There are different benefits or blessings for the believer, that a proper or biblical understanding of sin brings.
Firstly, a proper understanding of the fact of sin, leads to a deep appreciation of the grace of God and the gift of salvation, and ultimately the worship or fear or reverence of God. It produces such a wonder and awe in us toward the God who has shown us such mercy and grace.
Secondly, a biblical understanding of sin leads to a deep appreciation for the forgiveness of sin and the gift of righteousness in Christ Jesus our Lord. Those who trivialise sin do not understand what forgiveness really means. They are hardly moved or touched by the idea that their sins have been forgiven.
Lastly, an unbiblical view of sin will lead to a lack of transformation in a believer’s life. If we do not understand for example, that the sin nature is no longer the problem of the new creature in Christ Jesus but an unrenewed mind, then, such a believer would ultimately conform to the world. They would wrongly think or believe, that they are helpless and hopeless towards whatever sin they may be struggling with as a believer.
Men like David understood these things. They understood sin and therefore had such a high regard and appreciation for God and His gift of forgiveness. Psalm 32:1-2, Psalm 130:4. (Romans 12:1, Ephesians 2:1-4).
THREE FACTS OF SIN
1. Sin is a fact. Sin is not an “error of the mortal mind” according to Christian science, neither is it a mere heritage of our “animal ancestors” according to evolution theories, nor is it non-existent according to atheists. It is also not an infirmity according to determinists, who present man as a slave to his circumstances, thereby robbing man of his free will, neither is it something to be sugar coated and trivialised according to hedonists, who believe that man’s goal in life is to pleasure himself and encourages him to yield to every and any kind of temptation. Sin is a fact.
2. God did not create or originate sin. God is not the source of sin. All that God created were, by His own standards, very good. Genesis 1:31. Sin originates in the garden of Eden at the fall of man. Despite opposing ideas like the cosmic dualism that presupposes that good and evil are self-existent and eternal cosmic forces that have always been at war, and that sin has always existed, or beliefs like the finiteness of man and the sensuous nature of man that seem to seek to exonerate man from being responsible for his sin, the biblical understanding of sin is that it began with the fall of man in Eden. God is good, always good and only good. Hallelujah!
3. The sin nature. Often, sin is limited to being just actions that men carry out or things that men do. Sin however, is more that just an action. It is first and foremost a nature, an essence, a constitution. It is the thing that makes a sinner a sinner. His essence and constitution is that of sin. Matthew 7:17.
This means therefore, that for expressions or actions of sin to be dealt with, the nature of sin must be dealt with first. Romans 6:5-14. And this brings me to my next point on the positive impact of knowing this truth on my Christian walk.
POSITIVE IMPACT
Because sin is a nature, and because that nature of sin has been removed and that the old man, which is the sin nature, has been crucified with Christ, I know that sin no longer has rule or dominion over me like it did before I was recreated in Christ Jesus. I know now, that I have the choice and ability in Christ to not sin. The sinner is driven by his sin nature to sin (Ephesians 2:1-3) but I am no longer dead in sin and trespasses. I have been made alive unto God in Christ Jesus my Lord.
This means, that when temptation comes, I have a choice and I am empowered by God’s Spirit to walk away from it. I have a new Master and I am no longer a slave to sin.
As a believer, who has new life in Christ Jesus, I only need to renew my mind in order to deal with any acts of sin in my life so that my life does not conform with the world.
I have found it to be so in my life, that the more of God’s word I ingest, the more like Christ I become experientially.