The significance of sin and the need of its eradication is the sole reason God sent Jesus do die on the cross for the world. Jesus indeed came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). God cannot tolerate sin no matter what. The Bible is clear that sin ends in death, it will result in death by all means.
When Jesus had grown to be a man and had started preaching to the world, He did expound on the consequence of just one sin. The Gospel according to Matthew 18 makes it clear that a person before committing sin is better off and that it would be better if that person were to die right at that point, before the sin is recorded under his or her name. Jesus says terrible death, that of having a millstone hung around the neck and thrown into the depths of the sea, is better than living on until one commits sin (Matthew 18:6).
Jesus further dismisses all excuses that a man can give for having sinned. There is just no reason good enough to justify sin. The tendency is to shift the blame to the next person or even your own body part. Jesus then says that that body part is not worth remaining in your body if it will cause you to stumble. There is only one explanation to this but that ‘the eternal punishment of hell is far more terrible’. Without that hand, eye, foot or any other part of the body that will cause you to stumble, you are better off.
The instance of stumbling
Stumbling is defined as the momentarily lose of balance but not falling. Stumbling in itself is not good in God’s sight, it bothers Him so much that its causative agents deserve His wrath. I believe that stumbling can be defined as the moment one thinks about something sinful. In our earthly terms, we would say that this means that people should not even think about committing sin.
The moment you see and think of something that triggers sin(s) of the mind, of omission and those of commission, at that point you have stumbled. This happens even when the intentions are good. For example, visuals on the lesson on immodest dressing would most likely show half naked woman yet the sight of such is an abomination to the holy God. It is undoubted that one’s repentance should start right from the stumbling stage.
The solution to conquer sin
All of us fall short on keeping to the standards of holiness. No human effort can ever meet the standard. What then shall we do because the Bible even says that there is no man without sin (1 John 1:8) and that none is righteous (Romans 3:10)? David in Psalm 130:3 asks a similar question when he says that if God were to mark our transgressions who would stand. Similarly, Jesus’ disciples in Matthew 19:25 ask a similar question too when they said ‘who then can be saved?‘ Jesus replied, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
I therefore suggest that all Christians who want to be on the right side with God should be prayerful at all time on the following:
1. God to show them all things that they have done wrong before that require reconciliation and restitution.
2. God to give them the courage to reconcile and restitute with everyone concerned. This should include governments, organizations, businesses, etc.
3. God to give them the ultimate Christlike attitude. This includes forgiving others, possessing the qualities of love, baring the fruit of the Holy Spirit, obedience to God’s commands, etc.
4. God to forgive them all their sins whenever they remember to. Christian living is about purifying oneself on a continuous basis.
5. God to fill them up with His Spirit so that He can guide them unto the truth at all times.
I know that this may seem extreme but it is what I believe will keep you in line with the will of God. The truth is that total devotion to God cannot be fully detailed in an article like this one but it is a personal relationship with God. In that light, know that the above listed points are not an exhaustive list of how a believer can keep his/her life pure in the sight of God.
Be blessed.
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