Skip to main contentHistorical Examples — Sin
268 illustrations
Christ bore our sins though He knew no sin
David declares his uprightness before God—"I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity." Yet this same psalm, when read messianically through the lens of Scripture, applies to Christ Himself.
Psalms 18:23Universalsubstitutionary atonementChrist's sinlessness
Five Foolish Dealings with Sin's Corruption
Psalm 38:5 speaks of wounds that stink and are corrupt because of our foolishness. What folly marks the sinner's path? Consider the cascading stupidity of sin's progression. First, *dallying* with sin—toying with temptation as though it were harmless sport. The...
Psalms 38:5
The Soul's Warfare: Israel's Victory Over Inner Enemies
In the higher regions dwell principles of innocence, hope, love, justice, trust, kindness, purity, and tenderness—the kingdom of heaven itself.
Ruth 4:33
Fading Garlands versus the Amaranthine Crown
Samaria, perched high on its hillside with luxuriant vegetation and bright flowers, wears a crown of pride—yet this garland must fade.
Isaiah 28:3-5
The Sacred Purpose of Speech: Why Lying Offends Yahweh
Man alone among creatures possesses articulate speech—the power to transmit thought from mind to mind.
Proverbs 11:22Universalthe corruption of God's gifts
When Religious Form Conceals Murderous Intent
The Apostle himself later questioned whether the Spirit had truly guided this defense.
Acts 23:12-22
Evil Pursues the Wicked; Good Rewards the Righteous
First, as a universal community: only religion—a sense of justice and moral distinction—separates humans from beasts.
Proverbs 13:21Universalmoral law and consequence
God's Judgments Beyond Human Sight and Understanding
Joseph Exell's Victorian commentary illuminates a profound spiritual reality: the human mind possesses a moral obtuseness toward divine obligation that no natural intellect can overcome.
Psalms 10:5UniversalDivine judgment transcends human perception
The Soul's Civil War: Midianites, Amalekites, and the Eastern Adversaries
In the higher regions dwell principles of innocence, hope, love, justice, trust, kindness, purity, and tenderness—the angels of the soul.
Joshua 5:33
The Wicked's Cunning Disguise of False Humility
Their humility is mere theater, a calculated mask worn to deceive the vulnerable.
Psalms 10:10
Herod's Fear of John: Admiration Without Transformation
A paradox haunts this tetrarch: he reverenced God's faithful minister while remaining enslaved to his own appetites.
Mark 5:20Universalthe danger of partial conviction
Jerusalem's Refusal: When a City Rejects Divine Correction
Under Kings Manasseh and Amon, Judah descended into flagrant idolatry.
Ezekiel 3:2
Avoiding the House of Temptation: Three Dangers
The Wise Teacher presents three critical warnings about approaching places of moral danger.
Proverbs 5:8Universaltemptation and vigilance
The Hypocrite's Destruction and Knowledge's Deliverance
Selfish in nature, he wears the costume of benevolence; false in speech, he uses the language of sincerity and truth.
Proverbs 11:9Universaldeception versus truth
Monte Testaccio: A Mound of Irreparable Fragments
Paul's in Rome stands Monte Testaccio, an artificial mound nearly one-third of a mile in circumference and one hundred fifty feet high.
Isaiah 30:14Universaldivine judgment as irreversible
The Prophet's Weeping Over Foreseen Evil
When the prophet reveals that Ben-hadad will recover—dashing Hazael's expectation of immediate succession—disappointment crystallizes into murderous resolve.
2 Kings 8:9-15
The Flowery Crown That Cannot Withstand the Storm
The prophet's central image is devastating: Samaria itself is a sparkling coronet, a flowery wreath twined upon the brow of its fertile hill, where revellers twist garlands in their hair during their orgies.
Isaiah 28:1-13
The Flatterer's Mouth: How Praise Becomes Ruin
The flatterer operates with calculated self-interest, stripping the novice he has coaxed and living upon the deceived.
Proverbs 26:28Universaldeception and truth
The Deceit of Self-Esteem Without God's Perspective
Alexander observes, this sin must be abjured both for its destructive effects and as the worst form of pride.
Isaiah 5:21Universalpride as spiritual blindness
The Strong Made Combustible: Sin's Disintegrating Power
Tow—the coarse, broken refuse of flax or hemp—becomes the metaphor for those whom sin has hollowed from within.
Isaiah 1:31Universaldivine judgment
Sin Piles Dynamite in the Soul's Dark Cellar
Maclaren identifies three movements in this fatal process.
Isaiah 1:30-31
The Pit Digger Falls Into His Own Trap
Soldiers and hunters would excavate deep holes, carefully cover them with branches and earth, and disguise them so completely that approaching enemies or wild beasts would plunge unsuspectingly to their doom.
Psalms 7:15
Shame as an Inseparable Garment Upon the Wicked
Spurgeon's commentary, drawing from Thomas Playfere, presents a penetrating image: shame becomes as inseparable from the wicked as the very clothes a man wears wherever he journeys.
Psalms 129:18
Liars in Jest Face Judgment in Earnest
Psalm 5:6 pronounces the Divine judgment: "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing"—those who traffic in falsehoods, whether spoken carelessly or with malicious intent. The distinction matters little to Yahweh's justice. A lie uttered in jest remains a lie; the...
Psalms 5:6
Charles H. Spurgeon223 words
Universal
The progressive nature of sin
Spiritual self-deception
Charles H. Spurgeon205 words
Universal
spiritual warfare
divine assistance in struggle
Universal
divine judgment and mercy
the temporary nature of worldly pleasure
Alexander Maclaren254 words
truth and falsehood
Universal
the corruption of religious formalism
complicity through indirection
Alexander Maclaren226 words
pursuit of virtue
Moral blindness as spiritual rebellion
Universal
inner conflict and spiritual warfare
the borderland Christian
Universal
hypocrisy and deception
the nature of wickedness
Charles H. Spurgeon201 words
admiration without transformation
Universal
divine judgment
refusal of correction
consequences of idleness
character and consequence
consequences of human rebellion
Universal
foreknowledge and free will
ambition corrupting virtue
Alexander Maclaren242 words
Universal
divine judgment
false security through material beauty
Alexander Maclaren240 words
pride and corruption
false versus divine wisdom
spiritual degradation
Universal
the hidden consequences of sin
moral accountability before God
Alexander Maclaren230 words
Universal
divine retribution
consequences of wickedness
Charles H. Spurgeon210 words
Universal
divine justice and judgment
the inescapable consequences of wickedness
Charles H. Spurgeon206 words
Universal
the nature of God's judgment
the seriousness of dishonesty
Charles H. Spurgeon212 words