SIN-DANGER
Your life as
a Christian is seemingly full of Christ and there is no room for self, but an
aggressive sin comes in and wiggles his way in, crowding out Christ just a
little bit. You give place to this sin and soon another does the same thing. Sin
by sin, error by error, selfishness by selfishness, the backsliding continues
until you are virtually empty of Christ and full of self.
This is a
paradox, of course, as Augustine, Luther, Edwards, Pascal and others have
pointed out. When individuals rebel against God, they don't achieve
freedom. They fall into bondage, because rebellion is sin, and sin is a
tyrant. On the other hand, when men and women submit to God, becoming his
slaves, they become truly free. They achieve the ability fully to become
the special, unique beings that God created them to be.
James Montgomery Boice
Taken from "Foundations of the
Christian Faith-Book I" by James Montgomery Boice, page 121.
(c)1986 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA,
Revised edition. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400,
Downers Grove, IL 60515. www.ivpress.com
http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=991.
No one knows
the one-hundredth part of the sin that clings to his soul.
John Calvin
Most of us
have become so familiar with sin that we no longer see it as a deadly monster. Sin
is more dangerous than wild bears, more deadly than blazing forest fires. Ask
Nebuchadnezzar, who lost his mind because he refused to deal with his pride. Ask
Samson, who was reduced to a pathetic shred of a man because he never got control
over the lusts of his flesh. Ask Achan and Ananias and Sapphira, who all lost
their lives over “small,” secret sins.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Holiness, The Heart God Purifies, Moody
Publishers, p. 79.
Sin dwells in
hell, and holiness in heaven. Remember that every temptation is from the devil,
to make you like himself. Remember when you sin, that
you are learning and imitating of the devil – and are so far like him. And the
end of all, is that you may feel his pains. If
hell-fire be not good, then sin is not good.
Richard Baxter
The Reformed Pastor.
God's wounds
cure, sin’s kisses kill.
William Gurnall
Familiarity
with vice does not produce disgust, it produces attachment.
John MacArthur
Sermon, The
Character of a Healthy Church - Part 5, Titus 2:6-8.
Experience
tells me that people's hearts are seldom changed if they are not changed when
young. Seldom indeed are men converted when they are old. Habits have deep roots.
Once sin is allowed to settle in your heart, it will not be turned out at your
bidding. Custom becomes second nature, and its chains are not easily broken.
J.C. Ryle
Thoughts for Young Men.
Sin has the
devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages.
Thomas Watson
For if the
guilt of sin be so great that nothing can satisfy it but the blood of Jesus;
and the filth of sin be so great that nothing can fetch out the stain thereof
but the blood of Jesus, how great, how heinous, how sinful must the evil of sin
be!
William Bridge
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 266.
The sins of
the godly are worse than others, because they bring a greater reproach upon
religion. For the wicked to sin, there is no other expected from them; swine
will wallow in the mire; but when sheep do so, when the godly sin, that
redounds to the dishonour of the Gospel: “By this
deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.”
Thomas Watson
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 274.
Sin adds to
your trouble, subtracts from your energy, and multiplies your difficulties.
Author Unknown
Our Daily Bread.
And indeed,
there is no little sin, because there is no little God to sin against. In
general, what to (humans) seems a small offense, to Him who knows the heart may
appear a heinous crime.
John Wesley
Wesley's Notes on the Bible, 1 Sam. 13:14.
If you will
not have death unto sin, you shall have sin unto death. There is no
alternative. If you do not die to sin, you shall die for sin. If you do not
slay sin, sin will slay you.
C.H. Spurgeon
Sermons, 15.419.
If, then, sin will be always acting, if we be
not always mortifying, we are lost creatures... If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the
business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish in
proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable event? There is not
a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be
so while we live in this world.
John Owen
Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers, 1850.
35 Reasons
Not to Sin:
1.
Because
a little sin leads to more sin.
2.
Because
my sin invites the discipline of God.
3.
Because
the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
1.
Because
my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.
2.
Because
my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.
3.
Because
in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
4.
Because
I am doing what I do not have to do.
5.
Because
my sin always makes me less than what I could be.
6.
Because
others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
7.
Because
my sin saddens the godly.
8.
Because
my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
9.
Because
sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.
10.
Because
sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
11.
Because
the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the
consequences of disobedience.
12.
Because
repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
13.
Because
sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.
14.
Because
my sin may influence others to sin.
15.
Because
my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
16.
Because
sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of
taking away my sin.
17.
Because
it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
18.
Because
God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
19.
Because
sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.
20.
Because
others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
21.
Because
the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this
sin.
22.
Because
sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.
23.
Because
sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.
24.
Because
suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has
both.
25.
Because
my sin is adultery with the world.
26.
Because,
though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss
and gain of eternal rewards are applied.
27.
Because
I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin
might be.
28.
Because
my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.
29.
Because
to sin is not to love Christ.
30.
Because
my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater
than I wish to believe.
31.
Because
sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use,
never because it is worth anything on its own.
32.
Because
I promised God He would be Lord of my life.
Jim Elliff
35 Reasons Not to Sin, Christian Communicators Worldwide,
www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.