What is Sin? A Practical Guide About Disobedience to God

What is Sin? What is Disobedience to God’s Word? How do I even know if I’m living in sin? If you’ve never been to church or read a Bible, this is all very new to you. Or you have been in church, yet this concept is still foreign and hard to grasp. Or, people have told you you’re entire life that you’re a sinner. No matter what, I want to start by saying that God loves you regardless.

Even if you are a sinner or you’re a Christian but, you know you haven’t been living right; God loves you and wants a personal relationship with you! Nothing matters to Him more than having a wonderful and profound relationship with you! As I stated in previous blog post, God sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. Now, let’s explore this taboo topic that has everyone wondering about their morality.

What is Sin and Disobedience to God?

I’m sure you’ve heard the word sin or at least have a general idea. Some people believe sin is just when you do something wrong, and to some degree, that is true. Sin is when you do something wrong in the sight of God or wrong according to His Word. My definition of sin, as stated in What is Christianity? An Introduction to the Faith, sin is willing disobedience to God and His Word. This could be disobedience to the Bible or something God said to you personally.

Now, what is disobedience? I’m sure you know this word from your parents, but can you disobey God? Yes! You can! God created this world in great order and gave the Bible to those in it, which offers instructions to live by. We are supposed to live by the Bible. When we are outside of God’s will, we are in sin. Living a life that cannot truly prosper, lacking full satisfaction. You can argue with me and say your life is complete in every aspect, even without living by the Bible or knowing Jesus.

However, there is a void somewhere. You may not know it now, but I know for me I was lacking a lot of things. If you’re in your early 20s like me, it is possible, like I was, you’re dealing with depression, low self-esteem/love, seeking validation from men or women, confusion, anxiety, fear, lust, drug and alcohol abuse, just to name a few. Or even financial struggles, having a hard time in school, not passing your classes to graduate, jealously, envy, being judgemental and mean to others. There are so many things that people deal with in secret and deny help for.

A Call to Salvation

I’m here to offer you a Help that never leaves you. If I named any of your struggles that you’ve had difficulty overcoming for months or even years, I want you to know that there is power in the name of Jesus. He is able and willing to make everything right in your life! You might think this a bunch of fairytales or too good to be true, but trust me, if you knew me just a few years ago, I was down bad. But I found this everlasting hope.

Jesus has the power to annihilate the enemy’s hold on your life. You don’t have to be depressed or lack purpose. Don’t have to be afraid, anxious, addicted, lustful, angry, jealous, or anything that causes your life to feel like a burden. You can give it to Jesus!

If you want to change your life and surrender to God, say this prayer, “Dear Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and turn my back to them. I give Jesus my whole life, heart, mind, and soul by faith; I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for my sins, and I accept Him into my heart now. I believe Jesus is Lord, and I give my life to Jesus! Amen!” If you said this prayer, go to the I Just Got Saved page for church recommendations, a Bible, and a journal!

Once you realize the love of Jesus and how beautiful life is with Him, you’ll see your prior life cannot compare! As you get to know God, He reveals things that your human mind could never comprehend. He gives you a life you could’ve never imagined, but that’s a blog post for another day ;).

We Are His Children

1 John 3:1 says, “See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!” When we accept Jesus into our hearts, that is the moment we become children of God, and He becomes our Father. And children who want to please their Fathers–our goal as Christians–obey them. Obeying God doesn’t have to be scary, either. It’s simply going by what the Bible says and what God says to you personally.

What if I haven’t given my life to Jesus, am I still in disobedience to God? Yes, because you’re still disobeying His Word, the Bible. Just because you aren’t born again doesn’t mean sin ceases being sin. Sin is sin, and disobedience to God is still disobedience to God, whether you know Jesus or not.

Sin According to the Bible

Now, let’s see what the Bible has to say about what sin is. In Galatians 5:19-21, sin is categorized as the works of the flesh, which are “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.” These two verses should give you a pretty good idea of what sin is and what isn’t acceptable to God.

Justified

Society normalizes and accepts a lot of these sins. However, as children of God or someone who truly wants to change their life, you must give up these things. We are meant to be different, set apart, and not look like the world. A good rule of thumb for Christians is that if it is something that the world applauds or sinners regularly do, it should not be a part of your lifestyle.

If any of these things sound familiar or are currently a part of your lifestyle, you are living in sin. I know people try to justify some of the sins listed, but you cannot justify yourself. The only way to be truly justified is “in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God,” as stated in 1st Corinthians 6:11. So if you’ve never given your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you are currently living in sin, the Bible says that you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. That is not what I want for you; more importantly, that is not what God wants for you. But if you give your life to Jesus and repent of your sins, God will quickly forgive you and love you with His agape love!

Don’t feel condemned if those verses apply to you. I’m simply shedding light on something that people rarely discuss. If you want to be born again and know Jesus, sin is something you must get rid of. Don’t worry, though; God is with you every step of the way! And with this blog, I hope to educate you and impart a fire in you to live a victorious and righteous life unto God!

Love God with All Your Heart

Let’s dive a little deeper; in Matthew 22:37, Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; this is the first and great commandment,” Well, what does this verse have to do with sin? Easy! If you love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, it is difficult for you to disobey His Word.

Let’s use Joseph as an example. Joseph is a person in the Bible, and his brothers sold him into slavery. He was sent to Egypt to be a slave to a man named Potiphar, who was very wealthy. He had a very beautiful wife who was attracted to Joseph and wanted to sleep with him. Joseph loved God with his whole heart, mind, and soul. So, when Potiphar’s wife tried to sleep with him, he responded, “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Joseph saw sin not as a pleasure but as something that would displease God. Since he loved God so much, he wouldn’t dare displease Him. So, as a Christian, it shouldn’t be hard to resist sin, as it wasn’t challenging for Joseph. Now, I know some will debate me on that, but with the Holy Spirit and truly submitting yourself to God, it will be easier to resist temptation.

Keeping His Commandments

1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome.” God’s commandments are not burdensome because we love Him with all our hearts, minds, and souls. It’s only a burden trying to follow God if our hearts aren’t in the right place and we’re still looking to please ourselves.

You’ll know if you’re not trying to please yourself if you agree with what I’m saying. If not, that’s conviction. Conviction is a good thing; it indicates a desire for change or becoming aware that you need to change. If you’re a Christian, ask yourself this: is it hard to follow the instructions of God? Do I hate God’s correction when I mess up? Those two questions should really let you know if you are following the first and greatest commandment stated by Jesus.

It should be easy to follow the instructions of God. You shouldn’t hate God correcting you and should be willing to change your ways. This demonstrates your love for God. If you aren’t there yet, it’s okay! You can get there! You just have to dedicate more time to God and less time to pleasing your fleshly desires. Now, if you refuse to change, you will have to pay the price of it.

The Price of Sin

Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

A phrase I’ve always heard about sin is, “You’ll pay more than you wanna pay and stay longer than you wanna stay,” When people engage in sin, they rarely think about the price of it and more so about the immediate pleasure they get. However, would you change your outlook on sin if you knew, as stated in Romans 6:23, that “the wages of sin is death”? And what is this death exactly? This death is spiritual death, as sin separates us from God, who gives us spiritual life through Jesus.

You do not have a spiritual life if you’ve never repented of your sins and believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. So according to the Bible, you are spiritually dead. Moreover, the wages of sin is death because as one has failed to turn from their sin to Jesus, they now will suffer eternal damnation, which is hell. That is the main reason why getting away from sin is so vital: to avoid hell and make heaven.

Eternal Life Through Jesus

The whole reason Jesus came to Earth is that we can have eternal life. The only thing that guarantees eternal life is forsaking our sins and turning to Jesus. Romans 8:6 says, “for to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace,” And to be carnally minded is giving in to the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19). James 1:14-15 reads, “but each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

It is our fleshly desires and obeying them that send us to hell. God doesn’t send us to hell. We do this by obeying sin and forsaking the way of life that God prepared for us through Jesus.

Sin Leads to Death

There is no way that one can live in sin and avoid spiritual death that ultimately leads to hell. The Bible says countless times that sin leads to death. It is imperative that as Christians and in general, we crucify our flesh daily, as stated in Galatians 5:24. God doesn’t want any of us to go to hell, so He offers a way out through Jesus. To learn more about Jesus and His sacrifice, read Who is Jesus? And Why Do I Need Him? The temptation will come, but we have to withstand it and overcome it so that we can “endure to the end [and] be saved,” (Matthew 24:13).

Heaven is the home of overcomers, and overcomers are those who turn away from sin and turn to Jesus. Jesus died for our sins; He became sin and paid the price of death so we don’t have to. Salvation is a free gift that you can receive today! Go to the I Just Got Saved page to pray the prayer of salvation!

Children of God Don’t Sin

What makes a Child of God and an unbeliever different? What truly sets us apart? 1 John 3:6 says, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him”, so that is what sets apart a Christian from an unbeliever; we do not sin. I know that in church and life, it is often mentioned that we are all sinners, but that is simply not true for the child of God. We are not sinners. We are redeemed after we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!

1 Peter 2:24 says, “[Jesus] bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness.” Right here, it gives us the answer to why we can live a sin-free life…Jesus! When Jesus died on the cross, sin died right with Him. So anyone who believes in Jesus and gives their life to Him now has the power to live righteously for Christ. Don’t believe people when they say you are a sinner. Tell them that you are “a new creation in Christ; therefore old things have passed away, and all things have become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). Meaning that the old things (sin) are no longer a part of your life, you are born again in the image of Christ and have dominion over sin. But how do you live that out?

How Can I Stop Sinning?

To stop sinning, you must understand a couple of things: one, you are not a sinner once you accept Jesus into your heart. So, stop identifying as a sinner and identify as the righteousness of God! You have power and dominion over sin! The power of sin is not more powerful than Jesus! If you aren’t saved at this moment, you can give your life to Jesus! He will wash away all your sins as if they never existed!

Understand the power Jesus gives you through the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our powerful helper, whom God gave us to overcome the struggles and battles life throws at us. Luke 10:19 says, “Behold, I give unto you the power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Jesus already gave us power over the enemy, so we have power over sin! You must understand that you already have the victory; you don’t have to be a victim or slave to sin. When you’re born again, Jesus offers us power through the Holy Spirit to be conquerors over sin!

Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” When we are weak, dealing with temptation, or in the context of the verse, not knowing what to pray, the Holy Spirit is quick to help us! In any situation you’re in, He is there to assist; that’s why He is often called our helper. He will give you the will and ability to resist temptation by reminding you of God’s word, prayer, fruits of the Spirit, even sermons, and praise!

Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ says, “I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources [God] will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. “We have strength through the Holy Spirit. When you acknowledge that power, it’ll be easier to use it! You have power and authority over sin! Start saying, “I have power and authority over sin! I don’t have to give in!” Too many Christians act as if the devil is more powerful than Jesus, but Luke 10:19 clearly states that the power of God overcomes all! Your God is mighty! Now, start acting like it!

Submit to God

James 4:7-8 says, “Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” so when it comes to sin, if you actively seek out God, God will get you out of the temptation you’re facing. I Corinthians 10:13, says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” There is nothing that you are tempted with that the power of Jesus can’t help you overcome! However, you have to “submit to God” first in order to have that empowerment over sin. So, what does submitting to God look like?

Read the Word and Do What it Says

1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,” Here’s some advice on how to submit to God and resist the devil. Read scriptures that come against what you are tempted with!

For example, if it is a temptation to drink, repeat 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,” When you are drunk, that gives the devil an open door to attack you, so stay sober like the Bible instructs you to. Take the Word seriously; if the Bible says don’t do it, don’t do it! The Bible warns us against being drunk, so don’t even drink to get ‘buzzed’ because that gives power to the temptation to be drunk overall!

I’ve been in situations where I’ll tell myself, “Just a little drink,” and I end up drunk, so it’s better to do what the Bible says and remain sober. This way, you are alert, and the devil cannot get you. So, whatever your situation is, type in Google, “scriptures against _______,” and you fill in the blank. Start saying these scriptures out loud and get it into your Spirit. The more you’re in the Word, the harder it’ll be to succumb to sin’s temptation.

Pray

Start praying! Pray that the temptation leaves you in the name of Jesus and that you are righteous in Christ. For example, “God, I pray that the temptation for me to drink leaves in the name of Jesus for I am the righteousness of Christ and am sober-minded and vigilant, the devil shall have no opening, in Jesus’s name, Amen”. God is good for answering prayers when they are in His will! If you’re praying to remain righteous, which aligns with the Word, He WILL answer.

He will tell you what steps to take, whether it be “leave the party,” “open up your Bible app,” or “Start praising Me.” There will always be instructions on what to do in order for the temptation to leave and for you to be victorious.

Tell the Devil No!

Simply tell the devil no, for instance, say, “Devil, I am not going to drink because the Bible says drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, and one thing about me, I AM going to inherit the kingdom of heaven.” Find scriptures about your situation/struggle that you can use to combat the enemy!

I promise you that if you submit to God using those three steps, the devil WILL flee and will not get the chance to devour you as he wishes! Remember, you have dominion!

Get Rid of Old Habits and Friends

II Corinthians 5:17 says, “You are a new creation in Christ; therefore old things have passed away, and all things have become new,” When you’re recently born again, you must evaluate your life. Who will help me get closer to Jesus, and who will try to keep me stagnant? Or even who is gonna pull me down? You must recognize who is supportive of your decision to follow Jesus. Now, not everyone will be willing to do Bible studies with you, but they need to respect your choice in a way that doesn’t draw you toward sin. I have unsaved friends, but they know what to invite me and what not to. They don’t pressure me to drink or go to clubs, etc., they may ask, and I say no, and that’s the end of it.

Pray and ask God to reveal the intentions of everyone around you; that’s the prayer He answers with the quickness! You’ll know who is for you and who isn’t. Being a new Christian isn’t easy, but hey, that’s why I made this blog! So, feel free to connect and contact me! Also, reach out to me on Instagram on RefinedforChrist!

You will need to get rid of old habits. To name a few: cursing, pre-material sex, drinking, smoking, etc.; I know it may seem impossible, but the Holy Spirit is here to help! The more you get to know God, the less desirable these things and more will become!

Listen to the Leading of the Holy Spirit

Now, this is one of the most important things to know: you must listen to the Holy Spirit! If you ignore Him, you might as well forget this entire post! John 14:26 says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” The Holy Spirit guides and leads us toward the will of God. So, in everyday life as a born-again Christian, there is a still inner voice that guides us! Jesus and God also talk to us; as you get more in tune with your faith, you can tell the difference.

Usually, when people say, “Something told me to…” that most of the time is the Holy Spirit! He leads you toward better decisions, safety, prosperity, happiness, peace, joy, and more! So, it is pivotal to listen to Him; it’s not for nothing! Jesus knew this life would be difficult, so He sent His Spirit to aid us! The more you read your Bible and pray, the easier it will be to listen and follow the voice of the Holy Spirit!

Well, I hope this post was informative and gave you insight into your own life! I really hope you said that salvation prayer toward the beginning, but if not, no pressure. I pray Jesus speaks to you and that a seed was planted! God bless until the next post!