Sin isn’t just something you do. Sin captures, enslaves and leads to death. There is only One Freedom Fighter who sets us free.

“The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. (Jeremiah 52:10-11)”

Sin is a giggle word to modern people. Sin is a vestige from the dark ages where prudish people had hang-ups about things that no one today should have hang-ups about. Other than racism very few things are considered a sin today. Sin is mostly for religious people who have an invisible ‘schoolmaster’ who invents rules that make no sense to ordinary people.

Racism is definitely a sin. But without a God to tell us that we must love each other, no one would have solid reason to think racism is wrong. If ‘nature’ is all there is, then racism is the most natural thing in the world. Racism is wrong because it’s a sin.

Sin is whatever is inherently wrong. Sin is not just something wrong we do, sin captures us, enslaves us, blinds us, and ultimately kills us. Sin is like being a prisoner of the Taliban – nothing to giggle about.

The Bible, being a library that deals with reality, records sin-soaked history. The King of Babylon did to King Zedekiah what the Taliban does today. According to Amnesty International (see www.amnesty.org), the Taliban has resumed beheadings, torture, summary executions, and the enslavement of women. Everyone was warned that this would happen if the Taliban overthrows the Afghanistan government. God warned His people about Babylon too.

Zedekiah is a picture of what sin does when we refuse to listen to God. Sin captures us and takes our freedom away because once you sin it enslaves you. It only takes one lie to become a liar. We need lies to cover up lies so we lie more and we even lie to ourselves. Before we realise it, everything we say becomes distorted with lies.

We only have to lose our temper once and it takes more effort to restrain it the next time. Our growing temper takes control of us so that even in the pettiest things it takes control – like road rage.

Sin also ‘puts out’ our eyes. We think we see clearly but actually sin ‘colours’ everything we look at. When we first use someone as an object for our sexual pleasure, we are blinded into thinking it was love. If we carry on using people for sexual experience people become exactly that: objects to be used. Instead of seeing people who matter, our ruined eyes only see objects for potential sexual exploitation. Even a rich, high-profile movie producer who could afford anything, can no longer control himself.

We can’t escape because we are prisoners of our own wills. In the end, we die in captivity.

Religion says, ‘if you try hard enough you can escape.’ Humanism says, ‘you’re not a sinner.’ Wishful thinking says, ‘the Taliban aren’t that bad.’ Jesus says, ‘Whoever sins is a slave to sin. But if I set you free, you will be free indeed.’