Sin and God's Good Gifts

“Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.” (Romans 7:13, ESV)

The Nature of Sin

I remember hearing a pastor define idolatry as, “A good thing that has become a god thing, which means it no longer is a good thing.” Idolatry is taking the good gifts of God, lifting them above God, then worshiping them as god.

That’s not just the nature of idolatry—one form of sin—but it’s the nature of all sin. Sin takes good things and uses them for evil. Paul says that sin used the Law—which is a good thing—to bring about death in him. Sin took a good thing and used it for evil. 

Think about an example from many of our lives here in the U.S. God has poured out blessings upon us. We are wealthy and healthy and comfortable. These are good things from the Lord. Yet, like the Psalmist says, our full tables have become a trap for us (Psalm 69:22). Sin has taken these good gifts from God and used them for evil. 

Using Good for Evil

Think about what happened in the garden. God created everything and said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Included among these good things were trees. These trees are described as, “pleasant to the sight and good for food.” (Genesis 2:9, ESV). Yet, when the serpent tempts Eve to sin, it attaches to these good things, tempting her to use these good things in a bad way. After the serpent lies to her, and she believes the lie, it says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6, ESV). Do you see what happened? She added something. God created the tree pleasant to the eyes and good for food. Eve added, “to make one wise,” and as a result used the good gift for evil—purposes contrary to God’s design. 

The Christian Response

This is why it can be so difficult to discern what is good and what is sinful. Sin is always attaching itself to good things and turning them to bad things. Since Christians desire to live holy and righteous lives in this world, they reject sin, but it's hard to know what to reject. 

Some Christians have separated themselves from the world in order to separate themselves from sinful things. Yet, in doing so, they are also separating themselves from God’s good gifts and rejecting His blessings. Also, they cannot fully separate themselves from sinful things because their sinful nature keeps tagging along with them. 

On the other hand, some Christians have embraced everything in the world as a “gift of God.” Yet, they don’t take the time to make the proper distinctions whether that “gift” is being used rightly or whether it has been used by sin for evil. They embrace it as a “gift” and fall into a trap. 

Redeeming God’s Gifts

The proper response it to work toward redeeming God’s good gifts. That means using God’s good gifts in the way God intended us to use them. Yes, sin will crouch nearby, ready to pounce and lead us astray. However, the Spirit will also be right there to battle with sin.

In order for us to use God’s good gifts in the way God intended us to use them, we must prayerfully and diligently study God’s Word. That’s where God reveals Himself to us and where He shows us how to use His gifts rightly. 

As we work toward redeeming God’s good gifts from their captivity to sin, we can look forward to the day when God will bring his full redemption, ushering in the New Heavens and the New Earth, where His gifts will continue to be good, and we will finally use all of them rightly.