Most people in the world water down sin.  Many sins are even encouraged by the world.  Paul never made that mistake.  He knew exactly what sin was and what kind of negative impact it had on people.  Read how Paul described sin personified.

Romans 7:13 (NKJV)
¹³ Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

Sin, Paul says, is exceedingly sinful.  The Greek word for “exceedingly” refers to something that is beyond measure.  The word is hyperbole.  We get the English word “hyperbole” (spelled the same but pronounced differently) from this word.  A hyperbole is an “extravagant exaggeration.”  We all have exaggerated, but to engage in hyperbole is to get carried away or to stretch the truth beyond measure.

In referring to sin this way, Paul is making a play on words, emphasizing the great measure of wickedness and evil associated with sin.  The terrible nature of sin is never to be downplayed.  Why would Paul describe sin in such a way?

He described it as such because of its ugliness and depravity.  There is nothing pretty about sin at all.  Anything that appears attractive about sin is only the sugar coating that covers its poisonous interior.  All of the heartache, death, and despair in the world today; all the tear-dimmed eyes, broken homes, ruined relationships, and shattered lives are a result of the presence of sin in the world.  Yes, sin, in all its forms, is ugly and leads to the depravity of the soul.  As Christians, we must realize that sin is not our friend, and we should stay as far away from it as we can.

Sin’s deceptive nature is another reason why Paul’s description of it is fitting.  Sin does not try to attract us with pictures of a derelict on skid row, begging passers-by for a dime.  Instead, it shows pictures of young, attractive people, laughing and having fun with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other.  Sin is always deceptive, and that is one of the things that makes it so dangerous and destructive.  Most people are dead in sin, and they do not even know it.

Then, of course, there is the awful consequences of sin.  Sin can, and often does, lead to great harm, physically.  The drug addict, in a moment of lucidness, would tell us so.  The man hooked on pornography, having lost his reputation, and maybe even his family, would tell us so.  Most importantly, the Bible tells us so. In referring to damage caused by sin, Paul wrote of those practicing homosexuality, as “receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:27).

The most severe consequences of sin, however, are spiritual.  Sin does two things that nothing else can do.  First, it separates one from God.

Isaiah 59:1–2 (ESV)
¹Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; ²but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Second, if it is not repented of, it leads to the condemnation and damnation of the soul.

Revelation 21:8 (ESV)
⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

There is no doubt that sin is exceedingly sinful.  The world may take it lightly, but those of us who want to please God now, and go to heaven after a while, never should.

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