When men choose to reject the truth, God tends to withhold further truth from them. The result is spiritual and intellectual darkness.
Sin causes a man's strength to fail. On the contrary, "the way of the LORD is strength to the upright." Man's choice to sin will eradicate his strength.
Sin withholds good things from man that he would otherwise have opportunity to enjoy. Instead of peace, sin brings unrest, frustration, and heartaches.
Sin is not to be considered a light matter. In other words, it is not to be mocked. Only a fool would demonstrate this kind of behaviour toward sin.
The Bible does not always paint man in a positive light, yet it always paints him accurately. According to scripture, there is no man that sinneth not.
A talebearer as one that bears a tale or reveals secrets (Proverbs 11:13; Proverbs 20:19). This type of sin is regretfully a plague amongst modern Christianity.
Some of the most popular televangelists garner their popularity by falsely teaching that God wants everyone wealthy. God simply does not want everyone to have riches. Yet, if wealth is gained through scriptural means, it can be used to do much good (by supporting missionaries, helping those in need, furthering the gospel, etc.). The Bible clearly teaches that it is wrong for anyone to seek to become wealthy. Yet, one should equally not set out to be poor. As such, every believer should know how to avoid self-induced poverty. According to scripture, there are certain actions or inactions that ultimately lead to poverty: laziness (Proverbs 6:10-11; Proverbs 24:33-34), greediness (Proverbs 11:24), pleasure loving (Proverbs 21:17; Proverbs 23:21), and following vain persons (Proverbs 28:19). These truths hold constant on both an individual level as well as collectively.
Every individual to a certain degree is a prime target for temptation. Yet, because of personal choices and circumstances, some people are a far greater target than others. According to scripture, ungodly fellowship (Exodus 23:33; Exodus 34:12; Proverbs 22:24-26), riches (Deuteronomy 7:25; 1 Timothy 6:9), and broken vows (Proverbs 20:25) are a few of the things that weaken the believer’s ability to endure temptation. Some of these are blatantly sinful while others can be innocent. Each believer needs to diligently seek the Lord regardless of whether or not any of these things are present in his life. However, the presence of these things only works to heighten a man’s temptations.
When Adam transgressed, he affected and infected all that would come after him. When God created man, He did so after His own likeness (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 5:1), but when Adam bore a son after the fall, the Bible says that Adam “begat a son in his own likeness” (Genesis 5:3). Adam’s sin came with dire consequences experienced by all. All those born of Adam’s seed bear Adam’s image (1 Corinthians 15:47-49) and the Bible points out that “in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22). At the same time, no man faces the eternal judgment of God for bearing Adam’s image, but he does so based upon his own practice of sin and refusal to accept God’s free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
As already discussed, the word salvation is used throughout the word of God, but depending upon the context, the intended meaning varies. Failure to understand the different usages has led many to espouse some of the most egregious false doctrines. It is important to understand that the foundational meaning of the word salvation refers to deliverance. The vast majority of occurrences in the word of God actually refer to physical deliverance rather than a soul’s salvation. The word salvation can often be found within the context to describe the time when someone received deliverance from a specific trial or a threatening enemy. The most common usage today among believers relates to spiritual deliverance offered through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
