How to Commit Sin for Dummies

Seriously, you’re not reading this because you don’t know how to commit sin, right? It’s in our nature!

You know the story of human’s fall into sin, right? I think you all have known this story since Sunday School. When you learn about it at Sunday School, you know that Adam and Eve fell into sin because they were seduced by the devil then they ate the forbidden fruit, right? You might read or learn elsewhere that they fell into sin because of the want of being the same as God. Are those all? Let’s study this story deeper guys.

1. Not keeping God’s Words (Gen 2:17, 3:1-3).

You can say that the devil is the master of theology, as every iota of the Word of God he remembers and understands, but out of hatred toward God and men, so that he ridicules every part of God’s Words. If we know the Word well, because God loves us and we love God, then we should be able to defend ourselves from this kind of attack of the devil (Mat 4:1-11, Ep 6:10-20, Jos 1:8). God clearly said that at the same day they eat or touch the fruit “they shall surely die”. But you can read that Eve said instead “lest you die”. That’s two different thing. Upon that the devil saw the hole, and he attacked deeper and harder to tackle.

I remember a Sunday School song back in Jakarta which says “read the Holy Bible, pray each every day, if you want to grow”. That song does justice, and isn’t child’s play. It’s so important.

2. Want to be like God, WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING (Gen 3:4-6)

Sometimes we compare ourselves to other people. He can play any kinds of musical instrument, she can smash that big rock into pieces, he can do that Beckham’s kick, etc. Sometimes we forget that we also have something unique and special God has put within us. It may be good to know how to play music, know karate, or play soccer, but is it by gaining them all, we glorify God, or we glorify ourselves? Moreover if the devil gives us shortcut like in Genesis 3. It’s going to be a lot harder to resist, being like somebody, being like God, know everything, then pride overwhelms. We want to know this, we want to know that, but sometimes we learn it from the wrong sources. We want to know our teenage bodies, instead of consulting to our parents, teachers, or someone older and wiser, we look up to our own peer who might be also struggling with the same thing, or Google, which may lead to misinformation, and pornography.

3. Even in one faith, as the husband, Adam failed to remind Eve that it’s wrong, failed to say no, but instead, he too ate the fruit (Gen 3:6)

It’s not an act of love, folks. “Oh my love you fell, let’s fall together!” Nope. That’s clearly not right. As a Christian we have to be rooted in one church (one community) that may help nurture our grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 tells us one function of friends. If one falls, will have someone to help him get up.

I have friends, you have friends. If one of our friend falls, let’s help them get back up again. If they have problems encourage them to share, and it would be better to have a community or a small cell group.

And it’s ok to hangout with people outside your community, other people from different social backgrounds, but let us stay strong in the faith we’re standing on, not to conform to this world (Romans 12:2).

4. Blaming Each Other (Gen 3:8-19)

God knew what happened. God also surely knew where did they hide themselves. But why God was still asking? If God saw human as a thing, God could just banish them to somewhere, like what He did to the one third of the angels. Or He could just make them disappeared and make new humans. But no, God actually asked first. What did He get in return? They didn’t apologize, ask for mercy, but they blame the fault to each other. If they had just apologize and admit to God they did wrong, maybe we would not be living in sin, or would even still living in Eden.

So based on what we’ve read so far, how to commit… I mean not to commit sin? What should we do to keep ourselves away from sinning?

1. The most important thing. Read your Bible. God has told us to meditate the Words, day and night in Joshua 1:8. Know the Words of your Father. Faith comes from hearing of the Word (Rm 10:17), how we keep ourselves pure (Ps 119:9), and our weapon to fight the devil, as one of  the whole armors of God (Ep 6:10-18). There’s a lot of false teachings in this world that maybe use the same Bible, and they pervert it and use it for their own purpose, and if we’re not aware of this, if we don’t know the Word well, we might fell into the false teaching, falsely acknowledge it as the truth from God. That way the devil has more ways to attack you.
2. We have to acknowledge that all things that come from God are for our good (Pro 2:6, Rm 8:28) and what God wants from us is to use it for a good purpose (Mat 25:14-30). And as for things that come from the world, just ask God to give you strength and wisdom to test everything and take the good, only the good (1 Thes 5:21). Ask God also to know something from the good source. And let it be in everything that you do, may bring glory to God alone (Col 3:17, 1 Cor 10:31).
3. Do not conform to the world (Rm 12:2), instead, conform to the image of Christ, the son of God (Mat 5:48, John 12:26, John 17:24, Rm 8:29, 1 Cor 15:49, 2 Cor 3:18, Phil 3:21, Ep 4, Gal 4:19), after all, we were made in likeness, the image of God Himself (Gen 1:26, Ep 2:10, 1 John 3:2), that we actually have a godly nature, but defiled by sin. But when Jesus made you right and stand blameless before our Father, let Christ that has lived in us, shine through us (Mat 5:13-16), and may He alone be revealed through our lives (Col 3:4).
4. Engage in a community, support each other in prayer (Jms 5:16), in all that you do (1 Thes 5:11). Sermons may refresh our spirit, but but for me, what really empowers me is the community, or at least friends, so we can have someone for us to share our burdens (Gal 6:2). I’m very grateful that I’ve been blessed in the small groups I joined back in Jakarta and the current small community I’m in now, here in Boston. We talk about many things, support and strengthen each other in discussion and in prayer. These small communities are the ones that help us to keep strong in faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. If haven’t joined one, ask your pastor how can you join one, or if the church hasn’t had any cell groups, find some friends and start one, like one of my friend I have in a cell group I led, in his school (I’m really proud of this guy’s heart of God and others, cheers bro, if you’re reading this).

We’re all in this together. Struggling with our sins and faults, but know Jesus had died at the cross and He won. We can do this with strength from the Holy Spirit alone.

Sola Fide, sola Scriptura, plurimus maximus, sola Gratia.

Blessings in Christ,
Calvin Limuel

A translation and widely a revision of Calvin Limuel’s note on Facebook posted January 11, 2011, posted here in Bible Apple in Indonesian language.