rebelling against low expectations

35 Reasons Not to Sin

3

We stumbled across this list on a friend’s blog and thought it was so helpful we wanted to share it with you. Read it carefully. Print it out if you can, and meditate on it frequently. May the Lord grant us the proper motivation in our fight against sin — and may we all walk in the victory that Christ purchased for us on the cross.

35 REASONS NOT TO SIN

  • Because a little sin leads to more sin.
  • Because my sin invites the discipline of God.
  • Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
  • Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.
  • Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.
  • Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
  • Because I am doing what I do not have to do.
  • Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be.
  • Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
  • Because my sin saddens the godly.
  • Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
  • Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.
  • Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
  • Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.
  • Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
  • Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.
  • Because my sin may influence others to sin.
  • Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
  • Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
  • Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
  • Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
  • Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.
  • Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
  • Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.
  • Because sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.
  • Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.
  • Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.
  • Because my sin is adultery with the world.
  • Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.
  • Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.
  • Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.
  • Because to sin is not to love Christ.
  • Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to believe.
  • Because sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use, never because it is worth anything on it’s own.
  • Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.

Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section!

There are currently 185 Comment(s)


© 1992 Jim Elliff • Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
201 Main, Parkville, MO 64152 USA • www.CCWtoday.org


signup_for_email_updates_banner

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

About the author

Alex and Brett Harris

are the co-founders of TheRebelution.com and co-authors of Do Hard Things and Start Here. They have a passion for God and for their generation. Their personal interests include politics, filmmaking, music, and basketball. They are both graduates of Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia.

195 comments

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • I blogged these reasons not to sin in May! I linked to the post as my website.

    I try to meditate on one of these reasons per day. The one that gets me every time is number 3: time spent in sin is forever wasted. Thanks for posting these! It was good to read them again, even though I review them frequently!

  • Thank you for this Post, both Steve and Alex and Brett!
    Reading all the 35 reasons makes me not want to sin more strongly than before. but at same time, I found the sin, itself, has so great power over me. I, ofcourse, do not want to sin. But, in reality, I do. I think I need to look to the cross more. Even Paul said he does what he does not want to in his nature. (Roma.7:14). When I look up the cross, there is pain, suffering He went through and also His great love for us. “Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me. ” is, I think, very true.

    One question came to muy mind, concerning “Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time. “. Paul wrote “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ” in Roma.8:5. It seems to me that it is impossible to follow The Spirit and sin at same time. Could you tell me what it really means? It can be just because of my lack of understanding of it(for my first language is japanes, not english).

  • Very interesting! I just listened to a sermon this past evening in which the pastor told of how he heard someone preach and then became a “christian” — but lived 4 more years after that in sin and rebellion to God, before surrendering everything to God, and actually living for Him. I kept thinking of the message of the Gospel as it was presented at the Rebelution conference last year and everything I’ve been reading from 1 John and the Gospels. My heart weeps for those who aren’t fighting sin because the American church so very rarely preaches to its flock much of the lessons found in this list. Sin is at worst unwise or something we won’t be rewarded for — NOT that which Jesus was nailed to a Cross and excruciatingly crucified to pay the price for, so that we could be forgiven and washed clean and could live with the Father forever as adopted sons and daughters, rather than receiving the just crucifixion and eternity in hell that we deserve. This list definitely encouraged me in fighting the good fight, battling the evil one and my fallen nature, allowing all of my sin and all of “self” to be nailed to the Cross. Thank you.

    http://toventureall.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-if-we-miss-it.html

  • * Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.

    Ultimately, the strongest reason, and the one that God is most concerned with. Still, in reading this list, I’ve seen again how ugly and dishonoring sin is to the Lord. How small it all seems to us…but it put Christ on the CROSS.

    I was really struck by these other two, as well: Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted. and Because I am doing what I do not have to do. We like to pretend that sin has such a hold on us that we can’t really fight it; at least, we should have an excuse when we fail, because, after all, we’re “human”, we’re weak.

    We use that “excuse” far too much, and our consciences, testimony, and relationship with God suffer incredibly for it. Submit to God and seek to follow Him, always. No excuses. Just Christ and His commands.

  • Alex & Brett,
    I’m a mom of three. Three kids under 10. I try to read each post to your blog. I appreciate your ministry and the fact that you encourage youth to “do hard things.” I homeschool my two oldest, and even though they are 4 and 7, we will begin reading your book this year, and every year until they are old enough to comprehend. Thank you for setting an example for the youngest to follow.
    Sincerely,
    CBE
    A Mom in Texas

  • absolutely true. it is overwhelming, the reasons not to sin. but what is more overwhelming are the reasons to be righteous.

  • That is a good list.
    If you confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
    How shall we who have died to sin, live any longer in it? Romans 6:2
    Just a couple of the verses that came to mind.

    Yasutomo, I think what Paul is saying is that when we can live in the spirit is when as it says in the passage above, “we confess our sins.” So even though we sin, we can confess and Jesus will take our sins away making us clean. Because Paul says before in Romans 5,”that where sin is there grace abounds also. Romans 6:1 Shall we then sin that grace may abound? And next in he answers and says, “certainly not.”
    That is my understanding at least. Paul gives some great insights.
    Once again, good list, nothing good happens when you sin.

    In Christ

    Christian

  • Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
    this one really made me stop and think.

  • Perfect timing. I was just about to sit down to plan a Sunday School lesson on sin. The last reason spoke to me the most: “Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.”

    Thanks for sharing.

  • Thanks so much for posting this. It really puts sin into a different perspective than the usual “don’t sin becuase i told you to”. I’ve been struggling with my lack of faith recently and i really think this helped me realize my sin in not trusting God.
    “Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.” this one really hit home. It really made me think of when I gave my life to Christ…what a hypocrite i am now!!! Thanks again for posting this!

  • I say “ditto” to the other comments above. I will absolutely print this out and meditate on it; but I also plan to share it with my kids and husband today, as well as our church youth group leaders on Sunday. I really want to share it with everyone I know, and I’ll get going on that today! Thanks for sharing this list, even though it is convicting. God bless you both for your ministry. Love your book and have told many people about it. Saw you at Focus on the Family during the taping session in Colorado Springs this summer. Keep up the good work!

  • This is a great post, as it helps reader understand and realize that sometimes we think that the actions we do(sin) is a solution to the problem, but really, it only digs deeper into the problem. We rely on Christ and by his mercy we are saved, he paid the price for our sins! Why cause or God grieve?

    Thanks Guys!

  • Amen, amen! Yet people still say that, ” it’s okay now, we will have plenty of time later to do right”.

  • It is a great and very helpful list as it is, but what I wish was in it were verses supporting each statement, because reading this list alone won’t produce nearly as much godliness as meditating on verses related to, and along with, these statements.

    ~ Bennett S.

  • This was a great message on sin, and really magnifies what my youth pastor had been speaking about a week ago on the carnality of sin, and what being in sin really is.
    This deepens my understanding of sin, and it really is spiritually inspiring.
    Imagine… All of those past sins brought forth at the throne…
    It is best to not sin, then!

  • my youth pastor recommended this book for me today and my sis ordered it for me…all i did was get on here, read the excerpt and the list of reasons not to sin and i could already tell its gonna be an extraordinary book!!!! Alex and Brett….wow…ya`ll have a gift from God!!! keep writing and God bless you

  • Printing in progress
    I’ve been having a really hard time with sin lately and this list really help Thank You

    Elisabeth

  • Thankyou guys for posting this!
    Ive been having kind of a hard time with being who God wants me to be instead of what the world wants me to be, but now that i see all of the reasons why i shouldn’t sin im re-inspired to make my life right.

  • I’ve been struggling with some sin in my life. I still have slipped up from time to time and though it has been better i still haven’t completely given it up. This list has given me the strength and resolve to no longer let this sin controll me.The Lord truely knows “How to deliver the godly out of temptations.” 2 Peter 2:9a

  • Thanks for posting this!
    I’ve already printed it off, put it in a protective cover and hung it above my bed.
    Each night I’ll read it before I pray and read my bible.

    Blessings
    Alesia

  • Wow guys, wow. I love it. I was just starting to slip, no exaggeration, just about to indulge my sin. And I went to this, wow. I appreciate this, I love you guys, I love Christ for directing me here. Thank you.

  • This is defiantly a good list. But as I was looking at it I realized that no matter how inspired I get to be good or whatever it will not work! All humans have a sinful nature within them, a result of Adam and Eve eating the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So now, no matter how hard we try, we cannot keep from sinning. This means that we cannot do anything in ourselves, we must depend on christ to be our everything. If we take christ as our life, live christ, and stay in our human spirit we will not be able to sin. The fallen life with in us cannot help but sin. But Gods divine life ( which came into us when we were born again ) cannot sin. If we live by his divine life we will not sin. Of course it is much easier said then done. But we just need to pray to the lord, and ask him to help strengthen us to live by his life with in us!

  • This is an amazing list. I’ve never seen the consequences of sin spelles out any clearer than this. As I’ve seen time and time again, sin is a horrible thing. Thank you for posting this! This is something EVERYONE should read, for sure.
    ~Kay Lynn♫

  • Guys thank you for this list, God really used you. As some others have said in their comments, I was starting to take my sin lightly too. I bookmarked this as a reminder that no matter how I try to come up with excuses or “reasons” of why I sin, I have bigger and better reasons not to do it. God Bless you!

  • It’s truly staggering when you look at sin this honestly; see it for what it really is.
    Thanks for this post!

    God bless!
    Rae

  • Thank you for reposting these from your friend’s website. I have copied them into a word doc & posted on our fridge & in each of our children’s bedrooms. Even if they don’t stand there reading each & every one of them, it will sink in subconciously. The now have 35 more answers to their question “Why not?” besides “because we said so”. I am also passing a copy on to our pastor & youth pastor. Thanks again. We’ve really enjoyed the wisdom you young men have shared through your ministry. God bless.

  • That was very powerful. Quite a reminder of how grievous sin really is. I want to remember this list every time I might feel drawn to sin. Three on this list that really grabbed me: “Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.” “Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.” “Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.” Thank yall for posting this.

  • Again wow. Very interesting because on my church’s mission trip recently we had a message where we recieved a folded piece of paper. After a while we were told to open it. Inside was written

  • (sorry got cut off…:) …inside was written “make war” (referring to sin). Thank you guys so much for the list.

  • Great list!!!
    reasons for not to sin.. because Jesus, he didn’t make sins and died for my sins!!! As a man he gave to me the big example to be following!!!

    And guys, congratulations for this website!!!
    here in brazil we need people who give to others many reasons for not to sin 🙂
    God Bless you
    Glaucia Viana

  • yet another great,convicting post.My mom and I were just disscussing how we all know what is right,we all know what we are doing wrong, we just don’t allow Christ’s power to change us from the inside out . after all, if your heart is in perfect peace with God’s word , and your mind is always stayed on Him, it makes it a whole lot harder to continue in sin…..I still have a lot of practicing to do 🙂 ….and I quite agree with Bennet S. …. there should be supporting Bible verses with this post…not that these aren’t great by themselves, but it is best to keep it Bible focused so that we do not start blindly accepting everything that sounds good.We need to be diligent about comparing EVERYTHING we allow into our live to scripture, and making sure that it lines up.Anyway….just a suggestion for next time.

  • Yes that is so what I need to hear. Thank you guys for sharing this.

    I am going to find a way to print this out and put it up on my wall in my room. This is something we have been talking about in are morning Devotions, on how much easier it would be if we didn’t sin. I hope and pray that a lot of young Christians will read this and take it to heart. I hope even more, that those of us that have been saved for pretty much are whole life’s will take it to heart as well.

    Jordan

  • “Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.” I really like that one! It’s so true.

    Though I’m a little confused about one of them. “Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.” I always thought that as Christians we do not face the judgment seat. I always thought that we would only be at the Bema Seat to receive our crowns (and to see all of our worthless deeds burn up!). So what exactly is he talking about? The great white throne judgment, the bema seat, or what? Can any one explain to confused little me? 😉

    Sarah 🙂

  • Yes indeed! it’s very inspiring to know that there are lots of reasons not to sin..
    it inspired me. Thank you for that! God bless you all!

  • Sarah, and all others wondering. My dad says that everyone will glorify God on the day of judgment, some will demonstrate his mercy (those who confess there sins(1 john 1:9)) and others will demonstrate his justice (those who he has destined for the lake of fire Revelation 20;15) I think everyone also knows John 3:16.
    Sin is a difficult thing, and the bible has a ton to say about it, and none of it is good. So you will get the same list if you just read the bible (plus more). Supporting verses are not hard to find. What about the one that says sin is like the vomit a dog returns to. But the bible has more to say, we cannot be free from sin apart from Christ. So even if we read the reasons and do our very best to not sin we will fail, we need Christ, we are poor, helpless, stupid sheep that have gone astray and must have Christ as our shepherd.

    In Christ

    Christian

  • hi…

    thank you for the blog about the 35 reasons not to sin…it did really help me a lot…
    just by reading num 1 gave me a whole lot of reason not to sin…

    thank you soo much

  • Is it okay for me to repost this? 🙂 I also want to share this with others. 🙂

    thanks so much for posting this, really struck hard.

  • Christian. Thank you for helping me understand. So what it really means is that we ,for our old nature of sin, sin, but our hearts can be cleansed by the Spirit. With the power of the Spirit, we can keep growing and die to self more and more. Is that right??
    Yes, I need Jesus so much so we may not sin. He helps us not sin, but we sometimes don’t seek His power and try not to sin on our own power which is so weak compared with that of God. We desparately need Him!!

    Sarah, what I understand so far is that all will go before God after our phisical death. But there, because through Jesus’ blood we are imputed His righteousness, we are not hold accountalbe for our sins. So He welcomes us into His kingdom. Justification means that we will be seen just as we never sinned. So at the court of God, we will be recongnized as innocent. does it make senese to you?

  • Yasumoto I would say you are right, from what I have read of the Bible that is my understanding, which is admittedly small. But just this morning my pastor gave another great verse. For He made him who knew no sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 That is amazing.

    In Christ

    Christian

  • Thanks you guys!!! This is a very ‘rock-hard’ post in the sence that it gives you a small wake up call and relization to why its importiant to fight sin as hard as we can.

  • Christian: I just wanted to say that your an amazing guy, keep up the good work! this world need more people like you!!

  • Wow! This is so true! The line “Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice” kind of stood out to me. Why on earth would we want to give Satan that victory? Staying away from and fighting against sin, as hard as it is, is completely necessary!

  • Although all of the reasons on the list may be true, the list seems to miss the main reason not to sin (although two of the points almost get there). the main reason not to sin is because when we do, we are separating ourselves from God and not living in his Spirit. To a Christian this should be a the main if not only reason to not sin. To focus just on the list as a guideline is non-productive because we are focusing only on the symptom and do not have our eyes on the solution, the grace and love of God. Also, the motivation in the list has a tingle of fear and condemnation in it. We know that fear is not from Christ, but rather boldness and confidence in Him. I just want to encourage the readers to not feel condemnation because of the reasons on the list and their effect, but to realize how much they really need to live IN the grace, love and spirit of God.

  • Alex, Brett, Steve: Really great, echoing everyone else, and keep it up!

    Yasutomo, Christian: It was really good to follow your guys’ discussion. It’s so helpful all of us to see Bible truths spelled out so well. Both of you, thanks- for the questions and the answers.

  • WOW! That is really good. I find myself making excuses for why it’s alright to sin. This will be a GREAT way to remind myself why it’s wrong.

  • One of the men in our fellowship explains some of it as:

    “Your old man is your flesh and when you come to Christ you crusify your old man. but it is not a quick death and he is still up on that cross and to ofton we want to take him back down and put him on for “just for a little while”. He is also always wanting to let back down.

    Boy do I like being able to read what you guys are saying and thinking, I don’t get a lot of that where I live.

  • “Because my sin may influence others to sin.”

    The idea that my sin influences others who are watching my example and sin because of it, just turns my stomach. As an older sibling and an older cousin, I repent for all the times this may have happened, perhaps without my knowing it. I guess I get so self-centered, like, “I can take the consequences, yes, I know I’m messing up and my life will be worse, but I’ll just wallow in it.” sort of mindset. (weird) But I would hate to bring others into sin, others I’m trying to be a vessel for Christ to influence!

    Thanks for the sobering reminder of the consequences of our sin.

  • I’m going to preface this by saying that I am a strong Christian. I believe in God with all my heart and I definitely believe that there are numerous good reasons not to sin.
    BUT: The reason “Because sin may keep me from qualifying or spiritual leadership” just does not make sense. Read on…

    That is NEVER true. Or at least it should not ever be true. People in your church should not hold you back on account of past sins. If you are called for leadership, you are not perfect. You have sinned. If the above statement is true, then NO ONE (except GOD) qualifies for spiritual leadership. Keeping someone from their calling because of previous sins MAKES NO SENSE! GOD does not hold our past mistakes, our past sins against us. What right do we have to hold others’ against them?!

    This rocked my world when I found it. I’ve read Alex and Brett’s book and I liked it a lot, so I decided to check this out. I was expecting to find a lot of Godly help and blog posts and such. And I was finding those, until I found this. Then I stopped reading all the other stuff they were saying and focused on this one sentence.

    This one sentence, that was probably in the middle of a ton of other sentences that were thoughtful and insightful, completely distracted me from the good in the site. All I could see was the bad. All I could think about was that one sentence that was publicized as something believed in. Imagine all the people that are reading that blog for the first time… (and for whatever reason, my hypothetical became a she)

    She is a new Christian, and is loving what she is seeing in the religion. But there is something that is holding her back from getting really really involved: her past sin. It must be something obvious, because it kept her from going to church or getting involved until now. Maybe she has kids and was never married. Who knows. It doesn’t matter. But now she has decided to get involved. Let’s say in the youth program. And someone recommended this blog, this site, this book, whatever to her as a good Christian thing to read since she’ll be working with youth. So she goes there and sees a list called 35 Reasons Not To Sin. That seems interesting, so she’ll check it out. And then she sees this “Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership” And now she thinks that she was right all along to not get involved at a church because they obviously can’t accept her past.

    I do not agree with that one reason, but everything else makes sense. As Christians, we are ultimately always acting as evangelists and should never say anything that might discourage someone from getting involved. The past is the past, and it doesn’t need to affect your future unless you allow it to.

    Amy

  • I believe we have every reason to stop sinning. More than just 35. But 35 reasons is enough.

    I have some sins in my life I need to stop. A major oneis gluttony.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Jesus Reigns! =)

  • hey guys im a big fan of your book an my church youth has been readig it an i just wanted to say i hate low expectations an im so glad that you to have started this blog an everything so just keep doing what your doing

  • i have a lot of sin in my life i am a christian an the 35 sins really struck a chord in my heart so thx for blogging!!jesus lives forever!!

  • Can I add one more? The biggest incentive for me not to sin is this:

    That anytime I do sin, He holds my face in His hands and says, “Daughter, you are mine. I love you because I am who I am. Not because of who you are. You can never truly fail Me or disappoint Me because I see my Son’s perfection in you, and not that sin. Remember that your identity is not based on your sin, but on My perfection. That is who you are.”

    And His grace brings me down and I realize what I have done.

  • Ah, I like this. I’ve thought before, “We should be working so hard that we don’t have time to sin!” Idleness and lack of discernment in the moment are big sin-baiters. It’s amazing to me that sometimes a few hours after a conflict with a sibling (for example), I’ll reflect, “Come to think of it, I don’t really care that much about what we fought over. It’s not a big deal at all, and certainly not an eternal one. Why did I just waste time wallowing in sin over it?”.

    We need to learn to quit being shortsighted and catch an eternal vision. The devil shouldn’t dare rival attention with our Savior! 😉

    ~Amanda~

  • I couldn’t help but read these 35 reasons and think “Sheesh! Sinning has got to be the most ridiculously irrational pastime in existence!” It’s interesting that humans are categorized as “rational” beings, when rather we spend much of our time sinning one way or another.

  • That is a pretty incredible post. I do agree w/ Amy though, however, that the reason “Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership” isn’t totally right. Everyone has sinned. Even people that are “spiritual leaders”. When we ask God to forgive us for our sin, it’s not holding us back any longer (unless we choose to have it hold us back).
    Everything else on that list is really incredible. Thanks guys! Now I have 34 awesome great phrases to pray and meditate on.

    Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
    ~Alesha

  • I thank you for posting this, but I have a question for you guys.

    Someone I respect (a Christian) says that when we trust in Jesus, we stop sinning. He claims that he no longer sins at all and that complete obedience is possible on this earth. I find this rather hard to believe, and I’ve seen many passages in the Bible that seem to contradict it, as well as my experiences with other Christians and my own life. I love Christ and long to be a “perfect Christian,” but I often fail Him. I’ve always believed that this perfection was impossible to attain, at least as long as we walk on this planet. I definitely don’t mean that we should shrug and keep on sinning, because this list that you posted gives us reasons that that is wrong. This person I know says that “with God all things are possible” and I do believe that. And yet this is bothering me.

    Alex & Brett, I’d like to hear your thoughts…

    In Christ,
    Rachel

  • WOW!!!!!!! That is mind blowing, and yet everyday we fall short of the glory of God!!! But He still forgives us. The grace of God is amazing!!!!!!!
    Soli Deo Gloria!!!

  • Hey, Amy look at it like this. When you commit a sin and than realize the sin you have committed you repent(or at least you should or else you will be committing another). And it says in the Bible if you repent God will make it as though you had never sinned. Where as the Bible says you should not go before the Lord if you have something against someone Matthew 5:23. So I read the line, “it can prevent leadership” as more like you need to recognize it and repent. True leaders will sin, but they should be able to recognize it and repent. And another thing is often times a sin will prevent us from being the one who is picked for the job, because people will think, “he can’t even manage his own life how is he supposed to lead others. Now wether they are right for thinking that or not, I will leave you to ponder.

    Again in Christ

    Christian

  • Hey Alex and Brett I think that the reason why people are asking for the study guide is because my school is reading it over the summer and we have a test on it when we go back to school! anyways, i LOVE THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
    P.S. Nice post 🙂

  • Amy, I understand what you are saying. Paul said in Phil.3:12-13, he is not yet sinless and still struggling with flesh. So, if only sinless men can be leaders, as you said, no one will be there as leader except Jesus Himself.
    But, in other passages, Bible talk about qualification. For example, in Titus, elders and bishops need to be blameless. So, there are two acpects which both are true.
    I totally agree with Christian. I know pastors like Greg Laurie, Skip Heitzig who were in horrible sinful life before they came to Christ. Yet, God is working through them in wonderful way today. 1John 1 clearly talks about the need of repentance. So, we all have sinned in past, and we still sin presently, but we need to confess ours sins repent before Christ. So this is how I see it. I want to leave this quote, KP Yohannan said to youth leaders once “You cannot take them deeper than you are now”.

    in His sweet grace
    Yasutomo

  • Christian,

    That’s not what I took from that line at all, and I’m not going to lie, I’m really struggling to see your point of view on it. But I’m not the one to sat that I’m right and you’re wrong, so to each his own, I guess. (:

    And if I was applying for a job at a church and was turned down because of something in my past I would be very very disappointed in the “Christians” at that church. Not to say it doesn’t happen, because it does. But I don’t think it should ever happen, and I’m praying that others at other churches don’t judge by the past.

    Amy

  • Thank you so much for this post. Now every time I sin I can see what is going on in my life. I am going through one of the toughest times of my life and I can put this to huge use. Please pray for me so that I can get through this. I appreciate this blog Alex and Brett. Thank you.

  • Thank you for posting this. I love being able to read everybodys thoughts and comments and reading the “35 reasons not to sin”!

    Thank you!!!!

    Under Christ,

    Britain

  • Wow! that is a lot to think about! I never really took the time to think about how sin is everywhere and you don’t always realize it.

    Thanks for posting!

    Nicole

  • I like this. I think I need to read this everyday to remind myself of what I’m doing to myself. Its goes along with memorizing the 10 commandments everyone should do it!

  • Wow, KAISHA, Thats the best rason I’ve seen yet!! They’re all very imoportiant reasons and should be followed to the best of our abilities, but Kaisha, thats the most convincing reason for me to say aas far away from sin as posible!!

  • That is a pretty humbling list. Makes me realize just how foolish I am that my sins ever seem like a good idea. Going to post this where I can see it.

    Amy–Sin preventing leadership is a true but perhaps too broad a category. A pattern of unrepentant sin that has been clearly revealed to the person should disqualify that person from current spiritual leadership (As deliberate unrepentant sin is a mockery to salvation and should lead to separation from the church.)
    Also there are certain kinds of sin that can prevent a person from taking spiritual leadership simply because the churches are a witness to a sinful world. The goal is the glory of God and the salvation of sinners. Some sins can hinder the witness of the church when the repentant sinner is in a position of leadership. For example a person who had been arrested and served his sentence for beating a child should not be allowed to lead children’s ministry even if he has repented, because the ministry serve children of unbelievers who do not understand the concept of repentance from past sins.

  • This is way off the subject, but i was looking @ a post from 2005 about “kidults” does anyone know about it currently? or where i could find stuff about it?

  • Amy,
    Sorry if it seems like we’re ganging up on you! Please know that I mean the following with all due respect.
    To add to what Christian and Yasutomo said, I would think that it’s not the PAST sin that is being referred to. You are absolutely right when you say that God does not hold our past sins against us. However….
    It seemed like the context of the statement was why you shouldn’t keep sinning, not why you should be disqualified for past sins. I think it’s more of a matter of the first reason (it can lead to a life-style) that is important. In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, Paul is saying that to be an elder or deacon (literally, an overseer) that they shouldn’t be indulging in sin, not that they should be disqualified because they HAVE indulged. Remember, this was the same man who said “Such WERE you…”
    I hope that makes sense!
    God bless,
    Joseph

  • Kaisha, I love what you wrote. It brought tears to my eyes. That was a beautiful picture. Thanks for sharing it.
    ~Kay Morris♫

  • Joseph,

    That makes a lot of sense. I can see how current (or current-er? like in the recent past, i guess…) sin could hold you back from a position because it almost “proves” that you don’t have the best judgement system and that you shouldn’t be “in charge” of others. But that is still a gray area, because it definitely depends on the sin and the whole situation in general.

    But thanks for your comment. I know you guys aren’t ganging up on me; I’m actually glad that people are responding. I posted that here for discussion because it’s always beneficial to hear other peoples points of view. (:

    Amy

  • Yes Joseph and Amy. It is great to discuss these things, and Amy it is great that you speak up and for the side some may not look at. It is a good example, we are to consider all things. Thanks. And Joseph good reply, I concur. Sorry Amy if I seemed aggressive.

    Always in Christ

    Christian

  • Hi,
    To be honest, I think this list is missing a bit of something. Or perhaps, some of you can help me think through some of the things in my head (much appreciated!)

    If sin is not to obey God’s command, what about the command “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, mind, soul and strength?” It seems to have no mention about time, so it would imply, do this, always, all the time, constantly. Does anybody ever fulfil that command while we are alive? Please also read this recent Boundless article – “Your Seven Greatest Enemies” – http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002099.cfm . From the standards presented here (being much elevated standards from those of our culture) I think that merely living, if not covered by Christ’s blood, would mean a constant stream of offense to God.

    The list above seems to imply that sin is something you can stop doing. Can we stop disobeying the first commandment – to love God fully ALL the time?

    I think we will get better but I don’t think we actually will reach that standard of perfection this side of heaven.

    This enhanced view of my sin made me see the preciousness and value of God through Jesus fully making me pleasing and acceptable to him (Eph 1:6, “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved”).

    Perhaps I’m missing something here! Are there tones of unbelief in my attitude that you see? Perhaps you can help me by pointing something out! I would really really appreciate it – a fresh view of Jesus and the gospel, (please!)

    Your sister in Christ,
    Katherine

  • PS. About the assumption of the post that awareness of sin provides motivation to future obedience. John Piper has an interesting book – “Future Grace” on what does motivate and empower future obedience – not gratitude for past debts paid, but hope in future grace (ie. promises).

    I have only started reading this book so can’t comment further, but perhaps this is a good approach for encouraging our brothers and sisters? (Looking forwards, rather than backwards?)

  • Wow, I always knew that sin was not a good thing, and that I shoudn’t sin. But I’ve never actually thought of the consquences of it- beyond that without Christ I wouldn’t be able to go to heaven.
    I will definitly print this out and forward the link to everyone I know!
    Blessings,
    Gracie

  • Kathrine,
    The first thing to remember is that we can never fight against or defeat sin on our own. We might temporarily prevail, but we will never, ever be able to conquer regularly or permanently on our own.
    When we strive to fight them on our own, it is that pride sneaking up again. Ultimately, therefore, it is impossible for US to stop disobeying the greatest commandment. However, “I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me.”
    As for your first comment, your absolutely correct: without Christ’s death, just living is a stream of offense-that’s what Isaiah was trying to get across when he said, “All our righteousness is as filthy rags.” That’s not even touching on our depravity!
    List implying that you can stop sinning: that’s the entire point of the Rebelution is to be conquerers over low standards (the essence of which is sin)! Conquerer implies total submission (i.e.-Julius Caeser conquered Gaul, but the Israelites never conquered Canaan)-perhaps that’s what Paul means when he says that “we are more than conquerers.” However, this point is connected with what I previously stated: we can do nothing on our own. Accordingly, it would seem that we actually do have the propensity to stop sinning completely IF we relyed completely on our Creator’s strength. This is where the problem comes in, though. We don’t always rely on God, and we therefore stumble. True and complete dependence on God can lead to a perfectly God-glorifying life.
    Once again, you are head on (I think) when you (and the article) say that a deeper understanding of our sin leads to a greater love for Christ. Hence, “Love constrains us.”
    One more thing to keep in mind: the ultimate end of mankind is to bring glory and honor to God (“God is most gloriefied in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”-John Piper). This is precisely what this list is trying to help us remember; we ought not to enjoy sin more than God, and this is why.
    I hope this helps….
    In Christ,
    Joseph

  • Hey Amy…I know what you mean. I have personally seen the effects of what a perfect standard in leadership can do. I mean…ya…we should have high standards becuase Christ does, but as humans, person to person, we should have more grace for eachother than we often do.

    It causes problems when the leadership of the church (particularly the pastor) has perfect stnadards for himself, and consiquentially everyone else. People kinda end up tiptoeing around trying to hide their failures and making themselves miserable trying to live up to the stanadards of everyone else. It’s ridiculous.

    That said, there still is a higher standard for elders and teachers. But sometimes that standard gets higher than even God’s standard. Rmember…He came to earth and DIED for us…we are FORGIVEN! That should be the main focus in everyone’s life. Everything we do should flow out of a joy in knowing God’s grace. A leader who admits his failures, and tries hard to overcome them, but lives with a focus on God’s grace, is truly showing Christlikeness.

  • A good list- it’s a good thing to be reminded about how our insults the pure and awesome love God shows us.

    The only thing I would say in gentle criticism to this list is directed at a particular bullet point:

    “Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.”

    While it’s true that if we choose to sin instead of doing the right thing that someone may not become a Christian at that moment, our sin cannot be the cause of someone missing out on Christ in this lifetime. God’s sovereign and knows who will choose him and who won’t; we can’t cancel out someone’s salvation with our sin.

    …I’m no philosopher though, and I know that the verse that came to mind for me to refute that point (Romans 8:29-30) is rather controversial, and whatever you take on that verse it still doesn’t change the fact that we should strive to be like Christ and love him with all our heart and everyone else like he loved us.

  • Zach: That’s a good point, but I don’t agree. I am definitely a strong advocate of God’s sovereignty as you, too, apparently are, but you have to be careful in saying that men are saved regardless of whether we live for God or not. God alone saves people (by causing them to be born again, producing faith)–but He does so through others’ actions, not regardless of them. I know there are many passages in the Bible that state this, but here are a couple of them:

    “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. . . . And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Pet. 1:22-23, 25b).

    So first, people are saved through the “word of God.” And then Peter states that the Word is what was “preached” to them, implying that someone preached it to them. The next passage says this more explicitly and goes farther:

    ” ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

    How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:13-17). The implication of the questions that Paul raises is that people will not hear the word (and therefore will not have faith) unless people go out and tell them the good news.

    As a side note, cases where God reveals himself to someone apart from the Word (such as Brother Yun, whom you can read about in his book, “The Heavenly Man”) are both rare and followed by that person reading the Word for himself (and perhaps then being saved) and spreading that good news to others. And they preach the good news because it is the means by which God causes some people to be born again.

    ~ Bennett S.

  • whoa! what a heavy article. but surely, this is very helpful. may this post be a blessing to every believer in Christ. no doubt sin is what drains us and restrains us in going hard for God. may this article illumine our hearts and show us once again the path of righteousness, the path we ought to follow. may this article just teach us to fight the good fight of faith in Christ Jesus and through Christ Jesus. God bless!

    co-slave and co-rebelutionary in Christ,
    Ramon

  • Hi Joseph,
    That was helpful.. I think I was a bit discouraged at seeing how constant my sin would be to God if not covered by Christ. By God’s grace that verse you quoted, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” now takes on a whole new meaningwhen now applied to that (now not impossible!) first commandment. In a world full of sin and sinful behaviour and where bad behaviour is catching (‘do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good character’, ‘..from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers’).. this is like light shining in darkness.
    Fresh view of Jesus and the gospel – precious! Just what the world needs and I need.
    Thanks to you and to God.
    Katherine

  • Wow. It’s easy to rationalize and think that a little sin is ok because it’s not really that bad or won’t really hurt anyone, but that is such a lie! Good to think on, more than once in a while!

  • this is great ……but in a bad way because i can see all the sin and then all these things can result from a little lie or cheating on a test

  • Alyssa, that’s an interesting point. But I guess we could say, then, that no sin is “little”; this list highlights the nature of all sin: rebellion against God. That’s why we must rebel against rebellion :).

    ~ Bennett S.

  • This is so good!!!! it will help me to see better things and to remember not to sin ’cause like Bennet said is rebellion against God… thank u so much for these…..

  • This is very convicting. I find myself sinning and sometimes forgetting the consequences. It’s good to have a reminder to remind you just what the consequences are when you sin. It’s not just earthly consequence but also will effect your eternal life as well. I think the most convicting part is the one about mixing service with sin like waters down the true meaning of the service and brings no glory to God. Being on the worship team at my church and being a teen leader also, that statement definitly causes me to think twice about my sin. But the thing is, that other statement that says that sin is not something we have to do. It really isn’t and God isn’t proud of us sinning against Him. I will be definitly checking my actions and my speech from now on and also definitly be praying more.

  • “Because to sin is not to love Christ”

    I was reading through the list hoping something to that affect would be included. I recently read Crazy Love by Francis Chan (thanks to your post about it) and I cant even express how much it effected my relationship with My Lord and Savior.

    I honestly want to cry now every time I think of anything I’ve ever done or something I have just done to grieve the One I love and who loves me beyond any measurement imaginable.

  • This is a fantastic list, one which I intend to print out and read over often. We are so easily distracted from the future by the “give it to me now” mentality of sin, but when we are willing to stop and look at where this is going… sin truly loses its only power, the power of lies. Keep up with the great posts, guys!

  • I am a mother of 4 children, my youngest is 17. I copied this list to give her, however I do have a problem with the reason •Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied. I believe the bible tells us “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” We will have rewards lost & gained on the motives of our actions, any thing that was not of God will be burned. There will be a lot of Christians not in actual sin that will lose rewards because God knows the motives of our heart. but it is a note worthy list to read. The more we focus on loving our Lord the less we will be tempted to do anything to hurt that relationship. Maybe a better name for the list would be “What happens when I sin.” Just take out the because. When our focus is on Christ and our love for Him we will be less likely to sin against our wonderful Lord! And we will be ready to repent and have our relationship with Him secure!

  • This list and other material on the website contain lessons that are not to be missed. As hard as it is to resist the call to sin, it is even harder to live with oneself later and realize how much of your time on this earth was lost because of sin. Nothing is worse than to reach old age and look back on life with plenty of regrets. For young people, NOW is the time to be filled with the Spirit.

  • “Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.”

    If we could see into the future, we might never sin. That is, if we knew the consequences of each sin. If we could reach back to the cross, and see it, smell it, feel it, we might never sin, either. But because we can’t we do. I hate sin. But at the time, it often feels so good. Just to slam somebody, or say a hateful thing about someone. Or to take that second glance at the woman in the store. Or to want a material possession so badly that it consumes you. Or to do the little things that we think nobody will notice.

    What we forget is that those sins, however seemingly insignificant, murdered the Messiah. We killed Him, not Caiaphas, or Pilate, or Herod. I did. My sin killed Jesus, and I act like it is no big deal.

    Thanks for the wake-up call. I needed it. And so do my Junior High d-group guys…

  • I totally wish we could all just not sin but it just doesnt seem possible.

    Im really not trying to be negative or anything…Im just stating the facts.
    Sin is a part of everybodys everyday life. Whether they dont realize it or not, people do sin everyday! Its hard to think about sometimes and its also very sad.

    The day God comes down and takes us all to Heaven is the day I look forward to most. If it were possible to have a day where sin just vanished before Gods appearance here on earth….well then that would be a day I would also look forward to. But I just dont see that happening.

    Im hopeful and in prayer though.
    🙂

  • I was going to read this book and recommend this book to others but this sentence on page 4 on the review of a bookstore’s web page changed my mind.

    “You’ll find plenty of books written by fortysomethings who, like, totally understand what it’s like being a teenager.”

    This to me is very disrespectful so therefore I will move on to another book may be written by a fortysomething. It is this type of under mind attitude that some people have that God will not bless. We need to honor our elders and respect our younger generation.
    Be bless!

  • Thanks, guys. That was really convicting.
    I think the one about God not hearing the prayers of those who cherish sin was the hardest to swallow, for me, anyway. I’ve been reading your posts for a while, now.
    In His Service,
    Joyce

  • Today i asked myself the question, why do i sin? What good does is do? But i guess a better question to ask myself is, why shouldn’t i sin? As deciples of Christ, we have to know our facts, because people are going to have questions and if we can’t answer them, it will be an immediate turn off. this helps me. THAKN YOU!

  • Smithers:

    Thanks for your post. Sorry you were turned off by that sentence (truly). I’ve met both Alex and Brett, and they are two of the most respectful people I know. They seem very determined to honor their elders.

    Yes, of course, wise fortysomethings can and should contribute to the edification of youth. Alex and Brett would be the first to agree with this. They would never knowingly insult someone with honorable intentions and deeds simply because of that person’s age.

    However, the fact that “mere” teenagers wrote this book is something that stands out. The Harris’ wrote the book while in their teens, for other teens. Personally, I think that it’s a novel idea. ;D

  • Thank you so much for posting this! It hurts to read it, but it convicts me of what I need to do change my life for Christ.

  • Great post and great discussion! I was very much edified and encouraged and will certainly share.

    Thanks guys!

    In Christ,
    Ben
    Soli Deo Gloria

  • “Because I promised God he would be the Lord of my life.”
    What greater reason could anyone need? Don’t agree with me? There are 34 more for you to look at.

    Thanks for the great post!

    Jared Hebert

  • Omw! I do believe that brought me to tears…. It truly makes a person step back and examine sin before committing it. I often think we don’t step back and examine before we sin because if we did we would see, as that list clearly points out, its not worth it.
    ~ Vada

    Kyrie Eleison!

  • Greetings,

    That post was so timely. It helped me when I first read it when it was posted, and it just saved me. I was struggling with temptations, and as I began to go down your blog I saw this post, and I read it again. God is so perfectly good and gracious to give us exactly what we need when we cry out to Him for aid!

    We truly cannot save ourselves, but must every time call out to Him. And He is so faithful, so true, so mighty, and so loving. No sin can match His wonder, nor His worth!

    I have seen sinners break free from the shackles of sin that bound them, and run in joy to the God who saved them from the penalty and the power of sin. Ever since God did that for me, I cannot hep but rejoice as the angels do over one sinner’s victory in Christ. Thank you for standing for truth and sanctification no matter what the cost!

    With joy and peace in Christ,
    Jay Lauser aka Sir Emeth Mimetes

  • Thanks for posting this! I’ve been struggling with sin and desire to be more involved in spiritual leadership. I’m reading Do Hard Things for the first time and have been anxious to pass it on to all of the pre-teens, teens, and young adults in my life. You guys are doing some awesome things…thanks, and I look forward to coming back to this website and posting a testimony about some of the hard things I have chosen to do to glorify God!

  • how long does it usually take to post a comment? just wondering since i posted something this morning and it has failed to appear yet

  • that’s okay here it is again, it is my personal and professional opinion that this mindset of the church is what is killing it. you can’t be what you are not, so with that said we are sinners, that will never change. the God we serve is not the depicted God of conditional love above the God we serve is an unconditional god of love. if you sinned all day everyday for the rest of your life, if you never prayed again, if you never worshiped him again, if you never pursued him in any venue, HIS love for you and i would never change, so the whole idea of us even blogging about something like this is irrelevant.

  • i have posted several comments that have failed to appear, that saddens me to be honest, what’s wrong with challenging mindsets, we should never be afraid of people learning to think for themselves, Jesus was all about us thinking for ourselves

  • I think my favorite is “Because sins mixed with service makes the things of God tasteless”. How are we to be the salt of the world if we are “doing” what is “good”, but practicing in our hearts what is “evil”? How are we to be an example of Christ’s love if we are mixing into our “service” a sinful heart?

    This is a challenge that I believe we all should take up – don’t mix sin with service because it leads to “keeping others from knowing Christ” and “influencing others to sin”.

  • I think my favorite one is: Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin. I mean why do we sin when jesus died for us to stop sinning or to take away our sins. THANKS FOR BEING HERE!GOD BLESS!!!!:)

  • Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.

    Wow! what a great reason! this really helped. Keep up the great work guys!! Thank you for reminding me to fight sin with the power of the Spirit. ;D

  • Wow! Not only was reading this post huge, but even bigger is reading the comments of kids my age who actually agree with this (as do I). I’ve just been getting a holy kick-in-the-pants from God because of sin, and this sorta adds to it. So, thanks for that. I needed it.

  • Whoa, this list was so convicting… I almost cried. I’ve been struggling with sin a lot recently, and this encouraged me incredibly. I needed this, thank you!

  • The thing that hit it home was that i never realised that it effects my leadership in the church. i mean, i always knew that if i hit some one or something that my sin would effect them obivously. but other sin like failing to read the bible or pray would effect others in the long run. like how can i tell little kids in awana that they should learn verses when i dont even read i bible!
    thanks!

  • wow u have my life down right to the littlest details the book is so amazing i can never put it down. I think u should come talk about the book at my school. I go to Moriah Central School. Their # is 518-546-3301. We would love to have u guys come talk. Thanx Bye Byez

  • Man guys thankyou so much, I have found myself over the last few weeks going back and forth (after fighting with it for a few years) with this sin, and I can honestly say (and there are probably people who can say the same) that I really do want God, but there is this constant pull back toward this sin of mine, and I really needed something that will remind me when I am tempted what the real result is, and what is really being affected. Thanks Guys.

  • Hi. I have my teens read at least one article from your blog daily as part of their school. I had to warn them however about lists like this that don’t give scripture references to back what it says. I’m not saying that any of these are wrong, but just hope that noone falls into the habit of believing what people say just because it sounds good. I printed the list and will encourage my kids to find where it is backed by God’s Word. Thanks for being godly role models for teens today!

  • Hey Yasutomo,

    (Correct me if I’m wrong guys) To follow the Spirit means to live as God is personally guiding you in accordance with the Bible. If you were to sin you’d be going away from the direction that God is leading you and therefore could not be following the Spirit also.

    Hope this is helpful,
    PLEASE correct me (and by extension anyone who may read and believe this comment) if I’m wrong, because my sin may influence others to sin.

    God Bless, Dan

  • That is so true. Actually, I think the second reason is enough to keep anyone from sinning, if they think about it.

  • I’ve been stuck in sin much of my life, but this might just be the turning point. It’s hard to repent, but you must as Steve said. Shame, disgrace, public discrimination, i mean, with all there is to repent, i might not have done it if it weren’t for this “35 reasons no to sin”… I really agree with 1, 6, 15,16. But i mean, it’s much more harsher then i ever imagined it could be, i new about the hell part, but that seemed so long off. Satan is really powerful, but with Gods help, (which I learned he won’t just give, but we have to accept) we can live through the hard-ships of avoiding sin and without the heavy burdens (of sin) pulling us down. And for Heather: i mean, if your thinking about sin and you see this that’s true but for those way down who can’t stop it would take the help of god to stop their sin and repent. Take me for example, i read this, and it helps, but if i don’t accept God’s help, (which is kinda difficult because of how much i blindly “want” to sin) i’ll never get anywhere. this gives me hope for the future, just like sinning weighs me down. All this sin to make me happy is only giving me more and more burdens and hard-ships in between. One of the main reasons for my sin is I have little discipline, though i can’t blame everything on my parents, i feel they’re not helping me back to the state where I could be accepted in heaven. If i end up in heaven i thank you Alex and Brett. and by the way, i found this website by my mom borrowing the book from a friend of hers.

  • I really Loved your book Do Hard Things. When I read the section about stepping out of your comfort zone the next sunday I asked my youth group pastor if I could join in the events, (which is unusual for me because I’m not a people person). He was happy that I asked and I’m going to one of the events on friday November thirteenth.

  • Dan, Your are absolutely right.
    Also this list is incredible I’m going to put it in my email signature so that EVERYONE i talk to can see it.

  • I came across this list of “35 reasons not to sin” (attributed to Steve’s Blog) while searching the achives for references regarding the necessity of being obedient to Christ. To me the most sobering item on the list was near the bottom, “because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.”
    I wholeheartedly support Alex & Brett’s statement on page 229 of their book that, “The mark of genuine transformation is to trust God enough to actually obey Him, to do what you know pleases Him, even when you know it won’t please other people, to do hard things.”
    Personally I have a strong conviction that one of the Devil’s strongest weapons against true repentance and true belief in Jesus Christ as being the Son of God is Satan’s encouraging the person who wants to avoid going to hell to settle for a superficial belief in Christ. He then encourages the superficial believer that he has now come under the protection of God and that there is nothing that he can do that will separate him from being in Christ’s kingdom. The vast majority of such “converts” are then lulled into this false sense of eternal security when they have never truly repented of their past sins and never tasted the beautiful fruits of the Holy Spirit.
    St. Peter told the high priest in Acts 5:32 that, “We are witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them THAT OBEY HIM.” Our Saviour Himself gave us the high expectation that, “Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35.) So if we are to be recognized as true members of His family we must be committed to doing the will of our Father in Heaven.
    In His Omnipotence and Omnisience, I believe that our Heavenly Father is able to answer the prayers of anyone on the face of the earth who hungers and thirsts after righteousness, “for they shall be filled,” as our Saviour promised in Matt. 5:6. If we truly hunger and thirst after righteousness, our merciful Father in Heaven has promised that he will surely give the Holy Spirit which then makes it possible for us to obey Him. Since it is His Spirit working in us to accomplish this work, we have nothing of which we can boast. See: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: nof of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordeained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2: 8-10.) But always remember Paul’s warning in Rom. 8:9, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ He is none of his.”

  • I was very saddened when I saw this list.Though some are true,the list as a whole attacks and forgets our position in Christ.Miles J. Stanford writes,”In his classic, ROMANS, VERSE BY VERSE, Wm. R. Newell presents some penetrating thoughts regarding this grace:

    “There being no cause in the creature why grace should be shown, the creature must be brought off from trying to give cause to God for His care.” “He has been accepted in Christ, who is his standing!” “He is not on probation.” “As to his life past, it does not exist before God: he died at the cross, and Christ is his Life” “Grace, once bestowed, is not withdraws: for God knew all the human exigencies beforehand: His action was independent of them, not dependent upon them.”

    “To believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret.”

    “To refuse to make ‘resolutions’ and ‘vows’; for that is to trust in the flesh.”

    “To expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more lack of worth.”

    “To rely on God’s chastening (child training) hand as a mark of His kindness.”

    “To ‘hope to be better’ (hence acceptable) is to fail to see yourself in Christ only.”

    “To be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself.”

    “To be discouraged is unbelief — as to God’s purpose and plan of blessing for you.”

    To be proud, is to be blind! For we have no standing before God, in ourselves.”

    “The lack of Divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, and not from failure of devotion.”

    “To preach devotion first, and blessing second, is to reverse God’s order, and preach law, not grace. The Law made man’s blessing depend on devotion; Grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing: our devotion may follow, but does not always do so — in proper measure.” We must come to a point when we realize our position in Christ and the work He did for us on the cross.He elevated our status from sinner to saint,and from slave to son.When we sin and feel as if we have failed toward God,our position in Him is the same.We are still His son because since we identify ourselves in Christ,Christ is our new identity and the sinner is our old one.Yes we still and will sin while we are here on earth,but instead of focusing sin itself feel sorry for what we did,we must focus on the grace God has given us and then obedience will follow suit.

  • when i read this i wuz stunned. I had somuch sin it was not funny. But ive been readin the book of James and i have now learned that i have the ability to do better i just had not been using it. Now i hope that i am on the wide an narrow path. Thank you guys for everything you do. May god bless you and your work forever

  • Though this list is pretty much right on as far as some of the reasons why sin isn’t good, the real reason why we stay away from sin is because we love God and sin is not of God.
    It’s like hurting God’s feelings when we sin, and since we love Him we don’t want to hurt His feelings.

    Also, we’re supposed to live lives of faith led by the Holy Spirit on God’s path for our lives. Sinning is straying from that path.
    When we sin, we miss Jesus – the “bulls eye” – and need to repent and get back on that right path with God.

    Though these reasons are good reminders of what happens when we sin, they are not really the ultimate reasons why we shouldn’t sin.

    Your Sister In Christ,
    ~Alesha♥
    Galations 1:10

    Shine! Make Them Wonder What You’ve Got!

  • Thank you so much for posting these! Usually when people write a list of “20 things” or “100 things,” they write the same thing over and over again in different words, but you have a different point for each one… Thanks!!

  • Wow. Great and inspiring reminders from just people alike who fight demoralization and degrading even if at times the battle’s a losing game – still! 🙂 From Glory to Glory. We also are crying out for the breakthrough for our church, aside from a conquest previously scheduled, that they may be part of Christ’s body as well – reinventing ways and endless brainstormings –

    Royma, 19, Phil.

  • It is very true that a little sin seems to lead to more sin! I also agree that when we sin, it may influence others to do the same. Very good post, and thank you for giving me some things to reflect on

  • I’m honored to become among the list of readers of this blog post. Thanks to your generous support I am definitely the initial in my household to have some knowledge in regards to this subject.

  • Some of these reasons are ok but some are not accurate.
    Sin sends christians to hell.
    Sin is the fruit of a sinner not a saint (real christian)

rebelling against low expectations

The Rebelution is a teenage rebellion against low expectations—a worldwide campaign to reject apathy, embrace responsibility, and do hard things. Learn More →