Sin separates us from God by creating a divide between God’s perfect holiness and our own sinful nature. Here’s a 9000 word examination of what the Bible teaches about how sin creates this separation.
The Definition and Origin of Sin
To understand how sin separates us from God, we first need to understand what sin is and where it originated from. The Bible defines sin as lawlessness or missing the mark of God’s holy standard (1 John 3:4). Sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, as described in Genesis 3. When tempted by the serpent, Eve ate the forbidden fruit and gave some to Adam to eat as well. This was an act of rebellion against God’s command. As a result, sin entered the human heart and into creation (Romans 5:12). Ever since the fall, all people have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). So sin is universally present – it’s something we’re all guilty of.
God’s Holy and Perfect Nature
In order to grasp how devastating sin is, we need to understand the nature of God. According to Scripture, God is holy, righteous and perfect in all His ways (Isaiah 6:3, Psalm 145:17). There is no sin or darkness in Him at all. Not even a hint of imperfection exists in God’s character. He is described as being “of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13). That’s because the slightest sin cannot coexist in the presence of His pure holiness. Therefore, God has a zero tolerance policy for all sin.
The Opposition between God’s Holiness and Man’s Sin
Here is where the problem lies. Because God is utterly holy and righteous, and man has a sinful nature, there is an infinite chasm between mankind and God. Isaiah described it this way: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Our sin cuts us off from God.
Sin is like a thick cloud that blocks us from seeing the face of God. It’s like having a lead wall between you and someone you love – all communication is severed. Sin destroys our fellowship and oneness with our Creator. We were made for communion with God, but sin ruined it and created enmity instead (Romans 8:7).
How Sin Corrupts Every Part of Humanity
Sin corrupts every part of our being – mind, will, emotions and even our physical bodies. That’s why the Bible says there is no one righteous and all have turned away from God (Romans 3:10, 3:12). Let’s look at each area specifically:
Mind
Our minds are darkened through sin. Paul says unbelievers have their understanding darkened and are separated from the life of God because of ignorance in them (Ephesians 4:18). Sin keeps people captive and shuts their minds off to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). So sin has a profound effect on the intellect.
Will
The will of man is bound by sin. We are slaves to our sinful desires (John 8:34). Our wills have been taken captive through the fall to the point that we willingly reject God. The Bible calls people “children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2) because they gladly disobey God.
Emotions
Sin rules our desires and affections. Unbelievers are controlled by passions and pleasures of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). Rather than loving God, sin makes people lovers of pleasure and self more than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:2-4). So sin corrupts what we love most.
Physical Body
Even our physical bodies reflect the impact of sin. Sickness, disease, pain and death all entered the world through the fall (Romans 5:12). Our very bodies remind us continually that sin brings decay and ruin into God’s good creation.
We Cannot Save Ourselves from Sin
Sin is like being immersed in quicksand – the more we struggle in our own power, the deeper it pulls us down. That’s because we’re incapable of saving ourselves from sin’s grip. Jeremiah tells us that we cannot reverse our own sinful condition and inclination: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil” (Jeremiah 13:23).
Even our attempts at being righteous are like filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). There’s absolutely nothing we can do in our own power to bridge the gap between God’s perfection and our sinfulness. We can’t jump high enough to reach Him – that’s how devastating the separation is.
How Sin Leads to Death and Judgment
Ultimately, sin leads to death and judgment from a holy God. The “wages of sin is death” according to Romans 6:23. Both physical and spiritual death are in view here. Physically we all die because of the curse of sin. Spiritually, unbelievers are already dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18).
And after physical death comes judgment before God: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Unbelievers will stand condemned for their sins at this judgment because nothing impure can enter God’s kingdom (Revelation 21:27). So sin ultimately bars people from eternal life with God if left in its unforgiven state.
Why Good Works Can’t Overcome Sin
Many people falsely believe you can earn your way to heaven by doing enough good works to outweigh or cancel out your bad. But the Bible says our righteousness is like filthy rags before God’s holiness (Isaiah 64:6). No amount of human effort can bridge the gulf between God’s perfection and our sinfulness. If we could be justified before God by obeying the law, then Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21).
The truth is we can never escape the penalty of our sin through rule-keeping. The standards are far too high and we’re far too prone to disobedience. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). God looks at the heart, and our hearts are corrupted by sin.
Old Testament Sacrifices Could Not Fully Atone for Sin
In the Old Testament, God instituted an elaborate sacrificial system for dealing with sin and uncleanness. Certain sins required animal sacrifices in order to receive temporary cleansing and forgiveness. But the book of Hebrews explains these sacrifices could never fully and permanently deal with sin. Instead, they served as a reminder of sins by being offered continually:
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. (Hebrews 10:1-3)
No matter how many flawless lambs were slaughtered on Jewish altars, sin still remained. That’s because animal blood cannot truly atone for the moral offenses humans commit against a holy God. The sacrificial system only foreshadowed and set the stage for the arrival of the perfect sacrifice – Jesus Christ.
Jesus Bridged the Gap Through His Death for Sinners
Praise God the story doesn’t end with sin eternally separating us from Him. Jesus’ sinless life, substitutionary death and victorious resurrection conquered the power of sin once for all! Though we were dead in sin, God made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). We who were far away from God have been brought near through the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 2:13). He demolished the dividing wall of hostility caused by sin.
Jesus’ death was the ultimate sacrifice that perfectly satisfied God’s wrath against sin (Isaiah 53:5). Our sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus so we could be forgiven (Colossians 2:14). The wages of sin were fully paid. As our substitute, Jesus willingly took the punishment we deserved. He bore God’s wrath in our place on the cross. God’s just penalty for sins was executed when Jesus died for sinners. That’s why His final cry was “It is finished!” – the debt had been paid in full.
Without Jesus paying this infinite price, we’d remain forever cut off from the life and light of God. We’d have no access to the Father and no citizenship in His kingdom. But thankfully the gap has been bridged and the way has been opened through Christ’s sacrificial death!
We Must Turn from Sin and Receive Christ by Faith
For us to receive the benefits of Christ’s reconciling work, we must repent and believe the gospel. Turning from sin and trusting in Jesus is the only avenue back to God. We must let go of sin’s mastery over us and receive a new master – the resurrected Christ. Paul exhorts:
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light…clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13:12,14)
Only those who forsake the kingdom of darkness and enter the kingdom of light through repentance and faith are reconciled to God (Acts 26:18). It’s not enough to turn over a new leaf or try harder at reforming your life. We must be born again spiritually (John 3:3).
When we receive Christ as Savior, we go from being enemies under God’s wrath to adopted children under His mercy (Romans 5:8-11). We’re no longer alienated foreigners but fellow citizens with access through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18-19). What an amazing transition!
Those in Christ Are Declared Righteous by God
A wonderful part of the good news is that believers in Jesus are declared righteous before God. Our faith is credited to us as righteousness because we are united to Christ (Romans 4:22-24). His perfect obedience is imputed or transferred to our account. We stand forgiven on the basis of His righteousness instead of our feeble efforts at being good. What glorious grace!
This justification happens the moment someone trusts Christ. All their sins – past, present and future – are pardoned. Their sinful record is forever wiped clean so that they’re seen as flawless in God’s sight. He looks at believers through the lens of Christ’s redeeming blood which cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7).
The Holy Spirit Empowers Believers to Obey God
Not only are believers credited with Jesus’ righteousness, they’re also empowered by the Spirit to grow in obedience. When we’re saved, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who begins the lifelong process of sanctification. He works in us to put sin to death and make us more like Christ (Romans 8:13). We have power through the Spirit to walk in a manner worthy of our calling in Christ (Ephesians 4:1).
The presence of the Holy Spirit is a down payment guaranteeing that we’ll be completely freed from sin one day (Ephesians 1:13-14). At Christ’s return, we’ll receive resurrection bodies free from sin’s influence and effects (1 Corinthians 15:49-53). As Paul declares, “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). Sin’s dominion is broken when we’re born again!
While we continue struggling with sin to some degree while on earth, it no longer defines us or rules over us. Our regenerated hearts desire to honor Christ and say no to ungodliness. Sin is now a struggle rather than our identity. Praise God we are no longer hopelessly enslaved to it!
Complete Separation from Sin in Eternity
One day we will be completely separated from the presence and power of sin when we are resurrected unto eternal life. While on this earth we can have victory over sin, we’re not yet totally free from its influence in our bodies and in the broken world around us. But a day is coming when sin will be eradicated and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).
The new heavens and earth will be completely purified. There will be no more curse, suffering, pain or death – all effects of sin (Revelation 21:4). Believers will inhabit resurrection bodies that are imperishable, glorious, powerful, and perfectly righteous (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 53). Sin won’t have the slightest grip on us. Instead we will be filled with the righteousness of Christ and worship God in flawless fellowship forever!
What a blessed hope to completely be freed from the presence and consequences of sin. The work Christ began in breaking sin’s power will be brought to completion. We will finally have total oneness and intimacy with God with no hindrances between. That’s the glorious future await for those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord!
How to Live in Victory over Sin Now
While we wait for the fullness of our salvation to come at Christ’s return, we are called to live in increasing victory over sin now. Here are some practical tips for daily life:
- Remember your identity in Christ – you’ve been set free from sin’s mastery so walk in that freedom (Romans 6:11-14)
- Put on Christ daily by being filled with the Spirit – yield every area of your life to following Him (Ephesians 5:18)
- Flee from sinful desires that wage war against your soul (1 Peter 2:11)
- Immerse yourself in Scripture and replace lies with God’s truth (Psalm 119:11)
- Pray continually for strength to deny ungodliness (Jude 24-25)
- Be accountable to other believers and confess sins regularly (James 5:16)
- Engage in spiritual disciplines like worship, fasting, repentance, service
- Walk humbly in the power of God, not self-sufficiency (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
The battle against sin has been won through Christ! We now fight from a place of victory and freedom, not for victory. So walk in the triumph of the cross daily, taking hold of the power of God and His endless grace to overcome. What sin once condemned, Christ now sets you free from through His indwelling Spirit. You really can live differently by His strength at work within you each day!
Conclusion
Sin creates a great chasm between us and God because He is perfectly holy and righteous, while we are sinful, corrupt, and blemished in every way. Our offenses against an infinitely pure God warrant eternal separation and death. But Jesus’ sinless life, substitutionary death for sinners, and victorious resurrection bridged the gap once for all. When we turn from our sins and receive Christ by faith, we’re reconciled to God and declared righteous in His sight.
Though sin still influences believers in this life, its mastery and control is broken. Through Christ, Christians are empowered to live in increasing victory over sin by the Spirit at work within them. And one day they will be fully freed from sin’s presence and consequences forever when Jesus returns. What amazing grace that God Himself made a way to conquer sin’s penalty and power through faith in Christ!