Why Is Sin So Bad?

(Psalm 51:4)

Mike Johnson

Psalm 51 is thought to have been written by David in connection with his sin with Bathsheba.  You might recall that he had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and he had her husband (Uriah) killed to cover up his deed.  In Psalm 51, David was expressing his remorse for what he had done.  Humbly, with great sorrow and torment, he asked God to forgive him.  In the course of asking for God’s forgiveness, he said,  “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight. “

Earlier (II Sam. 12:13), David was confronted by Nathan regarding his sins and  said, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  However, in Psalm 51, he adds, “I have sinned against the Lord only.”  How could this be?  How could any sin be against another person more than adultery and murder?

David had certainly not forgotten that he had sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba.  However, he seemed to be expressing a fundamental principle that all sin is primarily against God.

Recall the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.  They sold some land and then lied, saying they were giving all of the money from the sale to the Lord. Peter rebuked Ananias saying (v. 4), “…thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”  Ananias had lied to men, but primarily (in particular or especially), he had lied to God.  All sin is mainly against God.

In Genesis 39, we can read of Potiphar’s wife trying to seduce Joseph to commit adultery.  Joseph recognized this would be an insult to his master, who had been so good to him.  Note verse 9, where he said, “There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”  He would be committing wrong against his master, but primarily he knew he would be sinning against God.

Today, true repentance comes from a realization that any sin we commit, no matter if the sin is against another person, is primarily a sin against God.

Why is sin so bad?  Various reasons exist, but primarily, it is because sin is against God.