The Sinfulness of Sin

Author

Ralph Venning

Category Christian Living, Puritan Paperback Specials, Puritan Paperbacks, Theology Books

Series Puritan Paperbacks

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Weight	0.66 lbs
Dimensions	7.13 × 4.75 × 0.75 in
ISBN	9781800402300
Binding	Paperback
Topic	Man & Sin, Spiritual Growth
Original Pub Date	1669
Banner Pub Date	Jan 18, 2022
Page Count	352
Format	Book
Series	Puritan Paperbacks

Endorsement

‘Works like Ralph Venning’s The Sinfulness of Sin have steered me into a greater understanding of God, his word, and indeed even my own heart. Few today would dare think so carefully and comprehensively about the Bible’s teaching on the stuff of sin. Fewer still would dare write it. Perhaps even fewer have sat to read Venning’s cogent study. But any who read this book will never think the same way about sin, evil, and God’s grace in Christ Jesus. Thank you, Banner.’ — DAVID GARNER

Book Description

We cannot understand the Christian gospel until we know what sin is. Yet modern secular counsellors urge us to ignore both the word and what it tells us about our rebellion against God and his law. Sadly, the church too often serves as an echo chamber for such cheap and short-sighted wisdom. It’s literature spreads the deceptive message that all is well. But it is only when we begin to see our sinfulness that we are able to discover God’s forgiveness.

Although The Sinfulness of Sin was written three hundred years ago, it remains an oasis of truth in a desert of lies. First published in the aftermath of the Great Plague of London and entitled Sin, The Plague of Plagues, this book gives a crystal-clear explanation of what sin is, why it is so serious, and what we need to do about it. Here is reliable medicine for a fatal epidemic.

Table of Contents Expand ↓

	Publishers' Introduction	xv
	INTRODUCTION	1
1.	SECTION ONE
	WHAT SIN IS	9
2.	SECTION TWO
	THE SINFULNESS OF SIN	13
	Sin's Contrariety to God	16
	1. To the nature of God	17
	2. To all the names and attributes of God	18
	3. To the works of God	19
	4. To the law and will of God	20
	5. To the image of God	20
	6. To the people of God	21
	7. To the glory of God	23
	8. To the being of God	23
	Sin's Contrariety to Man	25
	1. Sin is against man's present good in this life	27
	(1) In a natural sense	28
	(i) It is against man's well-being in this life	28
	(ii) It is against man's very being	34
	(2) In a moral sense	35
	(i) It has degraded man	35
	(ii) It has darkened man's understanding	38
	(iii) It has made man a fool	43
	a. In relation to his chief and ultimate end	44
	b. In relation to the means leading to happiness	47
	c. As to the non-improvement or mis-improvement of means	49
	Examples of man's folly	51
	(iv) It has made man a beast	55
	a. Like a beast	56
	b. Like the worst of beasts	57
	c. Worse than the beasts	58
	(v) It has separated man from God in a moral sense	61
	Effects of this separation from God	64
	2. Sin is against the good of man in the life to come	65
	The damnation of sinners is privative and positive	68
	1) Privative damnation	70
	a. Sinners will be deprived of all the good things they had in this life	70
	b. Of the pleasure they had from them	71
	c. All their peace	72
	d. Their hopes of Heaven	73
	e. All good company	73
	f. Heaven	74
	g. God himself	75
	h. They shall be incapable of any alteration for the better	76
	2) Positive damnation	77
	The damnation-state of sinners considered under six headings	78
	1. The torment of Hell	80
	a. The place with its names	80
	b. The thing itself	82
	2. The quantity and the quality of the torments of Hell	83
	a. They will be exceedingly great and terrible	83
	b. They will be universal	85
	c. They will be without intermission	86
	3. The duration of these torments	87
	4. The tormentors	88
	a. The Devil	88
	b. Conscience	89
	c. God	90
	5. The aggravations of these torments	91
	6. The effects of these torments	93
3.	SECTION THREE
	THE WITNESSES AGAINST SIN	97
	God himself bears witness against sin	99
	(1) He has forbidden sin and made a law against it	99
	(2) He will not allow us to do evil that good may come	100
	(3) By threatening man	103
	(4) He is angry with the wicked	103
	(5) Sin alone made God repent that he had made man	104
	(6) By many great and severe judgments	105
	1. On sinners	106
	2. On his own people	108
	3. On his own Son	109
	(7) He sent his Son into the world to condemn sin and destroy it	110
	1. Christ's sufferings were for sinners	110
	2. They were exceedingly great	112
	(a) He suffered all kinds of suffering	113
	(b) He suffered from all kinds of persons	116
	(c) He had all kinds of aggravating circumstances united in his sufferings	117
	3. Their greatness is a full witness against the sinfulness of sin	118
	Angels bear witness against sin	119
	(1) Good angels	119
	(2) Evil angels	123
	The Witness of Men	127
	(1) Good men	127
	a. Against other men's sins	127
	b. Against their own sin	130
	Objections against the witness of good men answered	134
	They abhor sin as sin	134
	They still sin	137
	But they hate sin nevertheless	138
	(2) Wicked men	140
	a. They are ashamed of sin before and when they commit it	142
	b. They are ashamed after they have committed it	146
	(i) They dare not own their sin	146
	(ii) They dare not look into their actions	148
	(iii) They decry and punish in others sin which they themselves are guilty of	149
	(iv) They usually fly to forms of godliness	149
	(v) They desire to die the death of the Righteous	150
	The most hardened sinners at one time witness against sin	152
	The Whole Creation witnesses against sin	154
	(1) As having done it a great deal of wrong	154
	(2) With respect to God and man	155
	a. The creatures teach man his duty	155
	b. They convince men of many sins	157
	(3) The creatures are instruments in the hand of God to punish sinners	160
	The Law witnesses against Sin	161
	1. Before it is committed	162
	2. After it is committed	162
	3. The law will not pardon the least sin	165
	4. It cannot justify any man	166
	5. It makes sin abound	167
	6. It has become as a schoolmaster	167
	7. It silences man from making any complaint	168
	8. It leaves a man without hope	169
	The Gospel bears witness against Sin	170
	The Witness of Sin itself	176
	(1) Sin's names	176
	1. The work of the Devil	177
	2. All filthiness of flesh and spirit	183
	a. Sin is loathsome	183
	b. It is polluting; and infectious	184
	(i) In its universality	185
	(ii) How suddenly it infects	187
	a. How it increases in ourselves	188
	b. How it increases in others	189
	(iii) Its infection is almost incurable	190
	(iv) It lives in its effects when we are dead	191
	(2) The arts sin uses to disguise itself	192
4.	SECTION FOUR
	THE APPLICATION AND USEFULNESS OF THE DOCTRINE OF SIN'S SINFULNESS	199
	Sin is the Worst of Evils	201
	(1) It is worse than any affliction	202
	(2) Worse than death	209
	(3) Worse than the Devil	212
	(4) Worse than Hell	213
	(5) In every way the worst of evils	214
	Inferences from the Sinfulness of Sin against God	217
	(1) The patience and long-suffering of God with sinners is wonderful	217
	(2) The judgments of God are just	221
	(3) How precious a mercy is the forgiveness of sin!	224
	(4) Sin is not to be committed on any account whatsoever	226
	(5) How transcendently and incomparably beautiful a thing is holiness!	229
	Inferences from the Contrariety of Sin to the Good of Man	230
	(1) They who seek for any good in sin are miserably mistaken	230
	1. There is no profit to man by sin	231
	2. There is no honour to be gained by sin	235
	3. There is no pleasure to be had from sin	236
	(2) Time spent in sin is worse than lost	243
	(3) Those who mock at sin are worse than fools and madmen	244
	(4) It can never be well with a man while he is in his sins	244
	(5) Men should become religious without delay	245
	(6) How welcome should the Gospel be!	249
	Exhortation and Counsel	250
	(1) Repent	251
	(2) Believe the Gospel	254
	(3) Sin no more	257
	(4) Take heed of living in any sin	258
	1. Take heed of sinning in thought	259
	(i) Sinful thoughts defile a man	261
	(ii) They are an abomination in the sight of God	261
	(iii) Thought-sins are root-sins	262
	(iv) We must beg pardon for them	263
	(v) The Gospel is to bring thoughts to the obedience of Christ	264
	(vi) Conversion is in the thoughts of men	264
	(vii) God keeps an account of thoughts	266
	Directions	267
	2. A warning against sinful words	274
	(i) Sinful words are wholly forbidden	276
	(ii) Unless a man take heed to his words his religion is in vain	277
	(iii) They evidence sinful hearts	277
	(iv) Evil words corrupt men and manners	278
	(v) The tongue is either man's glory or shame	279
	(vi) God will judge us for and by our words	280
	Directions	282
	(i) Let our words be few	282
	(ii) Let us speak as we ought	284
	3. Beware of sinning in deed	285
	(i) Take heed of sins of ommission	286
	(a) Some of the best men have been guilty of this	286
	(b) It is a great affliction to good men to be forced to omit duties	287
	(c) It is a sin to be willing to omit a duty	287
	(d) One omission makes way for another	288
	(e) The more knowledge we have of a duty, the worse the omission of it	291
	(f) Sins of omission are bad examples	292
	(g) They are sins which God has judged and will judge	293
	(ii) Take heed of sins of comission	295
	(a) Of Your besetting sin	295
	(b) Of sins as relative	297
	(c) Of the sins of the age and place where you live	298
	(d) Of the sins that attend your callings	299
	(e) Of 'little' sins	308
	(f) Of secret sins	310
	(h) Of being guilty of other men's sins	312
	[1] In giving occasion for them before	314
	[2] As co-helpers of them	321
	[3] As accessory after they are committed	323
	Conclusion	329

Testimonials

Submit your testimonial

Seth Meyers – January 4, 2016

Works like this are gold hidden in a non-descript paperback binding. I bless the Banner of Truth for giving it to us. What minister talks like this today? Who would direct his congregations’ full attention at a sustained effort in Christian hatred of sin? I counted only 2 pages of 284 that did not use a Scripture reference. His torrent of Bible and logical argumentation were buttressed by metaphors and a few references to classical Greek and Latin literature. And yet he was a learned man who had not forgotten that learning only matters if it helps us love Christ and hate sin. Many PhD’s could learn more from this one volume than their entire degree combined.
David Banks – March 1, 2017

Would really recommend this to everyone and anyone. Logical but heartfelt, clear but not trite.Many thanks to Banner of Truth for publishing such an excellent book.
Jack Karpan – April 25, 2020

I tend to highlight the important passages in the books I read. Venning’s treatise on sin took me three yellow china markers to complete. It seems that every heading and subheading was simply rife with warnings and advice to help us combat the sin in our lives. I highly recommend this book to all Christians.
Daniel Ochefije Ajeibi – August 22, 2021

Hmmm… I bless God that I found this noble book. I almost marked every part of this book. For me, it’s a great treasure. I pray, God will continue to use the banner of truth to preserve many more God honouring and sin exposing books like. Every christian denomination need this book. Yea, every human creature need this treasure of great value. Now, I fear and hate sin the more. Dear Lord, please raise up more men like Ralph Venning and other Puritans all over the world in this our day.
Gerry Lautner – March 24, 2023

This is, I think, an excellent and exhaustive Biblical study of sin. Every aspect of sin, what it really is, what is its essential nature and what makes it so vile and poisonous is covered in great detail.

As such we are led to see it’s potential and it’s actual harm from Gods perspective, and if His Spirit should blessedly accompany that sight, that insight, with His grace such that sight of sin will have “entrance” into the soul and give it understanding as we are taught here:
“The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.” Ps 119:130

For me this phrase of entrance of words giving light suggests that that there is a surface knowledge of things that does not produce this light and understanding which are necessary for real, deep, abiding transformation.

For example, in reading Owen and the best of the Puritans we see that we are to actually “hate sin”, and not simply, or only,’or primarily because it causes us difficult or offends us, but rather because it offends each member of The Trinity, actually and really and personally.

But unless we actually feel that, actually enter into to the pain and shame and harm this offense brings to our relationship of these Three loving Beings, it seems to me that it remains little more than an abstract concept that we may agree with, but which misses the goal and good done by actually engendering a “hatred of sin”.

But not only does this work promote such a knowledge but it also deals with how to actually go about recognizing and fighting against this enemy. And though I love Owen on mortification and Indwelling Sin In Believers, both insightful and useful works, Venning in pages 259 -274 gives a clear concise and critically important insight into our thoughts as sins and how until we develop the habit and skill of looking carefully at our thoughts and discerning and refusing those that are sinful, we have done nothing at all truly effective in “tearing down the strongholds” of sin that give rise to the actions and lusts which arise first from our thoughts.

Though the whole book is a masterpiece of clarity and useful direction about sin, just those pages on thoughts as sins are worth infinitely more that the price of this book.

Praise God’s use of Banner of Truth in making this work available to those whom the Spirit has inclined to learn to hate and mortify the sins and lusts in their members and to bring every thought into captivity for Christ.