Hennie Symington

For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

As believers, there is one thing that stands between all of us and our creator and that is sin. For many believers today sin has become relative, yet sin is the one thing that touches us all. We are all in the stranglehold of sin.

How does one recognise sin? Paul puts it quite clearly when he says: "…through the law comes the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20c). We are dependent on the Holy Spirit to guide us and to inform us. At the same time, Paul urges us to forgive and to console one another when sin brings division and pain. “What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:10).When Christ has forgiven us, He doesn’t continue to call up our sins for all eternity. In the same way we should forgive those that “sin against us” (Matthew 6).

The question of why God allows sin, often arises in the mind of believers? The answer is simply that God made us more than animals driven by basic instincts and needs. God created man in his image and in his divine will, instilled in us the freedom of choice implying that we can enter either into a loving relationship with him or turn away from him. Thanks be to God that he made us in his image as living beings with the freedom of choice. Yet, it is this God-given freedom to choose that challenges us to choose for God and goodness, or sin and bondage in everything we do or say. Indeed, that’s the beauty and the burden of being human.

Prayer: Forgive us o Lord, that we cannot overcome the human bondage to sin. Thank you for releasing us from that bondage by sending your Son to bear the burden for us. Amen