The Killing Power of Sin

The first three verses of Ephesians chapter two put the whole human race out of fellowship with God!  Paul writes:  “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”  In this brief treatise, let us examine together the dreadful killing power of sin and see how it can get such a hold on us that we may not be able to let go. Now read vs. 4-7.  Were it not for the gospel where we find God’s drawing power in His rich mercy and great love and wonderful grace, surely, we all would be doomed to everlasting damnation! 

A warning for you and me! Paul describes men who had become comfortable in their powerfully sinful environment, conducting themselves in complete harmony with the spirit of the age that marked man- kind completely, alienated from the life of God.  He speaks of being dead in trespasses and sins. How does one become dead in trespasses and sins?  Can just one sin kill a person?  We will look at that in a moment, but first, let’s look at the meaning of the words, “sin” and “trespass.”

Sin, when spoken, has the hiss of a serpent – ssssin! The Greek word is ha-mar-TIA.  It is a shooting word and means quite literally, “to miss the mark.”  All our arrows have missed the mark of God and we all have fallen short of His glory (Rom. 3:23).  We read:  All unrighteousness is sin (missing the target of God) 1 John 5:17.

Trespass, (Gk. Paraptoma), means to slip or fall to one side.  It is “a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness” – Thayer.  It is used of a man losing his way, and straying from the right road.  Hence, sin or trespass is missing God’s target for life and taking the wrong way when we could have chosen the right way.

Realizing that “the wages of sin is death,” just how does sin kill a person?  Usually, one sin does not kill a person, but it can begin a threefold domino effect if not corrected.

First of all, sin kills INNOCENCE!  You can never be pre- cisely the same after knowingly   committing a trespass. You can   never really erase from the subconscious memory any sin you have ever committed! The apostle Paul never forgot the stoning of Stephen. David said: “My sin is ever before me” (Psa. 51:3).  The experience of sin leaves a kind of tarnishing film on your mind and on your memory, and things can never be quite the same or have the same pristine clearness.

Secondly, sin also kills IDEALS!  (1) At first, a man regards some wrong thing with horror, because he has in mind a perfect type or model that he has imitated.  It might be a boy for his father. (2) The second stage comes when tempted to do something, and even as you do it, you are still unhappy and ill at ease and very conscious that it is wrong.  This is sad. (3) The third stage is sadder still. You finally give yourself over to your selfish urges. It may be smoking that first cigarette; or having that first drink; or having sex out of wedlock; or gambling just for fun; or it may be lying the first time; or the first time you stole something.  The fatal power of sin is that each time you sin it makes the next sin easier!

Finally, sin can kill the WILL! At first we may engage in some forbidden pleasure to satisfy some fleshly urge. In the end, we engage because it gets a hold on us and we cannot help doing it. Once a thing becomes a habit, it is not far from becoming a necessity.  We may have become its slave – Read Rom 6:16. 

The killing power of sin is just another reason for our theme this year, “Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus.”

View Full Content Source:
https://www.southsideonline.org/articles/2025/09/14/the-killing-power-of-sin