Sin is Short
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. ~ Isaiah 59:2
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. ~ Romans 3:23
Sin is a popular and pervasive practice, but it is not considered to be the appropriate topic of polite conversation. The world views sin subjectively and relatively. Scarcely can we find two agreed on what it is. Many believe the whole notion to be antiquated and irrelevant. This is why we do not hear of thoughts, words, or actions in terms of right or wrong, but rather appropriate or inappropriate. Everything is relative and who is really to say what is right or wrong?
God defines sin precisely and absolutely in His Word. He is the judge and it is His word that matters. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden for ultimately wanting the right to define sin for themselves. Defining sin is God’s right alone and He will not share it with any other being. He defines and describes sin in numerous ways in the Scripture.
- All unrighteousness is sin ~ 1 John 5:7
- Whatsoever is not of faith is sin ~ Romans 14:23
- To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin ~ James 4:17
- An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin ~ Proverbs 21:4
- The thought of foolishness is sin ~ Proverbs 24:9
Romans 3:23 gives us a meaningful view of sin—it is falling short of God’s glory. God has a high mark and all sin always comes short of it. God measures all sin against the standard of His glorious, righteous, holiness, and all sin is short. God speaks to all men in Belshazzar: “TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (Daniel 5:27).
Men fall short in three key areas in all their thoughts, words, and actions.
- They fail to do all they do to the glory of God. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
- They fail to love God whole-heartedly. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37).
- They fail to believe God. “He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
Sin is short—short of God’s glory, short of God’s love, and short of faith. Man’s best works come up short. Whether it is deemed polite or appropriate, we must faithfully preach against sin. If we do not preach against sin, we are trying to do something Christ never did—call the righteous to repentance (Luke 5:32).
What is Biblical Preaching?
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women ~ Nehemiah 8:2
Preaching is prominent in the Scriptures.
- In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea ~ Matthew 3:1
- From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ~ Matthew 4:17
- And they went out, and preached that men should repent. ~ Mark 6:12
- Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. ~ Acts 20:28
- Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ~ 1 Peter 5:2
- Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. ~ 2 Timothy 4:2
- Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. ~ 1 Timothy 4:13
Preaching should likewise be prominent in our lives. We are fed by preaching, nourished by preaching, instructed by preaching, reproved by preaching. What is biblical preaching? How are we to know if we are under a biblical ministry? Nehemiah 8:1-12 addresses this question, showing four characteristics of biblical preaching.
- Biblical preaching must originate and continue in the Word of God. God’s Word is mentioned seven times in Nehemiah 8:1-9 as being the subject and object.
- Biblical preaching must expound God’s Word. Ezra “gave the sense” of the text he read (Nehemiah 8:8). Exposition is explaining the meaning and intent of a passage in light of context, grammar, and the totality of Scripture.
- Biblical preaching must be for understanding not deception nor obfuscation. The people left Ezra with understanding of what he taught (Nehemiah 8:12).
- Biblical preaching must be for the joy of the people. Ezra exhorted the people to joy after they had wept at the words of the Law (Nehemiah 8:9-12). The preacher should cherish the glory of Christ in his preaching and yearn to see his people glad in God.
1 Corinthians 10:10
“Neither murmur ye,
as some of them also murmured,
and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
~ 1 Corinthians 10:10
A Continual Dripping
Murmuring. I don’t know why this stuck out to me. It really grabbed my attention. Murmuring. Let’s see. O yes, that’s the sin almost nobody remembers is a sin. It is also a universal practice; some would say art form. What is murmuring? It is complaining, grumbling, muttering, etc. Murmuring is experiencing or expressing dissatisfaction with some reality. For instance, the laborers complained about the wages the householder paid in the parable of the householder (Matthew 20:1-15).
Our world is filled with complaining. People complaining everywhere—in line at the store, waiting rooms, church fellowship, internet forums, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Start the day sometime with the determined purpose that you are going to be alert all day to people complaining. You will probably be surprised at how much you hear—I’ve had the worst day, the line is too long, the pump is too slow, the wind is too cold, this burger has pickles on it, and on and on it goes.
The Bible commands us not to complain. Our text is one of those instances. If the Bible forbids us from doing something, the doing of it is sin. Complaining is sin. It is one of the sins that brought punishment on the Israelites in the wilderness: “some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
Paul wrote that the Israelites “were our examples” (1 Corinthians 10:6) that we should learn from and not be like them. Complaining was one of the people’s characteristics along with lust, rebellion, idolatry, fornication, stubbornness, and other things that don’t exactly look good on a resume. So let’s take a few moments and think about complaining.
When we complain, we are expressing dissatisfaction with something as it is. The implication is that we would prefer that thing to be different. We might feel slighted, cheated, wronged, impatient, angry, manipulated, disliked, or something else but at the root of it complaining is dissatisfaction.
If we are dissatisfied with some reality and would prefer it to be something else, we are actually complaining against God. We are calling God’s wisdom into question when we complain about the rain that ruined our picnic. We are calling God’s justice into question when we complain about that coworker who has wronged us many times and still seems to get promoted. Ultimately, our complaint is against God.
Complaining is also contagious. It spreads like an infection. This seems obvious from the example of Israel, but we have also experienced it. I was once sitting in a waiting room with several other people. Everybody was sitting quietly and waiting. Then a disgruntled woman comes in and begins airing her complaints. Several others were quick to join in and add their complaints of the day to the floor. When we complain, we are encouraging others to do the same.
Complaining also contains an element of human pride. We might be seeking to exalt ourselves by complaining against others. We might be complaining because we feel that we should never be treated or be subjected to something as we are. In complaining we are boasting of ourselves, our worth, and what we deserve in our own mind.
Complaining is also a lie. Generally when we are complaining, we are dissatisfied with people and circumstances outside of ourselves. We think everyone and everything else is the problem, the root of our distress. The truth is: Complaining is the defilement of our own heart coming out of our mouth and defiling us before God and the world.
Complaining is sin. It is a sin for which people are condemned and it is a sin for which Christ died. We would do well to think about our complaining on the cross. Hanging between heaven and earth, Jesus Christ bore all the complaining of all His people. Speak of a contradiction of sinners against Him. The One who when “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
I pray that we take God’s Word to heart: “Neither murmur ye.”
