The Beneficial Work of Sin
The Bible portrays sin as a slave master (Rom 6:6). Sin ensnares fallen man in works of unrighteousness, which is a lifestyle of lawlessness (1 Jn 3:4).
Sinners love to sin (Jn 3:19). Its what we do. Sin has an agenda to kill each person (Rom 6:23). Sometimes sin accomplishes its quota in the womb, and sometimes it has to wait one hundred years to finish its work. With a couple “translatable” exceptions, sin has a perfect track record of finishing the job.
Sin is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality towards its objects. Its focused labor is to multiply itself.
Sin is at work all the time, and its creative power spans the entire possibility of human disobedience against God.
Sin appears to be lord of all because who can resist sin? Sin is far more powerful than man. When coupled with death, is there anything more powerful in the world?
Death wins billions and billions of times over. In fact, as man’s overlord, sin pays an attractive wage. It remunerates man, now, in order for him to press on with his daily work of sinning; but sin also provides a retirement plan for sinners, storing up wages until death. Men no longer work for sin after they die. They live forever off of their invested wages of sin.
Who can break the power and wisdom of sin? Only Jesus Christ, the righteous.
By His supernatural conception, virgin birth, sinless life, perfect obedience to God’s law, Jesus Christ went to the Cross to defeat sin through His crucifixion. His success is demonstrated through His resurrection, ascension into heaven, and enthronement at the Father’s right hand.
Jesus Christ’s triumph over rulers and authorities — sin and death — produced a city of refuge in the world (think Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany after WWII). Sinners flock to the church as a temporary safe house before the day of Christ’s judgment.
On the day of judgment, full pardon is fully realized for saved sinners. Until that day, saints in the sanctuary city of Zion must endure an embittered former master, who prowls around the walls of the church.
Sinners outside the church live and work for sin, but those inside Christ’s embassy in the world fight sin in their minds, in their hearts, and in their bodies. These saints have died with Christ to the world. They no longer have the benefits of sin in the world, but all the spiritual blessings of heaven are bestowed upon them for the remainder of their days.
Now when sin accosts one of Christ’s ambassadors, even arresting him at times and making its demands upon the redeemed child of God, sin actually becomes a benefactor. How is this?
God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to His purposes (Rom 8:28). “All things” includes sin.
Sin serves the true believer in Jesus by proving her salvation. Sinners love sin, but saints hate sin. When sin does its dirty work, God causes sin’s work to benefit His adopted child.
When sin lures the saint back into the world for a sad season of succumbing to the pleasurable deceit of sin, God graciously shows His child the immense power and heinous nature of sin. In other words, sin now serves to restore the fear of God in the child of God. The Christian gladly retreats from vanity fair to the pure love and comfort of Christ’s consulate.
In this, sin has done its beneficial work.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
March 3, 2022
