Why Is Sin Serious?

Devotional Thoughts on Matthew 18:8-9; Matthew 15:19; James 1:14-15; Romans 7:24-25; and Ephesians 2:4-5

“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell” (Matthew 18:8-9).

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus wasn’t speaking hyperbolically in the verses above?

We don’t often think about our struggle with sin in this extreme way. We don’t often think of sin as seriously as Jesus does here.

But if our hand or foot causes us to fall into sin, and that’s the only thing keeping us out of heaven, it would be better for us not to have that hand or foot!

Our struggle with sin goes deeper. We can’t overcome our problem with sin by maiming ourselves, figuratively or literally, or by anything we do.

My hand or foot does not cause me to sin. Nor does my eye or any other member of my body. They are not what keeps me out of heaven. If I did not have a hand, I would still fall into sin by some other means.

As Jesus said elsewhere, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19, emphasis mine). From those evil thoughts—which are damning sins in and of themselves—come evil actions.

And again, as James wrote in his letter to Christians, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15).

Sin is serious. Sin kills.

Satan, the world, and our sinful nature would tell us otherwise, but God lovingly tells us the truth in his Word. Our sinful nature is thoroughly corrupt. We are thoroughly corrupt. Not just because of what we do, but because of who we are. Left to ourselves, we cannot escape sin’s condemnation or earn God’s favor. We deserve nothing but God’s wrath and punishment.

And so, we cry out with the apostle Paul, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

Jesus, who urged his disciples and urges us today to take sin seriously, came into this sin-darkened world to live a perfect life and to bear our sin on a cross. All our sins—our evil thoughts, words, and actions.

Jesus gave himself up and suffered the wrath of God in our place. He did that to rescue us from our bodies that are subject to death, delivering us from death to life. His resurrection from the dead assures us of his total victory over sin, death, and the devil. His victory is our victory.

“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Dear Christian, we have been saved by God’s grace and set free from the sin that thoroughly corrupted and enslaved us. While we still struggle with sin daily, it no longer rules in our hearts. Our Savior does. We’ve been made alive in him and we belong to him.

All our sins are forgiven. We’re God’s dearly loved children. Heaven is our home.

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