03.03. The Touchstone of CONVICTION OF SIN
03. The Touchstone of CONVICTION OF SIN
I wish to speak in this chapter about the nature of sin, and to point out what Paul calls its ’exceeding sinfulness.’ And surely if this evil is actually dwelling within us, it is the height of folly to hide it from ourselves. But on the contrary it is our wisdom to discover it, and to inquire how we may rid ourselves of it. Yes, if there is an enemy within that troubles us — if there is a deadly disease which weakens and undermines our spiritual health — it is indeed a blessing if we can dislodge it from its stronghold. And further, if there is such a blessing as forgiveness with God, and if there is a way of destroying sin, and introducing holiness in its place — it is well to direct our thoughts to it, and to make it the subject of our prayers.
What is sin? In the world’s eye, there are certain offences which it pronounces sinful. Dishonesty for instance, drunkenness, and acts of violence — it unsparingly condemns; and against these the laws of the country even protest. But this is only a partial view to take of sin. What is sin in God’s sight?
’Sin (says John) is the transgression of the law.’ Everything which is contrary to God’s will, and every breach of His command, is sin. It may be open, or it may be hidden; it may rest in the heart, and never leave its hiding-place; we may intend to do a wrong thing, and never have an opportunity of doing it — but it is equally sinful in God’s sight, though not in man’s.
God also looks upon every sin as an offence against Him. We may, for instance, injure a fellow-creature and do him much harm; but the wrong is not merely against him, but against God. Thus, when David took away Uriah’s wife from him, he did not merely do a grievous injury to Uriah — but his offence was against God; so that when he was brought to see the greatness of his sin, this was his language; ’Against You, You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight!’ Doubtless he had wronged Uriah — grievously wronged him — he had done him an irreparable injury; but this was nothing compared with the sin which he had committed against God; for sin is the transgression of His law. This thought seemed to fill him with sorrow, and make him tremble before God. The same feeling was also in Joseph’s mind, when temptation suddenly came in his way. He immediately exclaimed — not, ’How can I risk the loss of my good character, or how can I bring sorrow into the house of my master Potiphar’ — but ’How shall I do this great wickedness — and sin against God?’
Look upon sin then, every sin, as a direct offence against God Himself. The world may know nothing of it; our fellow men, even our nearest friends, may not suspect it. We ourselves may have thought lightly of it, and it may soon have been forgotten. But still all sin is recorded in God’s memory — and if not forgiven and put away, it will rise up in judgment against us!
Again, the greatness of a sin in the world’s estimate in a measure depends upon its discovery. There are many who go on for years in acts of dishonesty, or acts of impurity, or acts of ungodliness — but a curtain is drawn over it all — it is hidden from view — and the person preserves his good name, and is perhaps highly esteemed among men. But all the while God knows his true character. He looks within, into the very depths of the heart — and not a thought, not a desire, not a single action escapes His all-searching eye! This is the God with whom we have to do — a heart-searching, a heart-trying, a heart-knowing God! And therefore in that beautiful prayer, which we use before the reading of His Commandments, we address Him as ’Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden;’ and then we ask Him to ’Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by His Holy Spirit.’
Another thing that I will mention with regard to sin, is its greatness. The world talks of small sins, trifling sins, pardonable sins — but no sins are small in God’s sight. Every sin is an abomination to Him. He is ’of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity.’ He is a holy God, and sin is His abhorrence. His Word declares that ’The wages of sin is death!’ ’The soul that sins it shall surely die!’ ’He will by no means clear the guilty.’ It was sin that brought the Savior into the world — and it was sin that nailed Him to the cross! It was sin, one sin, that expelled our First Parents from God’s happy presence in the garden of Eden. And if we are excluded forever from the heavenly paradise, it will be our sin that is the cause.
It has been remarked by Farrar, that ’it only takes one step to land us in the wrong path; but after that one step comes another and another; and little by little, and step by step, the wrong path may lead you as far astray as the distance between Heaven and Hell.’ We all know that a boy by mere carelessness, by playing with gunpowder, by neglecting a sprain, by lying for five minutes on the damp grass — may lay in himself the seeds of a disease or an agony, which may end only with his life. But be sure — and this is a far more solemn truth — that it is so also morally.
Beware then, oh beware of encouraging the smallest sin — of letting in the smallest drop of that which may poison and ruin your soul — and that forever! But there is this remarkable thing about sin, to which I will now call your special attention. It may, and often does, exist within us, and yet cause us no uneasiness. We may be unconscious of its presence, and we may be happy even, while it is ruining us. It is only when God by His Holy Spirit awakens us, and shows us what we really are — that we begin to be troubled. Then we see sin in its true light, and feel that it is ’exceeding sinful.’
Now then for something practical.
We have seen what the nature of sin is — that it is the transgression or breaking of God’s law, and an offence against God Himself.
We have seen that sin is great and soul-ruining.
We have seen that sin is a hidden evil, of which we are often unconscious.
Now, let me implore you not to let an hour pass without calling your sins to remembrance. Let me entreat you to take a backward glance, and a very solemn review of the past. Try and refresh your memory with regard to your forgotten sins. They may have been committed long ago — but still they are lying at your door.
Confess them to God. He knows them even more accurately than we know them ourselves — but He will have us acknowledge them. Tell them out to Him one by one, and let none be passed by.
Seek for their entire removal. How? There is but one remedy for us, but one Paymaster who can discharge our debt. The blood of Jesus Christ alone can cleanse us from past sin. Go to the Cross, and lay down your burden there — your heavy burden — your enormous burden — your burden which has been accumulating year after year — that burden which weighs down your soul, and keeps it from rising heavenwards. Thank God, we have in Christ ’Redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins!’
Go to the Cross daily and hourly, not only to obtain pardon — but also to keep alive in your soul an abiding impression of the deep and awful nature of sin. Remember it was sin that caused your Savior all His sorrows. It made His heart constantly bleed when upon earth. Oh then, how much evil there must have been in it! How much poison in sin — to require such a remedy to destroy it! Learn from this to tremble at sin. Plague, pestilence, and famine are nothing compared to sin — these weaken the body, but sin ruins the soul!
Oh for a truer and deeper conviction of sin! Oh that God may show it to us in all its deep colors! Oh that our conscience may be awakened, so that we may smite upon our breasts and cry for mercy! For unless we feel our sins, we shall never seek to rid ourselves of them. And though we may have obtained forgiveness through God’s infinite mercy, still the smart of sin will ever remain in us, and it ought to remain — for though the wound may be entirely healed, the scar remains to remind us of the past, and to keep us humble. And now let me apply the Touchstone. Is sin a real trouble to you? Do you hate it? Is it loathsome to your sight? Can you truly say that the remembrance of our sins is grievous unto us — and the burden of them is intolerable? Have you taken your sins to the Cross, and are you ever taking them there, to have them crucified with Christ, and expelled by Him? May God help you to do so!