What is Sin?

Gospel Hall Sermon by Sean Fereday recorded on 04.02.24.

The sermon starts by mentioning an uplifting passage from Colossians 3:16, which talks about letting the word of Christ dwell in you and singing hymns with thankfulness in your hearts before he delved into matters pertaining to sin - which is something unpleasant to discuss but vital to understand.

Sean talks about two passages from 1 John. The first passage being verse 1:8, which says "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." The second passage is 1 John 3:7-9, which says, whoever practices sin is of the devil and whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God.

Sean reflected on his younger self and says that he struggled to understand these passages because he knew he was a sinner and could not reconcile that fact with John's statement that those who sinned were of the devil. the speaker knew he sinned, and therefore concluded that he could never be sin free - which of course is un-true.

Sean explains that sin is a terrible thing, which took the death of Jesus Christ to save us from it; Jesus’ death on the cross was a gruesome way to die, but one he willingly endured to set us free from sin.

It is important to understand sin to fully appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made for us. And in understanding, we are humbled to the point of true reliance upon Christ for salvation.

Sean mentions a quote by Thomas Watson who said that “Saving Faith lives in a broken heart and always grows in a heart humbled by sin.” He noted that 70% to 80% of the Bible talks about sin, warning us about it and pointing us towards Jesus Christ as the only one who can save us from its grasp. It is sad to think that the world, however, fails to see sin for what it really is - evil.

Sean believes it is a blessing from God that those who worship him can see the truth about sin and be saved. Because of that, we are called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. He believes that the day of the Lord’s coming is soon and should spread the gospel before it arrives.
When we see Jesus face to face, it will be a wonderful thing for those who are saved but a terrible moment for those who are not.

Sean considers what he would say to his 26-year-old self who was just learning about Christianity. He would tell himself to get to know Christ because he (Sean) is broken and Christ is not. He also would tell himself to repent when he sins.

Finally Sean emphasizes the difference between sinning and repenting because we all sin, but when we do, we should repent and turn towards Christ.