Trouble with Sin

The trouble with sin is that it's just too easy. Sure, there are times when one goes through a moral struggle; but there are so many other times we blunder into sin without a second thought or a glance backwards. We are so steeped in sin that sometimes we look at our sin and think, "well, that's life." Many people deny the doctrine of original sin, but we truly have to ask ourselves, do we always love God with our whole hearts? Of course the answer is no. We are truly selfish people who don't follow God's law.
There's a second problem. We believe we can follow God's law. Well, THAT'S not going to happen. Adam and Eve had one command: Don't eat that. We know what happened from there. How can we expect to have ten times that and follow them?
Here's a third problem. We become complacent about sin, and we rationalize that it is our life. There's that first commandment coming back to accuse us. We figure if it effects only ourselves, why should anyone else care? As Billy Joel says, "I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life; go ahead with your own life; leave me alone."
It truly is, however, just like mothers everywhere have said--It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Our own sins effect many people. Sometimes it's such a small way that we argue that is doesn't matter. Sometimes it's so huge that we can do nothing other than admit we screwed up. No matter what, someone always gets hurt, and it's always a big deal.
One can point out any number of examples in scripture where someone gets hurt due to sin. Adam and Eve hurt each other, all their ancestors, and even the animal who had to lose its life to cover their shame; David and Bathsheba and Uriah; the list goes on and on.
Someone greater did get hurt for our sin. Jesus, true God and man, the sinless one was the one ultimately hurt for our sin. He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted; pierced and nailed to the cross; abused, injured, and killed; abandoned by God and suffered under our punishment. This is the payment for our careless sins, our self-aggrandizement, our lack of concern for anyone else, our original sin of "looking out for number 1."
Jesus has taken our sin, death, and shame upon Himself so that we can be free.