Sins That Lead To Death

Sins That Lead To Death

But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Romans 14:23

After coming to faith, no one should think that sin can be taken lightly. Sin is truly sin, whether it is committed before or after one comes to know Christ. God always hates sin. Every sin is a mortal sin—a sin that leads to death—as far as the act itself is concerned. But it’s not a mortal sin for the believer. Christ the Reconciler atoned for sin by his death. For unbelievers, not only are all of their sins mortal ones, but even their good works are sins. As Paul says in Romans, “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

The philosophers make a fatal error when they classify sins according to the acts themselves rather than according to the person who commits the sin. Believers have the same sin and just as great a sin as unbelievers. But the sin of the believers is forgiven and not credited to them. The sin of the unbelievers, however, is retained and counted against them. For the believer, the sinful act is a sin that can be easily forgiven. For the unbeliever, it’s a mortal sin that leads to death. This is not because of the difference in the sin itself as if the believer’s sin is less and the unbeliever’s sin is greater. It is because of the difference in the person who committed it.

By faith, believers see that their sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. Christ offered himself for their sin. So they remain righteous in spite of their sin, although they have sin and continue to sin. But unbelievers remain unrighteous. Although believers aren’t free from sin, they know that their sin isn’t credited to them because of their faith in Christ. This is the wisdom and the comfort of true believers.