There have been people “memeing” and murmuring about WWIII. In connection with the recent pandemic that has gone endemic and other uncertainties, people are wondering what’s about to happen. They are looking at things as signs to a future calamity or doom, twisting the book of Revelation as though it would have further revelations for today. We get wound up as a people sometimes and miss the biggest battle and issues that we face today. The most destructive power in the world is sin. You’ve seen its work. We have seen it destroy households, kill generations, topple kingdoms, and crush hope.
We need to be careful because sin will destroy your good name. Wisdom says, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold” (Prov. 22:1). What do you think of when you think of names like Cain, Jezebel and Judas? You might be able to think of other names in history or your life that you have seen be ruined by sin.
Sin can also destroy your body. Paul specifically warns against immoral sexual acts. “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18). It is obvious that there are sins that are destructive to the body. Many of the trials and struggles that people face are because of sin. Addictions are at the top of the list in this category.
Sin has a destructive effect on us emotionally. There are those inner conflicts of guilt. “But I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:23-24). For this reason the Psalmist wrote, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” (Psa. 32:1-3). How many people do you know that are suffering emotionally from the sins of others? In our sin-saturated society, the field of psychiatry is flourishing as never before.
Sin will destroy the local congregation of the Lord’s church. It was destructive to the church in Corinth as we read about the things that they were struggling with (1 Cor. 6:11). Jesus told the church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). Pride (3 John 9-10), worldliness (1 Cor. 5), lukewarmness (Rev. 3:14-22) and division (1 Cor. 1:10) are sins which will destroy a local church. We need to be alert and on guard against sin and its destructive nature. Even just a little is enough to hurt.