In general, man sees sin differently than God, especially in our culture today.  Many today do not even like using the word sin.  Something might be a mistake, mishap, or even a misunderstanding, but not a sin.  Wrongdoing is often excused.  Sin committed is said to be due to extenuating circumstances.  In the end, most people are just not offended by sin today.

God, on the other hand, hates sin because it is a direct affront to Him and His authority.  All sin disrespects God.

God hates sin because He knows the consequences of it for man.  It separates man from Him (Isaiah 59:1-2) and destines man to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

God despises sin because of what it took to defeat it—the suffering and death of His only begotten Son.  There was only one way to conquer sin and that was by His Son becoming a sin-offering that would pay the penalty for sin.  So, because God loved man so much, He gave His Son to pay the price for our transgressions (John 3:16).  Nothing accentuates the terribleness of sin more than the cross of Christ.

We know how God looks at sin.  We know how the world feels about sin.  The question is, how do we, as God’s people, view sin?  In the past, God’s people let Him down.  The children of Israel sided with the people around them and went after other gods.  What side will we choose today?  One of the greatest temptations we have as Christians is to be drawn to the world and live according to its standard.  The Bible warns us about this in several places.

James 4:4 (ESV)
⁴  You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

This is just one of many passages warning us against being attracted to this world.  John warns us not to love the world (1 John 2:15), while Paul exhorts us not to be conformed to it (Romans 12:2).  Whether we adhere to these warnings from God’s Word or not will depend a lot on how we view sin.  Do we see sin the same way God does?  We should!

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

Do you abhor evil?  Do not allow this world to water down the wickedness of sin in your mind.  Man takes sin lightly but those who love God know that it is the devil’s tool to destroy the souls of man.

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.

The way we view sin will ultimately determine what kind of life we live.  If we hate sin, we will not make a habit of committing it, but, instead, we will consistently turn away from it.

Psalm 34:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Let’s see sin the same way that God does and stay out of its path.