The Deceitfulness of Sin

Yesterday morning I was reading through Roman's 6-8 and the following verses caught my attention:

Romans 7:10-11 NIV:
[10] "I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. [11] For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death."

David Guzick's notes concerning Romans 7:10-12

a. 'And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death: Sin does this by deception. Sin deceives us:

· Because sin falsely promises satisfaction

· Because sin falsely claims an adequate excuse

· Because sin falsely promises an escape from punishment

b. For sin . . . deceived me: It isn't the law that deceives us, but it is sin that uses the law as an occasion for rebellion. This is why Jesus said you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32) The truth makes us free from the deceptions of sin.

c. And by it killed me: Sin, when followed, leads to death - not life. One of Satan's greatest deceptions is to get us to think of sin as something good that an unpleasant God wants to deprive us of. When God warns us away from sin, He warns us away from something that will kill us."

I thought this was such a helpful discussion on the nature and deception of sin, and the purpose behind it. The enemy would try to lead us astray with fine arguments, and work at convincing us of God's unpleasantness and anger towards us, to entice us into the very things that will ultimately lead to death. This isn't always physical death, but also death of relationships, death of trust, and the death of truth in our lives. Sin does promise satisfaction and although this is true in the short term, the satisfaction gained from sin never lasts, but rather leaves us with a thirst for more. It is this pursuit that leads us down paths from which there is little hope for return, and definite bondage.

It is in Christ alone that we have true freedom, and release from those things that bind us. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Gal 5:1) So let us recognize the deceitfulness of the enemy and the sin he entices us with, and turn to the Lord, our true source of life.