Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”
and sin is lawlessness
Sin is incompatible with the nature of God expressed in His law and Word. Sin is coextensive with lawlessness (Ro 2:29). Sin is by its very nature lawless.
Sin is anything contrary to the character of God. Sin is more than breaking the 10 commandments because it involves lawlessness. It defies the moral essence, character, and authority of God. Sin is essentially insubordinate to God; it defies and violates God’s standards of righteousness, whether incorporated in the Mosaic Law or not.
PRINCIPLE:
We cannot please God except by a new nature because of the absolute character of a perfect God.
APPLICATION:
Sin is the repudiation of the expressed will of God.
Man cannot please God without a new nature. If a man attempts to keep the law without the nature to do so, he will fail. The only thing that can bridle the passions of men is a change of heart. The fundamental cause of all sin problems and all law breaking is a heart issue.
Education will not change the heart. We can have the finest schools and teachers with the greatest facility, but if there is no change in the nature of the students, they will fail because they cannot touch the root of the issue.
Psychology does not change the heart of man. It can change overt behavior patterns and some attitudes but not the fundamental heart of man.
Governmental laws and police enforcement cannot change the heart of man. Legislation against gun laws cannot stop the person who wants to murder. Anarchy mounts, and we get nowhere.
Man is not a sinner because he commits sins; he commits sins because he is a sinner (3:8). Our outward sin is an index of our inner nature. Only by new birth do we get a new nature. Only by a new nature can we please God and do His will.
OLD NATURE NEW NATURE
“old man” Ro 6:6 “the new man” Co 3:10
“the flesh” Ga 5:24 “the Spirit” Ga 5:17
“corruptible seed” I Pe 1:23 “God’s seed” I Jn 3:9
