The Sinfulness of Sin by Ralph Venning

Author:Ralph Venning
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Monergism Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

7. THE WITNESS OF SIN ITSELF

I shall show that sin proclaims its own sinfulness both by its names which it cannot disown, and by the arts which it uses to disguise itself.

(1) Sin’s names. These it cannot deny, but confesses that they belong to it. I shall give only two examples:

I. It is called the work of the Devil (1 John 3.5,8). This is not to say that man’s sin is not from himself, or that it is only of the Devil; but sin is what the Devil does and what he tempts others to do. Thus to sin is to act and work like the Devil; he who sins is of the Devil. Man indeed is of God, but the sinner or sinful man is of the Devil. The Devil was the first sinner, and he that sins is of him as if he were his child (John 8.44). He who does the Devil’s work is of the Devil; sinning is the Devil’s trade and he who follows this trade is of the Devil; he lives a devil’s life. The Devil does nothing but sin; this is his business, and those who tread in his steps are of him and like him: they are devils incarnate.

a. To sin and to live in sin is to do as the Devil does. It is to be like him and conformable to him. Sin is his work. He is so evil and wicked that he is called emphatically and by way of eminence the Evil and the Wicked One (I John 2.13; 3.12); as if no-one were evil or at least as evil as he. Truly the devils are not only wicked, but they are called wickednesses in the abstract (Ephesians 6.12) and abstracts denote essences. He sinned from the beginning and continues sinning to this day; and they who imitate him in his work are his children as much as if they were begotten of him: ‘Ye are of your father the Devil, and his works (or his lusts) ye will do’; he was and is a murderer: he attempted it upon God, but effected it on himself and man (John 8.44). He is the Abaddon and Apollyon, the murderer to this day (Revelation 9.11). It is true that he is a liar, a deceiver and a tempter, but he does all these in subservience to his reigning sin (for he is called a king in Revelation 9.11), which is that he is a destroyer or murderer (1 Peter 5.8). Now exactly the same is said of those who sin: they destroy their own souls (Proverbs 8.36); they are felones de se, self-murderers. Sin is devil’s work.

b. He who sins works for the Devil. Not only does he do such work as the Devil does; he is the servant and slave of the Devil. The Devil works in the children of disobedience and they work for him. He is their prince and their god, whose servants they are, and whose works they do.

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