Those who read the Bible are aware that sin is a major topic of discussion.  In the Old Testament it seems that God was perpetually ticked off about all the sin going on.  In fact, He dealt rather harshly with those who sinned.  We all know the story of David and Bathsheba and what happened when they sinned against the Lord.  Because of their adultery, "The Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill.  David pleaded with God for the child.  He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.  The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.  On the seventh day the child died" (2 Samuel 12:15-18).

God's judgment was that David's child should die. Yes, David confessed his sin and repented and God forgave him.  Still, he was made to suffer the consequences of his sin.  In the New Testament we have the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  The complete story is in Acts 5:1.  In a nutshell, the husband and wife team lied to God and to God's people.  God's punishment was swift.  He struck them dead on the spot for their hypocrisy.  You might say that God was a little displeased with their blatant lying.  God is holy.  Hence He cannot ignore or tolerate sin.

There are an abundance of scriptures that talk about sin. Here are a few:

All humans have sinned, Romans 3:23; 5:12
Devastating effects of sin, Romans 1:18-3:30
Sin breaks our fellowship with God, Isaiah 59:1-2; 1 John 1:6-7
Sin causes death, Romans 6:23
Three areas of sin: lust of flesh, lust of eyes, pride of life, 1 John 2:16

The verse that got my attention is Isaiah 59:2: "But your iniquities have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."  Sin separates us from God.  We can petition God until the cows come home; but He may not be listening to our prayers.  By that I mean, He hears our words but doesn't act on them.  The Bible says He sometimes looks the other way.  No one can stand in God's holy presence unless his or her sin is removed.

With all the willful sin going on in the Church body, one can't help but wonder if God has indeed hidden His face from a multitude of believers.  Sin is our enemy and not to be taken lightly. When we knowingly transgress, we are to sincerely repent then make every effort not to become repeat offenders. 

Today when a pastor gets up and preaches on sin (or hell) it rankles the folks who showed up to hear a positive uplifting message.  For them, hearing the "S" word is offensive.  Sin is not in their vocabulary.  Wrongdoer has replaced sinner.  No matter how badly wrongdoers behave they want to be assured that God loves them.  They mustn't be told that God will severely punish bad behavior.  The image of God they prefer is of a father that shakes a finger at a disobedient child and says, "That is not OK Johnny."

                 
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