From the moment sin pervaded our world, every human has fought the seemingly instinctive pull toward idolatry. Yes, we may not build wooden images or metal statues and bow down and offer homage to them. Yet we still long for idols. Because of sin we are allured to worship the created rather than the Creator. This is exactly what John means when he writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” He goes on to say, “ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:16). The desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and the pride of life are all elements that lead us to idolatry. Ultimately the sin of idolatry lies at the root of almost every sin. We simply are not satisfied with God himself; we want to worship everything he has created. Again, the problem is not with what God has created. God desires for us to use and steward his creation. The problem is with sin. Our sin propels us to worship the created rather than the Creator.

Often when we think about sin we think about externals. We consider sin to be when we actually do something. Many in Jesus’s day thought the same way. In particular, the religious leaders were known for this. Jesus’s harshest words were saved for the religious leaders of his day because while they were righteous in how they appeared and what they did, they were evil in their hearts. This is exactly what Jesus attacks in Mark 7:14–23. In Mark 7:20, Jesus says, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.” Jesus then goes on to list a litany of sins that proceed from the heart. What is Jesus’s point? Sin is not just what we do. Sin is also about the attitude of our heart. For those who sin outwardly, their sin flows from their heart. For those who mask their sin by looking good and doing right, sin can still reside in their heart.

If you were to survey 100 people, asking them, “do you consider yourself a good person?”, the majority would probably say yes. In our culture, we have a way of separating really bad people with everyone else. And so, if you haven’t committed serious crimes you are overall a good person. In Romans 3:9–20, however, Paul provides us with a very different view of humanity. Quoting from the Psalms, Paul says, “None is righteous, no not one.” He then goes on to describe ho w humanity is not righteous—no one has done good, their tongues are deceptive, they are full of curses and bitterness, they are quick to shed blood, they do not fear God. Quite a rap sheet. The point is this: when compared to God, no one measures up. We are all sinful. There is not an ounce of our selves not contaminated by sin. While we are probably not as sinful as we could be, we are sinful enough to separate us from God.

One of the purposes of Lent is to remind us of our sin and brokenness. While we should not be morbidly obsessed with our sin, especially when we are now in Christ, we should have a healthy understanding of who we were when we were lost in our sin. Ephesians 2:1–3 paints a rather grim picture for us. Prior to Jesus, we were dead in our sin. Dead—meaning no life. What a sad reality. We walked around following the world and pursuing the passions of our flesh. We wanted what we wanted regardless of what God thought about it. Not only were we dead in sin, but we were also “children of wrath.” While God loved us, his wrath burned hot against our sin. You see, God is pure and holy. Sin is the opposite of who God is. The two cannot mix. Therefore when we were dead in sin, we were literally enemies of God.

Yesterday we saw how God’s creation was very good. We saw how we are the pinnacle of creation, being the only thing on the face of the earth created in the image of God. If only the story ended there. Unfortunately we come to Genesis 3 and the beginning of our brokenness. God created each one of us to live in relationship with him; however, that relationship came with boundaries. Think about any relationship you have. You have “rules” that govern and manage that relationship. Surely a relationship with the God and Creator of the universe also has these boundaries. God simply asked the first humans, Adam and Eve, to obey him and not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In Genesis 3, we meet our adversary, the Devil. The Devil came and tempted Adam and Eve, causing doubt to creep into their minds. The Devil caused them to doubt one of the most significant truths—God’s goodness.