The Apostle Paul asked Christians this same question! Romans 6:1-2, 12-13, 16-18, 21, 23 (NIV):  “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? No! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?…  Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?… Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires… offer yourselves to God … For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”​

The Greek word for sin is “hamartia” which means to miss the mark, to fall short of obeying God’s laws of love. Whether a person deliberately chooses to ignore God’s directions or whether he messes up unintentionally, it is still a sin.  ​

Jesus taught God’s law: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself,” Luke 10:27. God is the embodiment of love, justice, wisdom, and power. Why wouldn’t everyone want to serve our wonderful Creator? Sinning against God means being unloving, unjust, and unwise.

We are also to love our neighbors as ourselves. Do you really want to be mean and unjust to others?

Some think a personal sin is okay – as long as it doesn’t hurt others. But a personal sin hurts you. There are always painful consequences to sin. Satan promotes sin as a good thing – just as he did with Eve. He’s a liar. The world tempts us to sin by saying there are no painful results. But that’s a lie.  Sin always enslaves us; the consequences are regret and death.  Sin makes us selfish, jealous, hateful, angry, unrestrained, and lonely. (See also Galatians 5:19-21.)  Sin destroys.

So, ask God for wisdom and help to obey His principles. James 1:5, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (NLT)  Choose righteousness and eternal life!