The Deceitfulness of Sin

Sin takes the law and deceives us with it. “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me” (Romans 7:11).

Sin’s deceit takes two forms. First it deceives by making a person feel safe and secure in the law. The sin that I’m referring to is the sin of self-righteousness. It states that if you obey the law then you’ll live.

But this is really a deception, because no one can perfectly keep the law. But the sin of self-righteousness keeps a person believing that they can, thus condemning them in the process.

What the Bible reveals is that no one can perfectly keep the law, and that no one is righteous.

“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one’” (Romans 3:10).

The second deceit of sin is making us think that the law is what brings life. But it doesn’t. Instead, it brings discouragement and hopelessness, because when we continue to break the law then we feel condemned and unacceptable to God.

What the law does, however, is shines God’s light on the truth that no one is righteous in the eyes of God, and points the way towards the coming Messiah who will make them right with God through His sacrifice.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed … He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken … He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:5, 8b, 12b).

Therefore, because of the Messiah’s sacrifice, we’re free from sin’s deceit.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).