In our modern world, the word sin is often dismissed as an outdated religious concept, a vestige of a bygone moral code. To many, sin means nothing more than a few “mistakes” or “bad choices” scattered among the generally good lives they believe they lead. But Scripture and the Reformed tradition reveal a much deeper, far more sobering truth: sin is not simply something we do; it is something we are.

Sin is pervasive. It touches every thought, every motive, and every action. It is not merely external but internal, not occasional but constant, not superficial but foundational to the human condition. To understand sin rightly is to begin to understand both our desperate need for salvation and the magnitude of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

The Nature of Sin: Total Depravity

The Scriptures teach that sin is not first an act but a nature. David confessed this plainly in Psalm 51:5:

“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

This is not a comment on the morality of conception itself but a recognition that from the moment of existence, man inherits a sinful nature. This reality is what theologians call original sin. It is the corruption of our entire being—body, mind, will, and affections—passed down from Adam.

The Westminster Confession of Faith describes it like this:

“By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body” (WCF 6.2).

This is the doctrine of total depravity. It does not mean that we are as bad as we could possibly be, but that sin has infected every part of us. Like a drop of poison in a glass of water, there is no part of human nature untouched by its corrupting influence.

The Origin of Sin: The Fall of Man

To understand why we are this way, we must go back to the beginning. In Genesis 3, we read of the great rebellion of our first parents. God created Adam and Eve upright and without sin. He gave them freedom and one restriction: they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Yet the serpent deceived, Eve took and ate, and Adam followed. In that moment, sin entered the world, and through Adam’s transgression, the entire human race fell:

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Adam acted as our federal head—our covenant representative. When he sinned, he plunged all his posterity into guilt and corruption.

The Penalty of Sin: The Wrath of God

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This is not merely physical death but spiritual and eternal death under the just wrath of God. Ephesians 2:3 calls us “children of wrath,” and John 3:36 warns:

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

God’s wrath is not capricious or cruel. It is His holy response to sin—His settled opposition to all that is evil. As long as we remain in our natural state, this wrath hangs over us like a storm cloud ready to break.

The Answer to Sin: The Cross of Christ

But thanks be to God, He has not left us without hope. In His infinite mercy, He provided a substitute—His own Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross, Christ bore the penalty we deserved. He drank the full cup of God’s wrath so that sinners might be reconciled to God.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:8-9).

This is the heart of the gospel: we who were enemies of God can be declared righteous in His sight because Christ took our place. His perfect life is credited to us; our sin is placed on Him.

The Persistence of Sin: The Believer’s Struggle

Even after conversion, sin does not simply evaporate from our lives. The Apostle John reminds us:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

Though we have been justified—declared righteous before God—we are still being sanctified. The Holy Spirit indwells us, empowering us to put sin to death and live unto righteousness (Romans 8:13). This process of sanctification is gradual and often painful, but it is sure.

The Future of Sin: Its Ultimate Defeat

One day, the struggle will end. For the believer, there awaits a day when sin will be utterly and finally eradicated. John writes of the New Jerusalem:

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie” (Revelation 21:27).

Until that day, we press on, longing for the moment when we will be like Christ, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

The Weight and Wonder of Grace

To understand sin is to understand ourselves rightly: ruined and helpless apart from divine grace. But to understand sin in light of Christ is to marvel at the mercy of God who loved us even when we were His enemies.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

This truth humbles us, drives us to repentance, and fills us with gratitude. It teaches us to live in awe of God’s holiness and in the freedom of His forgiveness.

Let us then walk carefully, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16). Let us put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and put on the new man, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Prayer

O most holy and righteous God, We come before You as sinners, humbled by the truth of Your Word and the weight of our transgressions. We confess, O Lord, that we have fallen short of Your glory in thought, word, and deed. From the very beginning, sin has marked our nature, and apart from Christ, we are without hope and without God in the world.

But we thank You, Father, that You did not leave us in our guilt and misery. In Your great mercy and steadfast love, You sent Your only begotten Son—our Lord Jesus Christ—to bear our sin and shame, to drink the cup of Your wrath, and to reconcile us to Yourself. Truly, by His wounds we are healed, and by His blood we are justified.

Holy Spirit, we plead for Your sanctifying work in our lives. Teach us to hate our sin and to love righteousness. Strengthen us to walk in newness of life, putting off the old man and putting on Christ daily. When we stumble, remind us of the fountain of grace that flows from Calvary, and lead us to true repentance and faith.

Grant us, O God, to long for the day when sin will be no more, when we shall see our Savior face to face, and when we shall be made like Him in glory. Keep us faithful until that day, and let every breath we take be for the praise of Your glorious grace.

Through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Amen.