The Deceitfulness of Sin. By Charles Spurgeon. Hebrews 3.13. That none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Sin is the greatest evil in the universe. It is the parent of all other evils. All evils draw their bitterness from this fountain of wormwood and gall. If a man had every possession a mortal could desire, sin could turn every blessing into a curse. And on the other hand, if a man had nothing but suffering but stood clear from all sin, then his afflictions, his losses, his deprivations might each one be a gain to him.

We ought not to pray so much against sickness or trial or even against death itself as against sin. Satan himself cannot hurt us, except as he is armed with the poisoned arrows of sin. Alas, we are sadly prone to sin, and evil has great influence over us.

Sin never presents itself in its true colors. Like a skilled deceiver, it comes as an angel of light, promising freedom but delivering bondage, offering pleasure but producing pain. Sin's most deadly weapon is its power to delude the soul. It is not the roaring lion, but the subtle serpent that we have most cause to fear.

Sin deceives in many ways. Sin softens its name. What God calls rebellion, sin calls mistake or infirmity. Sin minimizes consequences, whispering, you shall not die. Sin appeals to the affections, drawing the heart toward what seems desirable, but is in truth destructive. Sin first fascinates and then slays. Sin blinds the judgment, hardens the heart, and ultimately damns the soul.

One of sin's deadliest lies is that it is harmless in small doses. The point of the sword is small, and for that reason, the more deadly. We permit little sins, imagining them to be harmless. But little sins soon grow into great sins, and great sins damn the soul. A single sinful thought, once indulged, makes way for a sinful act. A moment of sinful pleasure can open the floodgates to years of regret.

The hardening effect of sin is gradual, but certain. The more a man sins, the less he feels it. His conscience grows dull, his affections grow cold, and his will becomes enslaved. Sin is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly. It is honey dipped in poison. Sin is not to be played with. It is a fire that burns us, a venomous serpent that bites us, and a sword that kills us.

Every sin is a step towards hell. Though the first steps may seem harmless, the descent is speedy, steep, and slippery.