The Question We All Ask But Rarely Answer Honestly
Why do people sin? Why can't humanity just get better? We've tried education, legislation, reformation—yet the world keeps spiraling into deeper moral chaos. Evolution claims we're progressing, but one honest look at society tells a different story. We're not evolving forward; we're devolving backward.
The answer to why people sin isn't found in psychology textbooks or self-help seminars. Romans 1 reveals the truth about human nature, and it's more devastating than most want to admit.
The Root Cause: We Don't Want God
Romans 1:28 exposes the heart of the problem: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient."
There it is. People sin because they don't want God in their lives. It's not ignorance—it's rebellion. And when humanity rejects God, He gives them exactly what they want: a mind that's bent toward evil.
Romans 1 Reveals the Truth About Human Nature Through a Devastating List
Starting in verse 29, God doesn't hold back. He shows us exactly what fills the human heart when we push Him away: "Being filled with all unrighteousness." Not some. Not a little. All unrighteousness.
The Catalog of Human Corruption
Fornication - Despite modern versions trying to soften this word, sexual immorality saturates our culture. You can't scroll, watch, or listen to anything without being bombarded. The Bible commands us to "flee fornication" (1 Corinthians 6:18), yet 70% of Americans call it acceptable.
Covetousness - That constant itch for more. Your coworker works longer hours and earns more? You think you deserve the same? The Bible calls this idolatry: "covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). You might not carve a wooden idol, but coveting makes you an idolater in God's eyes.
Maliciousness - The heart's desire to injure someone else—personally, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Getting personal gratification from someone else's pain. It spreads like leaven through families, workplaces, even churches.
Murder - "I've never killed anyone!" But Jesus said, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15). How many of us stand guilty now?
Debate - Not healthy discussion, but contentious arguing for argument's sake. Christians debating Christians in front of a lost world, giving them more proof that "Christians can't even get along."
Whisperers and Backbiters - Secret conversations about someone who isn't there. Text threads dissecting someone's faults. After-church gatherings that turn into gossip sessions. Whisperers do it secretly; backbiters do it publicly. Both destroy.
Haters of God - People will never admit this, yet they live their entire lives trying to keep God out. They justify their humanity by "saving the planet" while passing the most radical anti-God legislation.
Pride - The root of all sin. People so in love with themselves, their beauty, their accomplishments, their selfies. Standing in grocery stores blocking aisles for the perfect Instagram shot while real life passes by.
Disobedient to Parents - When Mom asks you to make your bed, you stomp, roll your eyes, and grumble. This rebellion against parents is a disgrace to holy God. Nothing brings more curse to society than children who dishonor their parents.
Why People Keep Sinning: The Serpent Principle
Here's where Romans 1 reveals the truth about human nature in a way that destroys all hope in human effort. Look at Numbers 21 for the perfect illustration.
Israel rebelled. God sent fiery serpents. People were dying. They begged Moses to pray for the serpents' removal. But God's answer? "Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live" (Numbers 21:8).
God didn't remove the serpents. He actually added another one! But He provided a way to live among them—look and live.
This is why people sin and keep sinning: The serpents aren't leaving. You can't exterminate sin from this world. You can't reform it away. You can't educate it out of existence.
The Verdict That Seals Our Fate
Romans 1:32 delivers the final blow: "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."
People know God's judgment. They know what they're doing is wrong. Yet they not only continue sinning—they celebrate it in others. They "have pleasure in them that do them."
This answers definitively why people sin:
They reject God's knowledge (though it's available to all)
They become haters of God by nature
They find pleasure in sin, both their own and others'
The Only Answer to Why People Sin
Human wisdom says, "Get rid of the serpents! Call an exterminator! Pass better laws! Get better education!"
But God says something different: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).
The gospel doesn't promise to remove sin from this world. It promises to save you from sin's eternal consequences. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16).
Your Choice in Light of the Truth
Why do people sin? Because they've rejected God and embraced a reprobate mind. Because sin is the natural fruit of pushing God away. Because humanity loves darkness rather than light.
But here's the hope: While you can't escape sin in this world, you can escape its eternal penalty. Just as those dying Israelites looked at the brass serpent and lived, you can look to Christ and be saved.
Your opinion about this doesn't matter. You'll never reform yourself. You'll never exterminate the sin around you. There's no escape through human effort.
You must be rescued by Christ. "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Have you been bitten by sin? Don't try to fix it yourself. Look to Christ and live.
📖✨ Ready for the complete biblical answer? This blog captures core truths from an in-depth expository preaching session through Romans 1:29-32. For the full verse-by-verse Bible teaching that will transform how you understand sin and salvation, listen to the entire sermon here: Listen to the Complete Message. Experience powerful expository preaching that brings God's Word to life through careful, systematic exposition. Don't miss this life-changing message! 🎧