By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. –Hebrews 11:24-25
Sin can seem quite pleasurable at the time. Even if we know that it’s wrong or unwise we still have a tendency to coddle our sin. This is because we do not see sin for what it really is. I’m convinced that we will not be as passionate about turning from sin unless we truly hate it.
With help from Richard Baxter here are twelve things to meditate upon that will help us grow in our hatred of sin. As you read through this I encourage you to make this practical. Keep in your minds eye that particular sin that the Spirit has been nagging you about.
- Meditate on the character of God. You cannot know the seriousness & ugliness of sin without knowing the beauty of the God of whom sin is against.
- Consider the work of Christ. Christ came to kill that sin that we are holding on to.
- Ponder the work of the Holy Spirit. He came to purify us—can we then abide with sin?
- Know the wonderful love and mercy of God. The ugliness of sin is shown in comparison to the great love of the God that we are sinning against. Every sin is a sin against the hand of mercy.
- Consider what you were created for. Knowing the “excellent, and high, and holy work, you were created for” shows from what height sin has made us to fall from.
- Think of the delights that come from holiness. Sin robs you of true delight, remember those seasons of delight that sin has robbed from you.
- Think upon heaven. There is no sin in heaven. If it doesn’t satisfy and give joy there—what makes us think it is worthwhile in the present?
- Look to the state of the damned. Consider the difference between angels and devils. “Holiness and sin do make the difference”.
- Consider what men say of sin at the last. What do men in heaven and hell say of sin? If it’s not applauded in hell, and it’s not, then it should not be applauded here.
- Look upon sin and judgment together. Remember that you must answer for this sin before God, and angels, and all the world.
- Consider the grave. “Sickness, poverty, shame, despair, death, and rottenness in the grave” is the consequence of sin.
- Look upon truly holy people and great sinners. Is there no difference? Sin is the foundational difference between the two.
As we consider the odiousness of sin let us also consider the beauty of Jesus. He rescued us from the muck and mire of sin. May we flee from it today and live in His redemption and not foolish rebellion.
Repent and run to Jesus.
Consider this from Spurgeon as you ponder the ugliness of sin:
Suppose I could find out a sinner so vile that Jesus Christ could not reach him; why then the devils in hell would take him through their streets as a trophy; they would say, “This man was more than a match for God; his sin was too great for God’s grace.” What says the Apostle? “Where sin abounded”—that is you, poor sinner;—”where sin abounded”—what sins you plunged into last night, and on other black occasions,—”where sin abounded”—what? Condemnation? Hopeless despair? No, “Where sin abounded grace did much more abound.” I think I see the conflict in the great arena of the universe. Man piles a mountain of sin, but God will match it, and he upheaves a loftier mountain of grace; man heaps up a still huger hill of sin, but the Lord overtops it with ten times more grace; and so the contest continues till at last the mighty God plucks up the mountains by the roots and buries man’s sin beneath them as a fly might be buried beneath an Alp. Abundant sin is no barrier to the superabundant grace of God.
