How would you complete the following statement?

When a person becomes a Christian…

10 Commandments
 only those sins that he confesses are forgiven.
 all of his sins in the past are forgiven, but not those in the future. 1. Thou shalt have no other
 he becomes perfect and unable to ever sin again. God before me.
 all of his past, present, and future sins are forgiven. 2. Thou shalt not make unto
thee any graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the
Not sure? Read on to discover the answer to this statement and God’s Solution to help
name of the Lord thy God in
Christians overcome sin!
vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath
day to keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and thy
1. What is Sin? mother.
The Greek word for sin means “missing the mark.” It describes the distance between 6. Thou shalt not kill.
where an arrow lands and the bull’s eye of the intended target. 7. Thou shalt not commit
adultery.
Notice how it is used in this Bible verse. 8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” witness.
Romans 3:23, ESV
10. Thou shalt not covet.
 Underline the result of sin.
Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5
Sin is man’s failure to live up to God’s perfect standard. Everyone has broken at least
one of the 10 Commandments—either through their actions or thoughts.
SIN is not
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”  just breaking God’s laws;
James 4:17, ESV
 it is breaking His heart.
 Frame one word that describes knowing the right thing to do and not doing it.
~ Adrian Rogers
Even our failure to do what is right is sin! So that means no one is perfect.

Ezekiel 18:20 says, “The person who sins will die.”  What does Isaiah 59:2
Sin brings God’s judgment of death on all who are guilty of disobeying God’s laws.
say sin does to our
relationship with God?
What would you expect?
SIN will not come to you, saying, “I am sin.” It would do little harm if it did.

SIN always seems “good, and pleasant, and desirable,” at the time of commission.
~ J. C. Ryle

“All sin promises to

2. Who Sins? Serve & Please
 Circle the word in Romans 3:23 (above) that describes whom God considers a sinner. but only desires to
Enslave & Dominate.”
“If we claim to be without sin, ~ Ed Cole
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we claim we have not sinned,
we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8, 10, NIV © 1999 The Discipleship Ministry
BibleStudyCD.com
 Underline the description of Christians who claim they are “without sin.” © 2017 Revised by Janell Deckard
 Circle the description of Christians who claim they “have not sinned.” LighthouseLessons.org
 “All we like sheep have gone astray; “For there is not a just man
we have turned, every one, to his own way; on earth who does good
and the LORD has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity [sin] of us all.” Isaiah 53:6, NKJV and does not sin.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20, NKJV
 Circle the animal mentioned in this verse.
It is common for sheep to wander away from their shepherd. They easily get
into danger and are helpless to defend themselves against other animals.
God compares people to sheep since we often go our own way instead of following Him.
“We must not forget that
 Underline what was “laid” on Jesus.
it wasn’t the Jews that put
Because all of us have sinned, all of us need a Savior. Like sheep, we are unable
to save ourselves. That is why Jesus took the punishment for our sin. Him on the cross, and it
wasn’t the Romans. It was
“RELIGIONS are man’s search for God; my sins, it was your sins,
the GOSPEL is God’s search for man. the sins of this world.”
There are many RELIGIONS, but one GOSPEL.” ~ E. Stanley Jones ~ Franklin Graham

3. What is God’s Solution for Sin?

In Colossians 2:13-14 (below), the apostle Paul uses an illustration from the legal
profession. During his time, convicted criminals were issued a “written code” which listed “God grades
all the crimes they had committed, as well as their penalty sentenced by the court. on the Cross
After fulfilling their sentence, the court took the “written code” and stamped over it the NOT on the curve.”
Greek word “tetelestai,” which means Paid in Full. This was the exact word Christ used in
John 19:30 (below) when He said, “It is finished,” just before He died on the cross. ~Adrian Rogers

“…God made you alive with Christ.

He forgave us all our sins,
having canceled the written code, with its regulations,
that was against us and that stood opposed to us; Legalism says
He took it away, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14, NIV God will love us IF we change.
 Circle how many of our “sins” God forgave.
The Gospel says
 Underline what God did with the “written code” that contained a list of our sins and the
God will change us BECAUSE
penalty of death.
He loves us.
“Nailing it to the cross” means Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross in our place.
~ Tullian Tchividjian

“When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’

With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
John 19:30, NIV
“The CROSS is the greatest
 Circle the phrase “It is finished.”
example of humility and
 Write “Paid in Full” above “It is finished.”
devotion in the universe.

“God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, Jesus put your needs
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV ahead of His own.
He considered
 Underline why God made Jesus “to be sin for us.”
You more valuable
than Himself.”
The death of Jesus Christ satisfied 2 attributes of God. ~ Chip Ingram
– It satisfied His Holiness which required that sin be punished.
– It satisfied His Love which desired man’s salvation. © 1999 The Discipleship Ministry
BibleStudyCD.com
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God is able to demonstrate © 2017 Revised by Janell Deckard
His Love for man while maintaining His Holiness. LighthouseLessons.org
4. What Should We Do When We Sin? “God has promised

1 John 1:9 (below) has been called “The Christian’s Bar of Soap” because it contains FORGIVENESS
the KEY to dealing with sin in our lives. to your
“If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just REPENTANCE,
to forgive us our sins and but He has not promised
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9, KJV TOMORROW
 Circle what to do whenever we sin. to your procrastination.”
The word “confess” comes from a Greek word which means to agree. ~ Augustine
To confess is to agree with God that we have sinned.
 Underline two things God will do when we confess our sins.
Notice that this is a conditional statement: “if we confess our sins,” BIBLE Example
then God will “forgive” and “cleanse” us.
King David committed
adultery with Bathsheba, but
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, later confessed his sin to God.
but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13, NKJV
In Psalm 51, David asks God to
 Frame what we receive if we confess and forsake sin.  show mercy (v.1)
When we are truly sorry, we will be willing to forsake or stop doing that sin.  cleanse him from sin (v.2)
 create a clean heart in him (v.10)

“REPENTANCE is as much a mark of a Christian, as FAITH is.

Because David repented and
A very little sin, as the world calls it, is a very great sin to a true Christian.”
forsook his sins, that is one of
~ Charles Spurgeon
the reasons God called David
a “man after My own heart”
in Acts 13:22.

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin….

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:2, 7, NKJV
 Circle what David asked God to wash his sins “whiter than.” “Our sins have been put
away. To use the language
Snow is the result of ice crystalizing around tiny particles of dust or pollen in the sky.
of the Scriptures… they are
God washes our sins “whiter than snow” because snow contains a speck of dirt.
completely removed,
put behind God’s back,
“As far as the east is from the west, blotted out,
so far has He removed our transgressions [sins] from us.” Psalm 103:12, NKJV remembered no more, and
hurled into the depths of
 Underline the distance God removes our sins from us.
the sea.”
~ Jerry Bridges
How far is the east from the west? An infinite distance!
 No matter how far east you travel, you can still go one more step.
 There is a North Pole and South Pole, but there cannot be an east or west pole!
Just as the east and west are an immeasurable distance apart, “PRAYER will make a man
so God completely separates us from our sin! cease from SIN,
or SIN will entice a man to
cease from PRAYER.”
APPLICATION ~John Bunyan

1. Pray and ask God to reveal any sins you have not confessed to Him.
2. Confess those sins to God. Don’t make excuses for your sins.
© 1999 The Discipleship Ministry
3. Turn away from those sins. Ask God for help to not commit them again. BibleStudyCD.com
4. Claim God’s two promises in 1 John 1:9 for those who confess their sins. © 2017 Revised by Janell Deckard
5. Thank God for His forgiveness. LighthouseLessons.org
 God’s Math: 1 Cross
+ 3 Nails
4 Given
Are all my sins forgiven by God or just the past ones?
A: Christ died for all our sins: Past, Present, and Future.
“And every priest stands daily at his service, “God takes our sins – the
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices [gifts to God], which can never take away sins. past, present, and future,
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, and dumps them in the
He sat down at the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:11-12, ESV
sea and puts up a sign
 Circle how often a “priest” would offer the same sacrifice. that says
 In the Old Testament, priests continually offered sacrifices because people had sinned. NO FISHING
 The priests stood because their work was never finished. ALLOWED.”
 Underline how many times “Christ” offered a sacrifice for sins. ~Corrie ten Boom
 Christ’s death on the cross was the perfect sacrifice for sin, so it only happened once.
 Because His work was complete, Christ now sits beside God in heaven.

“As far as I know, this is the only

time God tells you to slip out of
 What about making restitution (or repayment)? church early.
A: If your sin hurt others, ask their forgiveness. Make restitution if necessary. Apparently, He’d rather have
you give your olive branch
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar than your tithe.
and there remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar and go. If you are worshiping
and remember that your mom is
First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
hacked-off at you for forgetting
Matthew 5:23-24, ESV
her birthday, then get off the
 Underline the “first” thing we should do when we have offended or wronged someone. pew and find a phone.
 Circle what we can do after we have been reconciled.
Maybe she’ll forgive you;
maybe she won’t. But at least
you can return to your pew with
 Why should I confess sins to God? He already forgave them. a clean conscience.”
~ Max Lucado
 A: Confession allows us to experience the forgiveness that is already ours in Christ.
Sin breaks our fellowship with God, not our relationship with Him.
 Our relationship with God as His children is based on His unconditional love for us.
 Our fellowship with God depends on our keeping an intimate walk with Him.
“Confess sin instantly.”
Psalm 32 describes the conviction David felt about his unconfessed sin. ~ F. B. Meyer
“For day and night Your hand was heavy on me [David];
my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity [sin].
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’
A Prayer
and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 32:4-5, NIV
Jesus, thank you for dying
 Underline what God did when David confessed his sin. on the cross to pay for all
 SIN had destroyed David’s intimacy with God, but CONFESSION restored it! our sins. Help us confess
and turn from sins so they
will not hinder fellowship
with You. Amen.
 How often should I confess my sins?
  A: As mentioned earlier, 1 John 1:9 is the “Christian’s Bar of Soap.”

© 1999 The Discipleship Ministry
 Just as you wash yourself with real soap as often as necessary, BibleStudyCD.com
so you should confess sin as soon as God convicts you of it. © 2017 Revised by Janell Deckard
 Any delay allows Satan the opportunity to gain a “foothold” in your life. LighthouseLessons.org