew 18:6-9

“If your hand or foot cause you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you” – Matthew 18:8

I have seen imprisoned men shake their heads mournfully and say, “I never thought it would come to this”. When they began to break minor laws, they never intended to get into serious trouble. But instead, one thing led to another, and they become more and more involved in a life of crime. Now they languish in jail.

These men failed to realize that sin always progresses. When we flout God’s laws in one facet of life, a kind of mathematical law of addition and multiplication goes into effect. Soon sin affects other areas of our lives.

It’s foolish to thinks we can keep just one pet of sin. That single sin will spread unless we deal radically with it. That’s why Jesus spoke of cutting off the offending hand and plucking out the offending eye (Mt. 18:8-9). By using such a strong figure of speech, He was saying, do whatever is necessary to stop.

We can’t afford to toy with sin. Three times in Romans 1, Paul said of unbelievers that “God gave them up” to their evil ways. In other words, He allows wickedness to run it’s downhill course until judgment falls and there’s no escape. We can avoid the inevitable arithmetic of sin by trusting Jesus as saviour. His power in our lives can overcome any sin. (Just one little sin, what harm can it do? But give it free reign, and soon where are two).

No one becomes wicked all at once. 

-Life Expectancy of a Lie: Proverbs 12:17-22

“A lying tongue is but for a moment” – Proverbs 12:19

A university student became a local hero when word got around that he had rescued a woman from three attackers. But he gained national attention when it became known that his story was untrue. The embarrassed student admitted that he did not (as he had originally claimed) use martial arts to defend a woman in distress. He confessed that he picked up his cuts and bruises while meddling in a private argument. 

His short-lived glory illustrates what Solomon said about the life expectancy of a lying tongue. Lying to avoid embarrassment will eventually result in even greater embarrassment. Not telling the truth only delays the consequences of that lie and hopelessly entangles the liar in a web of deceit.

The truth always comes out in time. Proverbs 12 tells us why. God hates lies (v.22), and He views them as weapons of violence (v.18). As a result, lies do not hold up very long (v.19). They are tools of the trade of those who depend on a temporary cover of darkness (v.20). 

We can learn from the word of God and from the experience of the embarrassed student. A lie may seem like the easy way out, but it will prove to be like an exit sign placed over a closet door. It leads nowhere.

Deceit at first may have it’s sweets, but these are brief. So speak the truth as God directs; for all your words He’s weighing.

-The Truth about Sin: 1 John 1.

“We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” – 1John 2:1

A man rebuked me for admitting that I still sin and often need forgiveness. He quoted verses 6 and 9 of 1John 3 and said that a Christian does not sin, implying that I was not a Christian. I assured him that I don’t want to sin, but that can’t say I’m in everything I think, say, and do. I suggested that the verses in 1John 3 refers to a sinful lifestyle and I pointed him to other verses in 1John which teach that Christians still need forgiveness (1:8-10; 2:1).

Becoming like Christ is a lifelong process. Only in heaven will we be without sin. I believe that’s why John warned us to beware of three lies about sin: First, saying “We have fellowship with (Christ)” while we “walk in darkness” (1Jn. 1:6). Second, saying “we have no sin” (v.8). And third, saying “we have not sinned” (v.10). Following each lie he gave us the truth. First if we walk in the light, Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all sin (v.7). Second, if we confess our sins, He forgives and cleanses us (v.9). And third, if we sin, Jesus speaks in our defense before the Father (2:1).

In our struggle with temptation and sin, let’s pray as David did. “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sin” (Ps. 19:12-13). “Please help me, Lord, in all I do to act and think with motives true; and by Your love reveal to me those sins that only You can see”. 

Christians are not sinless, but they must sin less.    

                                                                   THE END

                                                        By: Robert K. Apla-kweku