Sin—plain, old-fashioned sin, the self-same sin which caused Adam's downfall—is what we are all suffering from today, and it will do us far more harm than good to try to dress it up with a fancy, more attractive label.

When we use the word "sin," we usually think of our misdeeds—actions or habits we know are wrong. But those are specific sins, and they are the result of sin, the deeper spiritual disease that infects our souls. Sin is the cause; sins are the effect. Sin is the tree; sins are the fruit. Sin is the disease; sins are the symptoms.

We've tried calling sin "errors" or mistakes" or "poor judgment," but sin itself has stayed the same. No matter how we try to salve our conscience, we've known all along that men are still sinners; and the results of sin are still disease, disappointment, disillusionment, despair, and death.

The Bible teaches that Satan is the author of sin. Sin is the reason we have afflictions, including death. All of our problems and our suffering are a result of man's rebellion against God. But God has provided a rescue in His Son.

Sin, like a deadly cancer, has invaded every area of our lives: our bodies, our minds, our emotions, our wills—everything.

After the first blush of sin comes its indifference.

Sin brought death, and death will disappear with the disappearance of sin.

Sin carries in it its own misery.

One leak will sink a ship: and one sin will destroy a sinner.

Such sins, even if they do not kill all grace in us, do harm, nevertheless; and though they are only venial in themselves, they make us apt, ready, and inclined to lose grace and to fall into mortal sin.

Love is an appetite which, like all other appetites, is destroyed for the moment by its gratification.

God hates sin—not because it harms Him but because it hurts us. When sin enters our lives, it seeks to destroy us. When our lives or society surrender to sin, we become like the demoniac—possessed by a self-destructive spirit that brings great pain and shame into our lives.