The ripple effect of sin might spread further than we could ever imagine.
The topic of sin is a funny conversation in the church today, isn’t it? I have seen two extremes that I am not sure are healthy.
On one side, I see some Christians who do not care much about sin and live whatever way they want because they know they are saved by the grace of God. While others might take sin too legalistically, not knowing why we shouldn’t sin other than just knowing the Bible… or their childhood Sunday School teacher told them not to.
I often find it interesting that many Christians have different approaches to sin.
Have you ever thought about the consequences of sin for you, your inner circles and the non-churchgoers you know?
For You
The Bible tells us that sin is passed down from the seed of man. By nature we are sinners, but the Bible is very clear that man is still responsible for his own actions. From a young age, we all learned that actions have consequences, yet we seem to forget this when it comes to sin. The truth is that sin also has consequences which is why God commands us to live in a certain way. Sin can affect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I believe every sin connects to those three layers of our being. The more we understand God’s word and take time to learn about the deep consequences of our sins, the better we will approach those three areas individually.
Inner Circles
Have you ever thought your actions could affect the people around you? I learned this at a young age when my mom cheated on my dad. That particular sin affected all of our lives, as it broke up our family and hurt many people.
I think the challenge with our personal sins is that we don’t think beyond ourselves and how it can impact others. Whether it’s adultery or stealing, or hatred and drunkenness, we need to be reminded that our personal sins will affect others around us.
Non-Church Goers
Did you know we are told to not carry God’s name in vain? These commands and rules we see throughout the Bible are to help us live differently from the culture around us as we display Christ with our actions.
I remember in Bible College one of our professors talking about how his atheist neighbor would always know when he didn’t go to church on a Sunday. From there the professor shared about how Christians are always being watched, and maybe even judged to a higher standard by others who don’t know Jesus.
We live in a culture today where many people are looking for a reason not to follow Jesus, and we are the first reasons they look at. The sins we live out, and the way we carry God’s name might actually be leading people away from Jesus as they look at us and say ‘that’s why I want nothing to do with the church.’
We live in a culture today where many people are looking for a reason not to follow Jesus, and we are the first reasons they look at.
I think we need to be reminded that the way we live matters, and the ripple effect of sin might spread further than we could ever imagine.
So whether you are on one side or the other when it comes to your approach to sin, the more aware we are of its consequences, the better we can understand why God is instructing us to live a certain way.
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