In describing his church, a dear friend of mine made a very interesting comment. He said, “The only problem is we never hear about sin.” Sin is being censored out of our culture, and it’s being censored out of our churches. Things once thought sinful are now accepted as normal. We no longer know what sin is.

Psychiatrist Karl Menniger in his 1973 book Whatever Became of Sin? wrote: “The very word sin, which seems to have disappeared, was once a proud word. It was once a strong word, an ominous and serious word…. But the word went away. It has almost disappeared—the word, along with the notion. Why? Doesn’t anyone sin anymore? Doesn’t anyone believe in sin?”

Salvation starts with an understanding of the evil in our own hearts (see Jeremiah 17:9). Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say that any sin that any sinner commits, every sinner given adequate provocation could commit. Because an understanding of sin is vital to your walk with Christ, consider these three questions:

1. Do you know how God defines sin?

It really doesn’t matter what we think sin is; what matters is what God says it is. God has not given us the authority to redefine sin or to establish certain values for particular sins. The law of God is a seamless robe and the Bible says, “for whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

So, what is sin according to the Bible? The Bible teaches that “whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)

Lawlessness is a rejection of God’s authority. It is deliberately rejecting God’s will in favor of your own, regardless of how small and insignificant it may appear to us. The word “transgression” in the Bible means rebellion against God’s authority. R.C. Sproul called sin “cosmic treason.” It’s not just ignoring but assaulting the rule of God and despising His law.

One day little John Wesley came to his mother and asked her, what is sin? Her answer, thank God, he never forgot and wrote it down: “Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.”

2. Do you grieve the sin in your own life?

Church should be a place that makes us feel the weight of our sin; a place of conviction because the Word of God is faithfully preached, which may explain why so many have dropped out or found a church that makes them feel comfortable instead of convicted.

In her book, All is Forgiven, sociologist Marsha Witten reported on her findings after examining 47 recorded sermons by Presbyterian and Baptist pastors on Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. Here’s what she concluded: “A closer examination of the sermons suggests the many ways in which the concept of sin has been accommodated to fit secular sensibilities. While some traditional images of sin are retained, the language frequently cushions the listeners from their impact, as it employs a variety of softening rhetorical devices.” That’s a far cry from what God told Isaiah to do: “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isaiah 58:1)

Charles Wesley’s hymn should be the prayer of every Christian:

a sensibility to sin, a pain to feel it near.

I want the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire,

to catch the wandering of my will and quench the kindling fire.

If you feel you’re a good person and don’t consider yourself much of a sinner, you are deceived. C.S. Lewis put it this way:

“If you are a nice person—if virtue comes easily for you—beware! If you mistake for your own merits what are really God’s gifts to you through nature, and if you are contented with simply being nice, you are still a rebel: and all those gifts will only make your fall more terrible, your corruption more complicated, your bad example more disastrous. The Devil was an archangel once; his natural gifts were as far above yours as yours are above those of a chimpanzee. Man isn’t just an imperfect being who needs improvement. He’s a rebel who must lay down his arms!”

3. Do you consciously seek to avoid sinning?

How can you and I live so as to avoid sin?

A) Ask God to reveal your own heart.

The Psalmist prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT) As the Holy Spirit brings your sin to light, make your confession, which is simply acknowledging your sin before God and asking his forgiveness.

Solomon wrote, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) The Apostle John reminds us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

B) Purpose to restrain fleshly impulse.

When the Holy Spirit brings your sin into full view, you must then realize those areas where you struggle and how the temptation comes. Know those areas of vulnerability and change your practice or circumstance to avoid sin’s allurement.

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11) “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:14) “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13)

C) Renew your mind through the Word of God.

We’re now into Spring, and the time for spring cleaning is here. This type of cleaning requires more time and effort than usual: meticulously getting into all those nooks and crannies, moving furniture, taking down blinds and screens, and maybe even pulling the fridge out, because if you’ve ever done that, you know it can get nasty back there.

The key to an effective spring cleaning is light. If you can’t see the dirt and grime, you can’t tell if it needs to be cleaned. In a dark theatre, you can’t tell the condition of the floor until the movie is over and the house lights come up, exposing the sticky mess at your feet.

What is true of our homes is true of our hearts. Perhaps you need a “spring cleaning” of the soul. To clean up our hearts, we need the light of God’s Word. Spending time in daily reading and in meditation on scripture will transform the way you think and, as A.W. Tozer said, “to be right, we must think right.”

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Toward the end of his life, John Newton said to a friend, “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”