Are mistakes and sin the same thing?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Preachers used to preach a lot about sin, but in recent years they talk more about mistakes than sin. Are mistakes and sin the same thing? -- M.D.
A: Plain and simple, sin is unbelief to the truthfulness of God. It is unbelief that shuts the door to Heaven and opens the door to Hell. It is unbelief that rejects the Word of God and refuses Christ as Savior. It is unbelief that causes people to turn a deaf ear to the Gospel and to reject the miracles of Christ. And it is unbelief that causes us to turn a blind eye to our own sin: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).
Instead of making God the center of our lives, we make self the center of our lives. This is no mistake, it is sin. Our supreme motive and supreme rule is putting self in God's place. This is what happened with Satan. This is what happened with Adam and Eve and everyone who has lived since. We trespass against God when we depend on self-sufficiency instead of practicing faith in God, self-will instead of submission to God, and self-seeking instead of serving God.
Sin casts a searchlight on the sinner. When we see the little "i" cradled in the middle of this word, sin, we are looking at the guilty party. This is God's message. We can call sin a mistake, an error, or a psychological twist, but God calls it sin.
Talking about sin does not make someone a sinner. Every person ever born is a sinner. But God loves sinners more than sinners love sin. This is why He came to sacrifice His blood to cover our sin. He paid the ultimate price for our redemption. Receive Him today.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
(c)2019 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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