The Pain of Sin: A Window to God’s Heart
Sin is a word that can evoke a range of emotions and reactions. But have you ever stopped to consider how God views sin? What does it mean to Him?
A Rebellion Against Love
Sin is, at its core, a rebellion against God’s loving character and a direct affront to God’s very being. It is a rejection of God’s perfect design, a turning from pure love toward destructive self-interest.
Broadly speaking, sin is anything in us that doesn’t express or is contrary to God’s holy nature. The Bible says that “everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). But it is more personal than wrongdoing; it’s turning from a Father who loves us toward self-will that leads us into harm.
Imagine watching a child walk straight into danger, ignoring your warning cries to turn back. That’s a glimpse of what God sees in our sin—not just disobedience, but a choosing of ruin over His love.
Existential Defiance of God
When we sin, it is as if we are saying, “I will not have You, God, as my Lord and King. I will not submit to Your loving rule, nor will I acknowledge Your glory.” As Paul says, “Even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21).
This is not just a moral transgression, but an existential defiance of the One who created us for fellowship with Himself.
This is not just a moral transgression, but an existential defiance of the One who created us for fellowship with Himself.
Sin is spiritual adultery. God describes it that way throughout Scripture (see Hosea). Sin is spiritual adultery, where we turn away from the One who has loved us with an everlasting love.
God Doesn’t Treat Us As We Deserve
And yet—here is the beauty and glory of God—He does not treat us as we deserve. He doesn’t leave us there.
He knows better than we what sin does. God views sin as a ravaging force that distorts and disfigures the beauty and dignity He grants with His image. Sin causes people to be lost; it leads to spiritual death. God sees the shattered relationships, shattered dreams, the suffering, the sorrow, the injustice, the shame. He hears the cries of the oppressed, the lonely, the addicted, the angry, and the afraid. And He refused to forever abandon us to our rebellion.
God sees the shattered relationships, shattered dreams, the suffering, the sorrow, the injustice, the shame… And He refused to forever abandon us to our rebellion.
Instead, He comes to us through the sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. In this ultimate act of love, God defeats sin, redeeming us from its grasp.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Jesus bore our sin on the cross, not just to remove our guilt, but to restore our fellowship with the Father and to give us eternal life. Jesus’ death was the clearest expression of God’s heart: He would rather die than lose forever those He loves.
Jesus’ death was the clearest expression of God’s heart: He would rather die than lose forever those He loves.
At the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, John the Baptist announced His purpose when he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
At the cross, we don’t just see our guilt—we see God’s love meet our greatest need. We behold a love so fierce, so unyielding, and so redemptive that it can transform the darkest sinner into a radiant son or daughter of the King. Trust Jesus to have forever dealt with your sin, reconcile you to the Father, utterly change your identity and destiny, and to walk with you with power, love, and liberty today.