Tag: Sin
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A Missed Birthright – Genesis 49:3-4
Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Jacob begins with Reuben, the firstborn, the one…
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When the Lord Deals Decisively – Genesis 38:7
Genesis 38:7 And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him. That is a hard verse for people. They read it and say, “How brutal of God to slay a man for being wicked.” But that reaction usually comes from not thinking deeply enough about what wickedness…
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There Are Some Things Heaven Does Not Excuse – Genesis 34:4-7
Genesis 34:4–7And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to…
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When a City Loses All Restraint – Genesis 19:4-5
Genesis 19:4, 5 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out…
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One Step at a Time – Genesis 19:1-2
Genesis 19:1-2 And there came two angels to Sodom at even… and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom… and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and…
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When the Storm Is Over – Genesis 9:24-25
Genesis 9:24, 25 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. This is such a sobering passage because by this point the storm is over. The ark has come to rest.…
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The Day Adam Died – Genesis 5:4-5
Genesis 5:4, 5 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. That last phrase lands hard. And he died. Three words. That is all. Adam lived what…
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Passing the Blame – Genesis 3:12
Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Adam had a chance to say, “I sinned.”Instead, he said, “She gave it to me.” And beneath that, there was something even darker: “You gave her to me.” That is…
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Freed by Confession – Genesis 3:10-11
Genesis 3:10-11 “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Now Adam speaks. And the first…
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Running From the Voice – Genesis 3:8
Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” This is one of the saddest scenes in all of Scripture. The very voice…
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Love Has to Be Chosen – Genesis 2:16-17
Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it… for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. I like the way this begins…
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The Pain of a Chosen Mark – Revelation 16:2
Revelation 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. The first bowl falls, and with it comes a terrible affliction. Painful sores break out on…
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Kept by Jesus – 1 John 5:17-18
1 John 5:17, 18 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. John begins by saying all unrighteousness is sin. He does not blur the line.…
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The Seed That Will Not Let Him Rest – 1 John 3:9
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. John is still driving home the same truth. Because Jesus came to take away sin and to destroy the works of the devil, the man who is…
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Why Jesus Came – 1 John 3:5-8
1 John 3:5-8 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that…
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Practicing Sin – 1 John 3:4
1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. John is not talking here about the believer who stumbles, grieves, confesses, and gets back up. He is not describing the man who hates his sin even while struggling against it. The word translated “committeth” carries the…
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Tender Words, Serious Warning – 1 John 2:1
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. There is such tenderness in this verse. John writes like an old shepherd speaking to those he loves dearly. He says, My little…
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The Lie of Sinless Claims – 1 John 1:8
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. John is fearless here. He does not soften the edge of this verse, because the danger is too great. He says plainly that if we claim to have no sin, we are not merely…
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When Sin Loses Its Shine – 1 Peter 4:1-3
1 Peter 4:1-3 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will…
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Do the Good You Already Know – James 4:17
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James ends the chapter by making it painfully simple. Sin is not only doing what is wrong. It is also refusing to do what you already know is right. That hits closer than most of us…
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Do Not Be Fooled – James 1:16
James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. James stops and says, in effect, “Do not get this wrong.” That little sentence is short, but it carries weight. He has just traced the path of lust, sin, and death. Then he pauses and gives this loving warning: Do not err. Do not wander in your…
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What Sin Always Brings – James 1:14–15
James 1:14–15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Sin never shows up telling the truth about itself. It does not knock on the door looking ugly and deadly.…
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Dead Men Walking – Ephesians 2:1
God’s work in us is crucial because of the sin that worked against us. Before Christ intervened, we were not drowning swimmers waving for help. We were lifeless bodies at the bottom of the sea.