We inherit lots of things from our parents. Things such as facial features, height, and the color of our eyes, skin, and hair. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material that contains all of this information. Unfortunately we inherit something else, something I call our sin DNA. We can trace this sin DNA back to the beginning of humankind.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)

For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. (Psalms 51:5 NLT)

What this means is we are all born with the tendency to sin. As members of the human family we have all inherited this.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23 NLT)

Fortunately for us God made a way for us to escape this sin.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16, 17 NLT)

When we decide to follow Christ God says we become his adopted children. When a child is adopted their DNA isn’t changed and though we Christians are now the adopted sons and daughters of Christ we all still share the same sin DNA. The Bible refers to this sin DNA as “the flesh”

Our current teaching series has been talking about “The Journey”. We often stumble on this journey due to our sinful nature, our flesh,

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18 ESV)

We know what to do and even have a desire to carry it through but sometimes we just don’t do it. There are lots of things that may contribute to our stumble and fall but one thing is for certain; at some time it happens to all of us.

This is where an amazing and horrifying aspect of human nature continues to shock me. Even though we know that as Christians we mess up and don’t do what God wants us to we begin to criticize others, including those who don’t even know Christ, when they stumble just like we do. For some reason we begin to think that other people’s sins are more offensive to God than our own.

I hope you can join us this Sunday as we explore ways to help instead of condemn others when they stumble on The Journey.

Scott Pollard
Associate Pastor/Journey to Recovery