Sin as Identity

 The more acceptable a sin is to society, the worse it is for the person struggling with it. Sin seems like an easy thing until you try to break free from it. The more sin is nurtured, the more it grows. Eventually, sin becomes one with the person—it becomes your identity.

​This is why many who are caught up in a homosexual lifestyle identify with it. The hold is so powerful that it feels like this is simply who you are. From a young age, before we are even aware of it, a tendency begins to develop toward a particular vice. Unless it is checked early, it will—like an anaconda—envelop the entirety of our being. The vice becomes your defining feature, your raison d'être. Sometimes we mistake the vice for a virtue; we embrace its death grip, and it grows. The serpent may seem to smile at us as it tightens its hold, sometimes leaving enough wiggle room to allow us to think we are free. But try to escape, and the monster will reveal its true death grip upon the soul.

​A person struggling with things society condemns, like theft or prostitution, may find themselves in a better position to be rescued from sin's vice grip than those dealing with socially acceptable sins—such as the love of money, premarital sex, extramarital sex, homosexuality, pride, and hatred.

​Why? Because those dealing with fashionable sins do not realize the power those sins hold over them, precisely because society does not condemn them. The thief knows there is human punishment if he is caught, so he may be more willing to accept that he needs help. The prostitute may see her degradation and realize she needs help. The drug addict may see his impending ruin and his impotence in freeing himself.

​In contrast, the man who loves money cannot see how much of a slave he is, and because society honors him for his wealth, he will not seek to break free. Similarly, a person caught in the grip of homosexuality is catered to by modern society and cannot see the destructive impact it is having on him. He fails to see that the depression and anxiety he experiences are the result of an unnatural affection; society tells him he feels this way only because others are unaccepting. Thus, he remains on the path to moral ruin without realizing it.

​A woman who is vain or selfish might be excused by society, but she is still dealing with sin, and it will eventually become her identity. Likewise, the man who is hungry for power or the person who is chronically impatient or unloving, are all dealing with destructive sins that will ruin the soul sooner or later, unless the sinner comes to Christ.

​When we say, "This is just who I am," if any part of the character traits we are describing is not in harmony with God's character, we can know we are dealing with something we need deliverance from.

​It is only as a person begins to come to Christ that they realize the power of sin in their life. You begin to see that your entire identity has been shaped by your particular sin, and that only God can save you. At some point, you realize the only way to be saved is for God to destroy who you were. The problem, however, is that the destruction of one's former self is so painful that many simply choose to find comfort in their old identity.

​The closer a person draws to God, the more they realize that true religion is not simply about going to church, but about the need to die daily to whatever identity they held before truly coming to Christ. The old self must die, and this process is perhaps more painful than physical death, for it means dying while you live. You walk through life while the Lord works to destroy the sinful self and recreate you in the image of His Son.

​The sooner we realize our old identities must die, the better we will understand the true nature of Christianity. Christianity is not the improvement of the old life, but its destruction and the birth of a new one. Everything impure in us must be destroyed as we are renewed in Christ Jesus. Unless we are continually dependent on God moment by moment, we will not be able to endure the severe ordeal of inner purification.

​When we hear that we are sinful, it means our very identity has been corrupted by sin. To be holy is for Christ to become our identity—to reach a place where our entire life is centered upon Him and every decision is made for His glory. He alone can accomplish such a work in our lives, but we alone can give Him permission.