Sin personified is man’s greatest enemy. It is the only thing in the world that can separate a person from God and cause him or her to spend eternity in a devil’s hell. There is nothing more dangerous, destructive, and devastating than sin. As Christians, one of the primary aims of our lives should be to avoid sin, and this is the admonition of many, many passages found in the Word of God.

Romans 6:1 (KJV)
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid…

1 John 2:1 (ESV)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin…

Colossians 3:5–6 (ESV)
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

God clearly wants us to stay as far away from sin as possible. We should never flirt or sympathize with it in any way. We must be very careful, in this world filled with sin, that we never develop an apathetic attitude toward it. Sin is the one thing in this world that we should always hate.

Psalm 97:10 (ESV)
10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Romans 12:9 (ESV)
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Sometimes people begin to think that some sins are relatively okay, at least compared to the “big ones.” Everybody knows that God is against murder, adultery, drunkenness, and the like but sometimes there are those, even in the church, who begin to think that sin is not only okay, but even called for.

There are times, some think, when lying is necessary. If your wife asks you if her dress is pretty, you had better tell her it is, even when it is not. That little “white lie” is necessary to keep the peace. Some will admit that violence is generally bad, but if it comes in the form of vengeance, it is justifiable. We all love the movies where the “bad guys” get what’s coming to them, even if it is not exactly in accordance with the law. Striking back after we are mistreated is only giving the other guy what he deserves.

Even sexual immorality is claimed by some to be okay if the two involved love each other. They

would condemn good, old-fashioned lust, but, when there is true love, that makes everything alright.

Let us never get caught in this way of thinking. All sin is evil and hated by God, and it ought to be abhorred by us as well. While it may be true that some sins carry more significant consequences than others in this life, in the end, all sin condemns the soul equally. Let us do our best to avoid all sin,  and if we do stumble, let us repent as fast as we can, and ask God for forgiveness, and then start doing our best to, once again, avoid sin at all times.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.