How Should We Respond to Sin?
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- Updated Feb 16, 2024
How much do you hate sin? That may seem like an odd question to ask yourself, but it’s an important one. It’s a question that too few Christians consider today. We exist in a culture that has established rights and wrongs, which every culture does, but ours, in particular, has lost moral clarity in recent decades. A once-Christian nation has given way to a secular society. Ideas that were considered sinful, or at the very least, fell into some gray area, are now tolerated and encouraged.
Sometimes, I wonder why there are so few young people in the church, but time and time again, I am reminded that the modern body of Christ greatly resembles the world. Why come into the church when you can get the same things on the outside? Something has happened recently where we have escaped the fire and brimstone approach, but have gone to the complete opposite end to pure acceptance with little regard for our convictions. We make statements like, “I don’t judge” and “I love all people,” paying no attention to what we actually mean.
As I stood in the company of two women, one made a joke about me identifying as a woman. The other woman, a Christian, said that if that was the case, that would be okay. She indicated that she was “loving and accepting of all people.”
What that told me was that, if I were living in sin, I should expect no rebuke, no admonishment, nothing but total tolerance and acceptance. She’s far from alone.
While yes, we are called to love one another as God has loved us (John 15:12), we are also called, as Christians, to keep our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ accountable: “If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently” (Galatians 6:1).
The truth is that, I would need a fellow Christ-follower like her to tell me about my sin. If we can’t depend on fellow Christians to keep us on a righteous path, then who can we depend on?
So, I ask again, how much do you hate sin? The best way to answer this question is to first ascertain what Scripture says, then determine if your words and deeds align.
3 Biblical Truths about Sin
God Hates Sin
“To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.” (Proverbs 8:13, CSB)
This verse is but one that illustrates God’s allegiance to the righteous, and how He disavows the wicked. Who are the wicked? Scripture characterizes the wicked as people who live according to sin. Rather than be led by His tenets, they live and are led by the flesh. That includes pride, lust, avarice, laziness, and many more evils. Particularly in this passage, the wicked person is one who does not aspire to wisdom (choosing to follow God) but rather follows his own path toward riches and perversity.
Sin Separates Us from God
“But your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.” (Isaiah 59:2)
Among the many consequences of sin - wasted time, physical pain, broken relationships - the biggest consequence comes at the expense of our relationship with God. Sin prevents us from viewing Him with the correct perspective. He stops being the almighty God and instead becomes an afterthought; someone we know but don’t esteem. Worst yet, sin could lead us to believe God is nothing at all.
Too many of us today, Christians included, do not seek to understand God as He is described in the Bible. We prefer to declare morality based on what we think is right, which is very often what the world tells us to think. As Christians, God has called us to a life of pursuing Him. Not just with topics we are comfortable with, like faith, love, and joy. He calls us to repentance, identifying and turning away from all kinds of sin. And not just our sins but the sins of other believers. The consequences are clear.
Sin Makes Us Resemble the World
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
If today you consider yourself a Christian but also think and act like the world, you should reevaluate your faith. Only God can see into your heart, but based on Scripture, we can say with confidence that Jesus was in the world but not of it. We see this time and again through how people hated him and eventually killed him. If you aren’t threatened by our culture, which promotes abortion, transgenderism, and racism, then how are you with Christ? How can you claim to hate sin?
How Should We Respond to Sin?
“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.’ Your enemies will be right in your own household!” (Matthew 10:34-36)
I’ve certainly been guilty of imagining Jesus as a peace-loving hippie who is a pacifist in every regard. Now, I understand that Jesus has an aggressive side towards sin. God shows anger and jealousy. The Bible is full of violence. What these truths should reveal to us is that our lives are not meant to be peaceful in every single way. We won’t get along with everyone we meet, nor should we. Oftentimes, following Christ means turning against people we would otherwise attach ourselves to, even those in our households.
With that in mind, here are a few ways we should respond to the sin in others and ourselves as we struggle with modern society:
Judgment
To judge is to discern between good and evil, or in other words, form an opinion. Everyone who has the ability to reason practices judgment and discernment every day. We decide between what to wear, what to eat, what to talk about, and about right and wrong. As believers, we should find the courage to voice our opinions when it comes to the sins of our brothers and sisters.
Call Christians Out
Other believers, along with ourselves, need to be called out for inconsistencies, shortcomings, and sin. We can’t always expect people to change on their own. Not everyone is self-aware, and even those who are can’t see all of their misdeeds. Don’t be afraid to call sin for what it is. Holding back is a sin within itself.
Repent
With fewer believers in the culture today, being accepted by the majority would feel nice. Then, we would feel less isolated on the job, in the community, and everywhere else. However, this is a fallen world, one that will pass away. God and salvation, on the other hand, are true, good, and will last forever. If we live by the world’s standard, then we live according to sin. We prevent ourselves from finding that everlasting life. Don’t let anyone stop you from following Him with all of your heart. Repent and seek to be more like Jesus daily. Encourage others to do the same.
Conclusion
If we hate sin, then ignoring it isn’t possible. Scripture makes clear the consequences of sin and how we can escape its clutches. Day by day, we get to make that choice. We certainly can’t peer into someone’s heart, nor can we change them, but as Christians, we should strive to serve others by helping them become better. Likewise, we’ll be growing as well, lessening the hold over us Satan is constantly seeking.
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