The Three-Letter Word No One Wants to Talk About

It seems most people today don't really know what "sin" means. Two biblical festivals can help us understand why God considers sin so bad.

Sin isn't something most people talk about very much. Many churches don't talk much about it either. Forgiveness is more frequently mentioned. Clara Null tells the story of a young boy who knew the connection. After a lesson on Christian behavior, she asked, "Billy, tell me what we must do before we can expect to be forgiven for our sins."

Billy replied, "First we gotta sin" (Edward Rowell, editor, 1001 Quotes, Illustrations and Humorous Stories, 1996, p. 520).

That's the easy part! The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. tells us that everyone sins, and that every sin earns us the death penalty (Romans 3:23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
See All...; 6:23). But why is sin so bad?

Some think of sin as what we want to do but aren't allowed to do. But really it's what God says we shouldn't do because it will hurt us and others. God hates sin because it's like an evil disease that will ultimately make His children suffer and die. God is our Creator, and He knows what is good for us and what will bring harm.

You see, for eternity God has lived the give way of life—He is love. His way of life has been recorded in the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. as His law—a set of eternal principles that can help us see how to love the way He loves.

But sin is the opposite. It's lawlessness—breaking God's laws (1 John 3:4Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
See All...)—and it leads to death (Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
See All...). Murder, sexual sin, stealing, lying, warping the way God wants to be worshipped—breaking any of God's laws destroys the connections of love He wants us to have with Him and each other.

Paying the price for us

Since we have all condemned ourselves to death by desecrating the beautiful, loving relationships God has designed us to have, how can our death penalty be pardoned?

The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. tells the dramatic story of how God set the Israelites free from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites had to kill a lamb and put its blood on their doors to alert the death angel to pass over their homes and spare their firstborn children. They were told to commemorate this great example of God's intervention and protection each spring with the Passover festival.

When Jesus Christ came, He was willing to take our death penalty on Himself, to be "our Passover ... sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
See All...). Now Christians who follow the pattern of the New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. Church rehearse Christ's sacrifice annually at the Passover festival (1 Corinthians 11:23-26 [23] For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
[24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
[25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
[26] For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

See All...).

But this is not a license to continue sinning. For our good, He tells us to "sin no more" (John 5:14Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
See All...; 8:11). By keeping God's laws, we can build strong relationships with God and each other (Matthew 22:37-40 [37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

See All...).

Insidious sin

Even after we've repented and been forgiven, sin too easily creeps back in.

If you've ever seen bread, rolls or donuts rising before being cooked, you've seen an analogy of how sin insidiously grows. The bread is raised (leavened) by yeast fermenting the raw dough—that is, converting sugar within the dough to gas, causing it to expand. Just a little yeast will spread throughout an entire lump of dough.

The apostle Paul explains that yeast—leavening—is symbolic of sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-7 [6] Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
[7] Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

See All...). It works secretly, permeating us, puffing us up from the inside and even spreading to others. Pride—of an individual or a group—can lead to all kinds of evil, as can malice and hypocrisy, which the BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. also connects with leaven.

When Paul wrote this to the church in pagan Corinth, it seems he wrote in the spring of the year and his analogies tied in perfectly with the season. God had commanded a festival called the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the seven days right after the Passover. This festival was not just for the Israelites, as this gentile New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. congregation in this Sin City of the ancient world also observed God's Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Paul wrote, "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
See All...).

Paul shows here that the eating of unleavened bread and avoidance of leavening during the festival were intended to teach a spiritual lesson. Avoiding sin (represented by leaven) requires taking in the true unleavened bread in a figurative sense. The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. describes it as letting Jesus Christ (who never sinned) live in us (Galatians 2:20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
See All...).

So, as Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread approach (Passover starting this year at sunset April 7 and the seven-day festival running from sunset April 8 through sunset April 15), think about this life-and-death matter. Passover reminds us of the need to repent of sin and have its penalty covered by Jesus Christ's sacrifice. Unleavened Bread reminds us of the importance of overcoming sin with Christ's help.

These festivals of God are explained in more detail in the booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind . Find it on our Web site or order a free copy to be mailed to you. And our caring personal correspondence team is always ready to answer further questions you may have.

Sin is serious. Repent. Go and sin no more. Choose life! VT