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THE DECEITFULNESS OF SIN

No force is more clandestinely deceitful, irreparably destructive and intrusively addictive as sin. Sin is not just something we do. It is a destructive force. It has a mind of its own and is unwittingly deceitful. That's what we are up against - we shouldn't underestimate our enemy - and that's what we have to overcome. Sin is the source of all the suffering in the world. And, worse still, it wars against the soul (1 Peter 2:11). Sin presents itself as something that satisfies the soul while in real sense it wars against it.

Hebrews 3:13 warns us against being "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Ephesians 4:22 warns us against deceitful desires. Our enemy has one device, a lone trick up his sleeve: deception. Sin comes draped in the mantle of necessity, need, urgency, natural inclinations or unavoidable urge but its aim is to get us to depend on something, love something or trust something other than God and His Word, all the while it whispers in our hears, "No one will find out, there will be no consequences, everyone is doing it, it isn't wrong." Or as Psalms 94:7 puts it, "The Lord does not see". All those are lies, of course. There was never a sin without a consequence. The Lord does see. The repercussions may delay, but they sure will come. "..and be sure, your sin will find you out. " as Numbers 32:23 warns. 

Our enemy has one device, a lone trick up his sleeve: deception. Sin comes draped in the mantle of necessity, need, urgency, natural inclinations or unavoidable urge.

Sin does not deliver on its promise. It promises good life but delivers death; it promises satisfaction but leaves us craving and unsatisfied; it promises peace but results in fear and trepidation. Charles Spurgeon had this to say on the subject, "..sin is deceitful in its object, for the object which it puts before us is not that which is its actual result. We are not tempted to provoke our Maker, or wilfully cast off the authority of righteousness. We are not invited to do these things for their own sake. No, no; we are moved to do evil under the idea that some present good will come of it."  Unfortunately, no good is to be obtained from evil. Ellen G. White wrote, I paraphrase, "Sin has the power to turn every blessing into a curse... but, if one was poor and most deprived, and yet steered himself clear of sin, it would be to him the greatest blessing of his life."

Sin is dangerous not just because it wields the power of death but it also perverts justice, thwarts the will of God and locks away blessings due to us. But worse of all, sin has a hardening effect upon the heart and soul, so that one is unable to respond to the bidding of the spirit to repentance. If we indulge long enough, we find ourselves unwilling and therefore unable to change. We are both warned and encouraged, "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13 (K.J.V). We should remind one another of the danger of sin, its incompatibility with godliness, and its destructive power. And while at it, we should remember, with a great sense of gratitude, the glorious redemption available to us through repentance to God and trust in the complete works of Jesus Christ.

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