Sin is a violation of God’s law. It is disobedience to loving God with all the heart,
soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. The Bible teaches clearly that
sin's wages are death and the leading cause of disease and suffering. Sin is destructive
and creates a sense of separation from God. Hatred, anger, envy, resentment, malice,
jealousy, backbiting, adultery, fornication, unforgiveness, being critical and condemning
others, and all evil thoughts are all sinful beliefs.
Sin is forgiven only when it is forsaken. There is a strong and foolish belief among
some Christians that believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and confessing sins means that they
can willfully continue sinning and then ask God for forgiveness. Some even teach that once
you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you can sin all you want and at the hour of
your death to just ask for forgiveness.
Nothing could be further from the truth! Sin is forgiven only when we sincerely repent.
It is not that God holds us in sin for sin is not God-created. We keep ourselves and others in
sin when we hold on to it. As our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy says, we must deny sin and plead
God’s Allness.