The Struggle Is Real: When Sin Looks Like Life, But Leads To Death
We’re in week two of a sermon series called The Struggle is Real, and if you’re honest with yourself, you know the title couldn’t be more accurate. Whether you’re new to faith or have followed Jesus for years, you’ve probably felt the tension—between the person you want to be and the person you actually are. Between grace and sin. Between your desire to follow Jesus and the pull toward everything that draws you away from Him.
Last week, we explored that internal battle. This week, we’re getting more specific—talking about a word nobody likes to talk about: sin.
But we’re not stopping there.
We’re also looking at grace, the counterbalance to sin—and the hope we cling to when we’ve messed up. But first, we need to get honest about what sin really is… because it’s worse than we think.
Sin Isn’t Just “Doing Bad Things”
Let’s start with a story. Late one night, I got a call from someone I hadn’t heard from in a while. He asked if we could meet immediately. When he walked into my office, he was a shell of the man I remembered—disheveled, broken, exhausted. Through tears, he told me how he’d developed an emotional relationship with a coworker. It began with innocent texts, turned into inside jokes, and eventually led to a physical affair. Now? He had lost his job, his family, and his reputation.
He sat across from me, sobbing, asking a question I’ve heard far too many times in ministry:
“How did I get here?”
It didn’t happen all at once. It was a slow drift—a series of micro-decisions, seemingly harmless at the time. But each one took him a step further away from God’s design for his life.
The Lie of Sin: It Looks Like Life
Here’s the truth:
Sin is attractive. It’s fun. It feels good.
(At least at first.)
If sin was ugly or obviously destructive, we’d avoid it. But it rarely comes at us that way. Sin wears a disguise. It looks like success, fulfillment, freedom, even wisdom. But slowly—sometimes silently—it begins to erode what matters most.
Sin promises life, but leads to death.
That’s the big idea. It doesn’t matter if you’re religious, spiritual, or skeptical—sin has a pattern, and it always leads somewhere. And spoiler alert: it’s never where you wanted to go.
What Is Sin, Really?
The Bible uses some words that feel outdated—iniquity, transgression, sin. But while the vocabulary may feel ancient, the concepts are very much alive in 2025.
Let’s break these down in plain English:
1. Iniquity – Twisting Something Good
Iniquity is when we take something good (like work, sex, influence) and twist it into something destructive. Think: workaholism, lust, manipulation. David, the king of Israel, fell into this. He twisted his God-given authority for selfish gain—and it cost him deeply.
2. Transgression – Willful Disobedience
This is the toddler who looks you in the eye, hears “Don’t touch that,” and touches it anyway. Transgression is knowing the boundary—and deliberately crossing it. It’s not ignorance; it’s defiance. And it breaks trust, which is the foundation of all relationships.
3. Sin – Missing the Target
Sin (in Greek, hamartia) is an archery term. It literally means “to miss the mark.” The Bible tells us that we’ve all missed the mark—“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But what’s the target?
Here’s the game-changer: The target isn’t rule-keeping. It’s relationships.
Jesus said the two greatest commandments are:
- Love God.
- Love people.
Every law, every “thou shalt not,” is designed to protect and nurture those two relationships. When we sin, we’re not just breaking a rule—we’re breaking relationship. That’s why sin is so devastating.
Where Did Sin Come From?
Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to define right and wrong for themselves instead of trusting God. It was never about the fruit—it was about authority. And humanity has been doing the same thing ever since:
“I know what God says, but I’ll decide what’s best for me.”
The scary part? Scripture says, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (Proverbs 14:12). Sin looks like life—but it doesn’t end there.
Why Should I Care?
Even if you’re not sure what you believe about God, the consequences of sin are real. They don’t always hit immediately—Adam and Eve didn’t drop dead the moment they ate the fruit—but death began to unfold in every part of their lives.
Sin slowly kills:
- Your peace
- Your purpose
- Your relationships
- Your integrity
- Your identity
It might not seem urgent now, but left unchecked, sin will eventually cost you more than you wanted to pay.
What If I’ve Blown It?
Good news: God isn’t done with you.
Yes, there are consequences. But there’s also grace. The goal today isn’t guilt—it’s prevention and restoration. And even if you’re already in a place where sin has taken a toll, you are never too far gone.
God is merciful. He’s just. But He doesn’t overlook sin—He paid for it.
That’s why Jesus came.
He lived a sinless life.
He never twisted good.
He never broke trust.
He never missed the mark.
And because He didn’t sin, He could pay for ours.
“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.” – 1 Peter 2:24
So What Do I Do?
One word: Confession.
Not the casual “God, forgive me of all my sins” prayer. Confession means naming it. Getting honest. Saying, “God, I’ve fallen short. I’ve hurt people. I’ve turned from You. And I don’t want to keep going this direction.”
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
Confession isn’t for God’s benefit—it’s for ours. It sets us free. It stops the drift. It’s the first step back to the life we were meant to live.
Final Thoughts: Choose Life
Maybe you’re not there yet. Maybe you haven’t felt the consequences of sin—but you’re starting to sense the drift. Don’t wait until you’re sitting in a church office, broken and wondering, “How did I get here?”
Sin always over-promises and under-delivers.
It looks like life—but leads to death.
But there’s another path.
A better path.
A path of grace, forgiveness, restoration, and relationship with the One who gave His life so you could live.
The struggle is real. But so is grace. Receive it.