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Episode Notes
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TranscriptIntroduction
I’m your host AMBrewster, and today we’re starting what I intend to be an 11 part series entitled “How Your Children Respond to Sin.”
This is a super important topic because your kids can’t ever fully escape temptation and sin. It’s all around them, it’s in them, and they moment-by-moment are responding to the sin in their lives in so many different ways. If I asked the average Christian how they respond to sin, I think most of them would say something like, “I give in to it.” And that’s true, but sin’s effects on us are so greater than that. We must understand what sin is and how it affects us and our kids if we’re ever going to mature and help them do the same. As always, each of these episodes will have free notes, a transcript, and carefully curated resources so you can expand and deepen your study as necessary. So, what do you say we jump into today’s topic: The Nature of Sin. Topic
In a message entitled What is Sin?, John MacArthur said, “Our culture has really declared war not only on sin, because they don’t want anything defined as sin. Everything is just a lifestyle choice; nothing is a sin. So, our culture has declared war on sin and consequently declared war on guilt. The very idea of guilt is considered medieval, obsolete, and certainly unhealthful. There was a mega-bestseller 20 years ago by Wayne Dyer, Dr. Wayne Dyer; it was called “Your Erroneous Zones.” And he said the most useless of all erroneous zones is guilt. He said, ‘Guilt,’ quote, ‘must be exterminated, spray-cleaned and sterilized forever.’ We have to get rid of guilt. And he says here’s how you do it. Quote, ‘Do something which you know is bound to result in feelings of guilt. Take a week to be alone. If you’ve always wanted to do something, despite the guilt engendering protestations from other members of your family, these kinds of behavior will help you tackle that omnipresent guilt.’ In other words, if you feel guilty about certain things, do them and just keep doing them till you don’t feel guilty anymore. He says, ‘Defy your guilt, spurn your husband, spurn your children, attack that sense of self-disapproval head on. Do something that is sure to make you feel guilty and just keep doing it till you don’t feel guilty anymore. Refuse to hear the cries of conscience, the duties of family responsibility, the appeals of your loved ones. You owe it to yourself. Sear your conscience.’”
And then he says later, “Christian Scientists tell us that sin is an illusion. It’s not. The liberals tell us that sin is merely finiteness; to be human is to err. And the dualistic philosophers tell us that sin is the flesh as opposed to the spirit, which is pure. Now, those are all wrong.” Mankind has never and will never understand sin outside of God’s Word. Without the omniscience of God, neither we nor our kids can ever hope to understand and correctly react to the sin in our lives. So, it’s important for us to understand three points today. First, we’re going to look at a definition of sin, then we’re going to discuss this thing called the sin nature, and then we’re going to end looking at the constant battle that is sin. But first, I’d like to tell you about Faithtree Biblical Counseling & Discipleship. Faithtree is part of the Evermind Ministries family. It’s the ministry where we interact with people as they are looking for biblical crisis counseling and personal discipleship. At the end of every episode when we invite you to reach out if you have any questions or desire personalized assistance for the struggles in your family, we’re offering to put you in contact with our biblical counselors. So, whether it’s in light of what you learned at Truth.Love.Family. or the Year Long Celebration of God, or Faithtree, it’s all handled by me and the other Evermind counselors. So, please reach out and let us know how we can serve you and your family. You can reach us at [email protected] or [email protected]. And now let’s look at . . . 1. The Definition I can’t really make the definition an simpler than this. A. Sin is the violation of God’s law. That’s really all we need to say. Whether we’re falling short of it or we’re transgressing it, sin is violating God’s law. Now, the Bible is filled definitions, examples, and principles. Countless books have been written and messages preached on the nature of sin, but we don’t have that kind of time today. So, let me share some resources with you that will help you dig deeper into understanding the nature of sin. First, we have episode 199, Your Child's Bungee | the nature of sin and parenting. In episode 237 we answer the question What is Your Child's Sin? Episode 274 discusses Why Your Family Has Ups and Downs. Each of those TLP episodes will unpack another facet of sin as it relates to parenting your kids. But I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the most concise biblical verses on the topic of sin. Romans 3:23 reads, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” I John 3:4 says, “Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” And I John 5:17 tells us, “All unrighteousness is sin.” The example is often used of an archery target and the arrow that falls short of it’s mark. My friend describes him in a hypothetical competition against a rival trying to see who can swim across the Atlantic the fastest. Of course, it doesn’t matter how far each of them gets, they will both fall short of being able to swim the whole thing. But even those examples fall short because God is infinite. We are finite. We could try for all eternity, and we would still fall short of the glory of God. We would still fall short of measuring up to His standards. We would still fall short of perfectly doing the right things in the right ways for the right reasons. But I do want to get more specific, so that our understanding is a little broader. B. Sin involves commission and omission. When most people think about sin, they think about doing the wrong things . . . committing a sin. But sin is also any time we omit doing what is right. Galatians 5:19-21 list out the works of the flesh, the actions we commit that are sinful, but James 4:17 reads, “to one who knows to do the right thing and does not do it, to him it is sin.” That means every time we sin, we’re doubly sinning. Not only did we do wrong by being impatient with our kids, we also failed to be patient. We omitted love and sinned via hatred. Both are significant, both are sin, and both need to be addressed. But we also have to understand that . . . C. Sin is most often committed mindlessly. Sin can and is often a deliberate, conscious act. Premeditated murder is obviously sinful, but a crime of passion, one that wasn’t planned out, a murder that was a mindless emotional attack is just as sinful. Most of the sins you and your children commit or omit in a day are mindless. We don’t even think once let alone twice. We blindly just feel our way through life doing whatever seems right in the moment, and—more often than not—we’re committing clear sins and omitting expected righteousness without even realizing it. Judges 21:25 tells us that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Proverbs tell us that an ignorant fool, a sluggard, a rich man, and everyone else does what’s right in their own eyes, but according to Proverbs 21:2, “Yahweh weighs the hearts.” He’s the one who actually knows and gets to say whether what we did was actually right or not. So, that’s sin. Sin is any and every time whether on purpose or mindlessly that we either do something God says we shouldn’t or not do something He says we should. It encompasses what we do, how we do it, why we do it, and the power in which we do it because God’s Word communicates His expectations concerning all of those things. Now, let’s expand our study today by considering this concept known as the Sin Nature. But first I want to invite you to purchase my new book, Quit: How to Stop Family Strife for Good. Quit is a concise and thoroughly biblical book all about the Creators, Consequences, Causes, and Cure for strife. You can purchase it for only $10. Just visit EvermindMinistries.com, TruthLoveParent.com, or simply click the link in the description of today’s episode to get your copy. Now, let’s talk about . . . 2. The Sin Nature A. Sin is spiritual. Again, we don’t have the time here to go into a robust theological discussion concerning the sin nature. This is a high level overview so that we understand the important realities. For this point we turn to Romans 5:12 which reads “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” I Corinthians 15:21-22 gives more detail, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” Because Adam, our federal head, sinned, his sin was passed down to all of his decedents. Romans 3:10-12 reads, “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Though it may be a little confusing, the Scripture often uses the word “flesh” to refer to our sin nature. Romans 8:5-8 reads, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” In Romans 7:13-25, Paul personally illustrates the dynamic of being a regenerated individual with a sin nature. He says, “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” It’s important that we realize that the flesh of which Paul speaks here is truly a spiritual reality, otherwise we run the risk of believing that it’s the physical flesh that is sinful. This belief has lead to aestheticism and the belief that everything tangible is evil and the only holy things are spiritual. But even our spirits are not holy without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in us. You and your children have a nature that is sinful. Our default is to sin. It’s by God’s common grace that unbelievers don’t act as sinfully as they could, and it’s God’s sanctifying grace that allows believers to mature in Christlikeness. And it’s important to note that the sin nature isn’t bestowed upon us at some later date. At the moment of conception—the moment of personhood—we are sinners. Psalm 51:5 tells us, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.." Your children are not innocent. Their natural propensity is to break God’s law. They want to worship anything other than God, and they have no natural compunction to submit to God’s authority in their lives. And the same is true of us. But’s it’s also interesting to note that . . . B. Sin is physical. This point isn’t as important as it is interesting. I don’t want to confuse what I said before about the spiritual nature of sin, but the link between Adam and our sin natures is interesting. I believe—and I’ve made this observation before—that sin is biologically passed down through the men. Jesus was born of a virgin—in part—because He had to be born sinless. Romans 8:3-4 tells us that God “sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Though Jesus looked like any other human who has the sin nature, He did not. He was and is the perfect, spotless Lamb, slain so that He could perfectly pay the price of our sin—which is eternal death and separation from God. Since Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit and Mary, and since He did not inherit a sin nature through his sinful mother, I believe it’s accurate to conclude that the spiritual sin nature does pass down uniquely through the man’s contribution to life. Whether that is a spiritual transition, a biological one, or a mix of the two, we don’t know because the Bible doesn’t say. Like I said . . . interesting, not necessarily important, unless we’re going to rightly conclude that there is no way our kids can escape the affects of sin in their lives. Both physically and spiritually, their nature is a sinful one. By the way, we have an episode that’s linked for you in the description called What is a Good Kid? That episode should help you better understand what a truly good kid is. C. Sin is our greatest enemy. Sin is what makes us stupid enough to pursue our own way over God’s. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what creates strife in our lives. Sin is what causes all the pain and destruction in our lives. It’s been said that we are our own worst enemies, and that’s true. But—more specifically—our own sinful hearts are our worst enemies. But we’re going to flesh this point out more on our next and final point. However, before I do that, I want to remind you that MyPillow supports this show when and only when you visit MyPillow.com and use the promo code EVERMIND to purchase any number of their amazing products. They have towels, sheets, pillows, coffee, slippers, robes, dog beds, mattress toppers, pajamas, blankets, and even energy drinks. In addition to that, they offer free shipping on purchases over $75. So, use the link in the description, enrich your life with MyPillow’s amazing products, and give back to TLP in the process. And now let’s consider . . . 3. The Constant Battle As we desire to understand how your kids react to the sin in their lives, we need to grapple with the nature of sin. And as we come to grips with the reality that sin is anything and everything that breaks God’s law, and we can’t help but sin because it’s encoded into our very DNA and intertwined with our spirits, it’s then that we realize that sin is our greatest enemy that is ever warring against us. I go into significant detail about this point in The Spiritual Warfare in Your Home Series. If you’ve never taken the time to work through that, you really should—especially in relation to this study. It’s so helpful as it unpacks the Scriptural information about the reality of the spiritual war we all wage on a moment-by-moment basis. And it’s in that study that we learn that our three greatest enemies are as follows . . . A. Satan Satan was the first of God’s creation to sin. His sin didn’t immediately affect humanity because he is an angel. However, his sin did tempt a third of the angels to also rebel against God. And—of course—it was his sinful temptation of Eve that lead to mankind sinning and passing down that sin nature to everyone who has ever lived save our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we know that Satan is still at work in the world trying frivolously to undermine God’s eternal plan. We know that he and his forces have the ability to affect the physical world including—but not limited to—possessing unbelievers. But he’s a lot more limited when it comes to influencing believers. If your kids are unsaved, they are susceptible to demonic influence in ways that your born again kids are not. Please listen to The Spiritual Warfare in Your Home Series for practical exhortation and even personal illustration of how we can protect our kids from demonic forces. But one of the biggest ways that Satan influences believers is through . . . B. The World The World System is the worldview, the belief system, of Satan. As sinful hearts and demonic forces run from God and pursue self-worship, they create a culture of sin, a failure philosophy of lies and destruction. This World System is a source of great temptation to the believers. It’s through entertainment and education and the daily interaction with the people of this world that Christians are tempted to believe wrong things about God and ourselves. Unsaved kids are extra susceptible to this influence because they do not have the light and truth of God in them, but saved kids are still very easily influenced by the lies that stroke our sin natures. However, neither Satan nor the World are capable of making us do anything. They can tempt, but they can’t cause us to sin. That’s why our greatest enemy, and the biggest battle we face every day is against . . . C. The Flesh James 1 teaches this truth in verses 13-15, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death.” Yes, Satan and other people can tempt us from the outside just like Satan tempted Jesus. But the temptation that leads to actual sin comes from inside us—our own lusts—our own sin nature. A person can tempt you to smoke crack, but if you have no desire, the internal temptation isn’t there, and you won’t smoke crack. But if you want to smoke it, you will pursue it even if there is no one outside of you tempting you to do it. I John 2:15-17 tells us, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.” The sinful worldview of the World exists in our sinful hearts. This is why our lusts work themselves out in relation to the flesh—the comforts of this life—our eyes—that which attracts us—and pride—that which revolves completely around our desires. This is the battle you and your kids are waging every day, and—I would go so far as to say—that we’re often losing every day. But the unique benefit of this series is not merely opening our eyes to the reality that our kids are sinners, but—more importantly—recognizing how our kids respond to sin. When we understand and can identify the various responses, we will be able to help them overcome sin and glorify God far better than when we’re ignorant of the responses to sin. Conclusion
As we conclude today, allow me to point you back to the description of this episode. In addition to the other resources I mentioned we also have a variety of Sin Specific Episodes that will help you respond biblically to the sin in your children’s lives. But we also have our much-loved Teach Your Children to Obey Series that does exactly what it claims to do.
And don’t forget about the various offers today. You can purchase Quit: How to Stop Family Strife for Good, you can support TLP by shopping at MyPillow.com/evermind or using the promo code EVERMIND at checkout, and you email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (828) 423-0894 if you would like some personalized biblical counsel. I have openings in my counseling schedule, and would love to open God’s Word with you to better understand how you can glorify Him in your present trials and temptations. And—of course—please share this series with your friends so they too can learn to parent their kids better by learning how their kids respond to the unavoidable temptation in their lives. To that end, on our next episode we’ll be taking a more in-depth look at the part temptation plays in our kids sinful choices. I’ll see you then.
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