The Fruit Of Sin - Part I
“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.” —Romans 6:20-21
Romans 6 is, without a doubt, one of the single greatest chapters found in the whole of the Word of God. In this chapter, the apostle Paul begins his explanation of the sin nature, the damage it can cause, and the havoc it can create in the lives of believers if they do not understand its magnitude.
The believer, as Paul explains, is now dead to the sin nature due to his faith in the finished work of Christ, freeing him from its clutches, never to bother him again. All of this, as one might understand, took place at Calvary when the believer was baptized into Christ, buried with Him by baptism into His death, and raised with Him in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-5).
As a result, the sin nature is to remain dormant in the life of the believer, never to bother him again, only as his faith remains in Christ and the cross.
But as we travel through this chapter, Paul relates his feelings to the Christians in Rome, expressing to them what they used to be before they were so wondrously and gloriously saved—before servants of sin and now servants of righteousness—and how all of this came about. Paul reminded them of what became of their lives of sin, and it was not a pretty picture. I would like to take this opportunity to explain what sin entails to those who refuse to believe, and the price one pays to live a life of sin and shame.
Sin Leads Us To Iniquity
There is, without a doubt, a destructive power to sin. It brings about an uncleanness which has plagued the entirety of the human race. Sin brings us to a place where one sin leads to another and grows in intensity and severity, which makes it impossible for the individual to break the cycle on his own.
In other words, sin never remains static; it grows. It’s as if we become trapped in quicksand, and, if you know anything about quicksand, the harder you fight it, the quicker you sink. This is a perfect description of sin—as it drags down, the person is unable to change his direction. Sin leads from one iniquity to another.
Sin Leads To Slavery
Sin ever leads to being enslaved, and there can be nothing worse than being a slave to sin. Being a slave to sin presents a horrible existence, as it never brings any peace whatsoever, only suffering and failure. I know that many claim they can handle their sin, but as the Holy Spirit proclaims in Hebrews 11:25, sin only lasts for a season, then it leads to bondage unlike anything the person has experienced before.
I want to say this: sin may begin in an innocent manner, but it never remains that way. Sin grows and leads people into slavery, and they cannot escape its grip. Every alcoholic started with one drink. Every drug addict started with one hit. People addicted to one thing or another—it all began with one sin that quickly ballooned into something they could not escape, no matter how hard they tried, they could not free themselves. The only freedom one can truly have is freedom found in Christ Jesus. He delivers the captive, and He can set the individual free from all sin, and it’s all done through the cross.
Sin Leads To Shame
This is exactly what the fruit of sin produces: shame. Shame simply means a painful feeling of humiliation or distress by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. Every one of us have, at one time or another, experienced shame at some point in our lives. However, living a life of sin, and continual sin at that, brings constant shame upon that individual. To sin is to miss the mark—the mark set by God. Romans 3:23 says that all have come short of the glory of God. We all have failed God due to sin, which means that all sin is against God, and all sin is wrong. The result is always feelings of guilt, disgrace, and shame. Without the Lord, there is nothing that can be done by that person to alleviate feelings of guilt and shame. Any feeling of satisfaction is fleeting, momentary, and will never last.
Sin Leads To Death
Finally, the fruit of sin leads to death, and death refers to both physical and spiritual. Both speak of separation from God, and there can be nothing worse than being separated from God. Romans 6:23 tells us, “the wages of sin is death.” This means that sin does pay, but not in the way that we would like. In fact, the word wage found in this verse means that whatever is bought or purchased is to be eaten with bread, such as fish. It has reference to a Roman soldier and him being partially paid in monetary wages and partially in foodstuff.
Once again, Paul is saying that sin does pay, but its wages is death—separation from God, both physically and spiritually. This is a life that does not seem to be too enjoyable. Unfortunately, millions have suffered and are in hell right now because of the fruit of sin.
However, people need not live that kind of life, for there is an answer for all who suffer from sin, and that answer is found in a person—Jesus Christ. He alone can bring about the freedom from sin and give us life eternal.
This was all accomplished for us through what Jesus Christ did for us at Calvary’s cross, where all sin was paid for, and paid with the spotless, precious blood of Jesus Christ. He can remove the guilt of sin and bring us into a right relationship with God, and the only thing we have to do is simply believe.
One does not have to jump through many hoops or recite certain creeds. All he has to do is simply say, “Lord, I believe.” The jailer asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30-31). There is an alternative to the fruit of sin, and that is the fruit of holiness, which we will explore in the next issue of The Evangelist.
Share this Post
No one has commented on this article yet. Leave your comment below!
0 Comments