The sin in doing what God wants.

It’s crazy, but most Christians have an inferior definition of sin. It's either too complex or too simple. Most folks consider sin to be against God. For example, if God wants us to turn left, sin would be turning right.

I would argue that sin is far simpler, or at least far different. In fact, I would argue that we can be with God (or in line with God’s will) and still be sinful.

Ultimately God gives you (and me, and all of us) only one choice. That is: to accept God as the lord, sovereign, leader, coach, pilot, head, master, guide, lead of your life – or you can freely choose not to allow God to sit on that throne.

The issue goes like this: when God is leading your life, he brings your actions into concert with his perfect will. He also responds to your acceptance of his love and leadership to bring salvation to you through a renewed righteousness.

A quick aside is that accepting God’s role as lord of your life is not a single act (although Salvation only occurs once) as the reins are regularly grabbed by our selfish wills in a split second. Reaffirming and accepting God in a place of ultimate authority in your life is a regular, daily, almost continuous decision.

But here’s the kicker…

Let’s say you deny God’s lordship over you and decide to make life decisions on your own. Can you? Of course, God gave us the capability to choose for ourselves in the very core and nature of our humanity.

Now let’s say, while you are your own pilot, steering your own ship, holding your own reins, driving your own vessel, you decide to turn left – and as it turns out God also wants you to turn left.

Then you are doing what God wants, aren’t you?

Nope.

Look, God has a plan for your life, but the heart of it is his relationship with you and his place in your life. That’s the only real choice we have and the only real choice God cares about. Everything else, even the stuff that looks good and right is… well, wrong.

This means that when Mormons, Masons, Jehovah Witnesses, some Catholics, Pagans, Heretics, Secularists, Humanists, Nazis, the well-intentioned, Grandmas, children, Nations, Companies, and Christians, too, that do anything appearing good but are not first anchored with the lordship of Jesus Christ through a personal relationship with God, have only the appearance of good and not a part or play in the perfect will of God.

Final take-away: good things and actions which are not prefaced with God’s prompting can and typically do result in bad results. Why do bad things happen to good people? Instead ask: Why do you call things bad? And why do you call people good?

At last...

Is drinking a sin? Is smoking a sin? Is anything a sin? Sin is not giving God full control of your life. The rest are meaningless questions. Truly meaningless questions - maybe even sinful questions. ;)