[ - ] In short, the answer is YES! This may come as an assault to our sense of goodness and love, but it is directly in keeping with the God of the Bible. Besides being a God of love, God is also Holy (Isaiah 57:15). This means that God hates sin. In fact, when talking about heaven, the Bible states that “there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie” (Revelation 21:27). The destination of those who do not follow God is made very clear: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8). You might think that you don’t fit into the descriptions given in these two verses, but remember that nothing unclean will ever enter it. We tend to judge ourselves in comparison to others, but God has His own perfect standard. When deciding who will enter heaven and who will be sent into hell, God has a very simple checklist: “Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15).

The question then becomes, ‘How can I have my name written in the book of life?’ This is where the love of God comes in. God’s holiness demands punishment for sin: “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). God’s love has provided a way for us to escape punishment for our sin when He sent His own perfect, sinless Son to receive the death penalty we deserve. “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b). The offer is open to everyone! It is our choice to accept the gift of God or not. If we choose to reject or neglect the gift, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). Yes, hell is the destination for those who choose not to follow God, but it is completely avoidable by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

[ - ] In our world of situation ethics, sin is not a word we often use. Yet it is found in the Bible over 400 times. But what exactly is sin? A few key verses help explain some of the more common concepts of sin:

1.      1 John 3:4 - “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” Simply put, sin is breaking the law - not just society’s law, but God’s moral law. The most common understanding of God’s moral law is the 10 Commandments, given to us in Exodus 20.

2.      Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is missing the mark, and falling short of a standard. Think of a height restriction for a ride at a fair. If you are not tall enough, you have fallen short. Think of a qualification time you must meet to be eligible go to the Olympics. If you take too long, you cannot go. Likewise, we cannot meet God’s standard for holy living.

3.     Proverbs 24:9 – “The thought of foolishness is sin.” Sin is not only acts we do; sin can also be what we think. God judges not only our actions but also our thoughts and motives. You might say; ‘I don’t do anything wrong!’ But what is in your heart?

4.    James 4:17 - “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” We often think of sin as actively doing something bad. God has a much higher standard. If we do not do what we should, that’s sin. If you see someone in need and do nothing to address it, that’s sin. If you see something wrong being done, and just ignore it, that’s sin.

5.      Romans 14:23 – “For whatever is not from faith is sin.” Doubting God is sin. The first sin recorded in the Bible was doubting God. Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their action was brought on by Satan questioning the validity of God’s word. Not believing God is sin.

[ - ]The Bible makes it very clear that sin is a universal problem. In Romans 3:23 we read “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This means that none of us can claim to be without sin. This might lead some to argue, ‘Since we all sin, what’s the big deal? Since we’re all in the same boat, it can’t be that bad!’ But sin has very direct and definite effects on us.

1. Sin is a direct insult to God: “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19). The language is quite strong. God HATES sin. It is an abomination to Him!

2. Sin has separated us from God. We were created to have a relationship with God. Because sin is a direct affront to God, it has broken that relationship. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2).

3.Sin leads to death: “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). Sin is something that will be judged. It is not something that can simply be ignored or swept under the carpet. The death referred to here is spiritual death - eternal separation from God!

4. Sin keeps us out of heaven: “There shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie.” (Revelation 21:27). Sin is unclean to God, and we cannot enter heaven without our sin being dealt with.

So what’s the big deal about sin? It’s a direct insult to God. It has broken our relationship with Him. It will lead to eternal separation from Him, and will keep us out of heaven. Sin has eternal ramifications for us, and must be dealt with. God has provided a way for it to be dealt with: “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7).

[ - ] Sin is the collection of bad things we do. Sin will keep us out of heaven. Sin condemns us to eternal punishment. Yet, God who is a God of love wants us to have eternal life and be with Him in heaven. But sin has to be dealt with. What did God do about our sin?

God’s desire is that our sin be dealt with. He invites us to have our sins washed away. “ ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ ” (Isaiah 1:18). The wonderful thing is, once our sins are washed away, they are gone for ever! God has provided a way that our sins can be removed. In fact, our sins can be removed an immeasurable distance: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12). Think about it. If you are traveling in an eastward direction, do you ever get to the end? We can continuously wrap around the globe, always traveling east! That’s how far God removes our sins from us!

But how is all this possible? Does God simply sweep our sins under the carpet or ignore them? No! God’s holiness demands that judgment be meted out for our sins. How was this accomplished? God did something amazing! He provided a substitute, His own Son, to be punished in our place: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). God’s righteousness is satisfied since the price for sin has been paid. The Lord Jesus Christ had no sin of His own, and so He was able to be punished for ours. In this way, we can be seen righteous by God: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God has dealt with our sins. They have been judged. But the judgment was poured out on One who was perfect, pure, and holy. It cost God the death of His Son. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7).

Now the question is, ‘Will you believe that He took your place and your punishment?’ If you believe, you can have everlasting life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).