Why I find the word “sin” so liberating
There must be something wrong with me. I like the word “sin”. I find it so liberating.
“Liberating?” you ask in wonderment.
Yep.
I find when I call my bad habits what they are, sin, I know I have recourse. If I just think of them as bad habits, then I am forced to change them all by myself. I have to read the books, practice the methods, and maybe I can change them.
But if I call them “sin”, I know just what to do.
First, I confess them to God. That means that I am forgiven. When I am forgiven, I have hope.
Immediately.
I don’t have to change anything before I can have that hope.
Next, I can ask God to enable me to change my habits. At this point, I might very well research some methods. I might very well read those books. But now I have a source of empowerment to help me facilitate those changes.
But it all starts with realizing that if I have a bad habit more than likely it is causing a distance between God and me. More than likely I am “missing the mark” which is the definition of sin anyway.
I am not suggesting that we have to label all our less-than-desirable habits as “bad”. What I am suggesting is that the habits we have that get in the way of our relationship with God are more than bad habits, they are sin.
God has a remedy for sin. It’s called confession.
So the next time you feel overwhelmed with your bad habits, use your words. Call them what they are. To me, the remedy for sin is laid out many places in the Bible.
Bad habits, not so much.
Just a quick aside here. King David had a bad habit of looking out his window at Bethsheba undressing. We know how that ended, don’t we?
Don’t be afraid of the word “sin”. It’s a good word.
God bless and have a good day.
