Let’s face it. We all sin. We do it every day. It is a rare day that goes by when we don’t think, say, or do something that increases our separation from God. To make it worse, we are repeat offenders. We are all serial sinners. Since we commit the same offense over and over, it is worth investigating our motivation.
Why do we repeatedly do things that drive a wedge between us and God?
Why do we choose separation from God?
Why do we sin?
Why do I sin?
I think that it must be that we believe that life can be better apart from God. For some, this is global. Everything they do, they do apart from God. This is the world of the pure secular humanist. For some, perhaps most, the separation is compartmental. They go to church, they put $5 in the collection, they sing the songs, and pray the prayers. Then, they walk out into a secular humanist culture and spend their day following the norms of that culture. They tell small lies. They watch media that is filled with sex, murder, and mayhem. They hate the “other” political party. They ignore the poverty and suffering that surround them. This is the world of the nominal Christian.
Both the global, full-time, serial sinner, and the compartmentalized, part-time, serial sinner intentionally choose separation from God.
Both sin.
Both believe that they can succeed…….apart from God.
Both are wrong.
Both fail to consider the existence of both a temporal realm and an eternal realm. In the temporal realm, we can get away with separation from God. We can even profit from it. Consider our leaders: The average senator has a job that pays less than $200,000/year. The average senator has been in office for a little over 10 years. And yet, the median net worth of a senator is over 3 million dollars. To accumulate a net worth of 3 million over 10 years, the average senator would have to save over $200,000 every year. This doesn’t leave much room for Starbucks. In the eternal realm, separation from God is far more problematic. Say what you will about hell. Eternal separation from God means eternity apart from the source of love and joy in the universe. Eternity is a long time.
Setting the eternal ramifications aside, my experience is that the most fully engaged Christians are some of the most joyful people I have ever met. I believe that this is because they are closer to the source of love and joy than the rest of us. Serious Christians are in touch with the eternal realm.
In the temporal world:
You can have fun……apart from God.
You can make money, even get rich…….apart from God.
You can become powerful…….apart from God.
You can be sexually stimulated…….apart from God.
But
You will never find great love and joy…….apart from God.
The great irony is this:
When God warns you not to sin……he is warning you not to choose separation from him……..he is warning you that by choosing separation from him, you are choosing to sacrifice love and joy………for temporal fun and money.
What is the most devastating thing you could ever possibly hear?
Jesus……..saying “I don’t know you”.
This is the endpoint…….should you choose separation.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Jesus explaining the endpoint of choosing separation, Matthew 7: 21-23, ESV