Man’s sinfulness and sins of a particular nature originated in and with the Fall of Adam, and in the New Testament this fact is clearly stated when we read that by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners. Every child of Adam is born in sin and shapen in iniquity and goes astray from God from the womb speaking lies. All have sinned and do sin and come short of the glory of God. In all this man transgresseth also the law, that is, the law of God, for sin is the transgression of the law which is holy, just and good. And he that committeth sin is of the devil being in some degree under his influence from time to time as the god of this world, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, this disobedience having a direct relationship to God and His law. Of course the carnal mind of man is enmity against God and is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
And thus men are atheists, idolaters, blasphemers, Sabbath breakers, disobedient to parents and lawful authority, and give themselves to all uncleanness, kill, steal, bear false witness and are covetous. All these evils involve men in violations of the divine law and are found in the hearts, words and actions of all classes of men everywhere. What the divine lawgiver requires of man, that is what man hates, and what He forbids that is what man delights in.
God is the great “I am” and is a holy and just God of whom it is written “That evil shall not dwell with Him, nor fools stand in His sight.” And He holds men responsible for their sins and punishes them for their sins here and hereafter. Thus men are exposed to all the miseries of this life, to death itself and to the pains of hell for ever. All these solemn consequences are revealed and explained in the Word of God. But men even under the hearing of the Word of God evidence the great darkness of their minds when they continue and persevere in a life of sin with a complacent and silent conscience.
Sin has such a power in and over man that even when God in cases clearly reproveth him by some signal and unmistakable stroke of adversity in providence, he but hardens his neck and ignores the rod and He who hath appointed it. The natural man of his own wisdom will not recognise nor hear the voice of God speaking to him in His Word or providence. He is the slave of sin, let the consequences be what they may.
Especially in the history of outstandingly wicked men, it is seen that one particular sin often leads to another and other heinous sins. One sin of a special character calls for the committing of an additional sin and further sins and thus men are allured and deceived by sin and entangled in a whole series of sins. This can be seen in the history of the conduct of Joseph’s brethren as to the wicked way in which they envied him to begin with and then ultimately sold him into Egypt and then as to the lies they told their father Jacob to cover up their conduct. But “he that covereth his sin shall not prosper,” and many a miserable sinner finds this out even in time to their dismay.
The sin of one man, according to its particular nature, can be severely injurious to his neighbour. A wicked example is calculated to lead others astray in an evil line of conduct to their ruin. And he who, for example, bears false witness against his neighbour can do grievous harm and hurt to his neighbour among men; and the Lord knows all things and what is false and what is true. And the drunkard can bring grief, poverty and misery upon a whole family, who have no part or responsibility in his sin. And there is the great sin of some men that they preach another gospel which is not the gospel of Jesus Christ, and are thus responsible for leading sinners astray for eternity. This is indeed a terrible type of sin in relation to others.
In the Proverbs it is recorded that, “Fools make a mock at sin,” and it may also be said that those who make a mock at sin in this matter reveal themselves to be fools indeed. For such as in this manner deal with sin may be intellectuals and have a reputation for more than an ordinary measure of wisdom in the affairs of the world. Yet when such, in cases, are confronted with the doctrine and the fact of sin reveal that they are utterly devoid of the wisdom which is from above in that they may deny its reality, or minimise it, or endeavour to explain it away without any reference to the teaching of Scripture which they despise at any rate. They will have sin to be something other than that which is defined as sin in the Scriptures. They are lighthearted and bold in their attitude to it and scorn those who fear and shun sin. The enemies of the Cross of Christ are
said to “glory in their shame”—their sin. All such trifle with a stark and terrible reality.
God alone can in His divine mercy convict and convince men of their personal sins by the power of His blessed Spirit bringing the light of His law to shine into their minds and consciences, for “by the law is the knowledge of sin”; and further bring them to cry for mercy to the God against whom they have sinned. And in His sovereign grace, God is ready to forgive and rich in mercy to all that call upon Him and as He leads them in the light of the truth of the gospel to behold the suffering Redeemer putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, in the exercise of that precious faith which is the gift of God. Then, and then only, will men weep over their sins after a godly manner and be saved from the prospect of eternal ruin in hell, and have the hope of eternal life and the glory of God. Thus men are brought to deny ungodliness and to live in the fear of God; and in looking back to wonder at the patience and longsuffering of the Most High toward them. They shall truly say from the heart: “With us He dealt not as we sinned” (Ps. ciii: v. 10). The prayer of the forgiven and saved sinner will frequently be: “… cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression” (Ps. xix: verses 12 and 13).