Christians and Sin

We recently went on a mission trip and had a great time.  As anyone who has worked on missions knows, the ones doing the work are actually the ones affected the most.  We met some folks very different from us in many respects, but they shared with us a love for Christ.

One curious observation crept up during our stay there.  Many of the local folks had a great profession of love for Christ.  They were not afraid to share their faith.  And yet a few of these same folks didn’t “walk the talk.”  They were living with someone to whom they weren’t married.  Or had children out of wedlock without rectifying the situation.  Or had “wives” that they weren’t supporting.  In other words, they were not yet mature enough in Christ to recognize and remedy the sin that held them.  To me, it seemed strange that a person who proclaimed Christ as Lord of their life could simultaneously live so blatantly with sin.

And yet, don’t we see the exact same thing in our own communities?  Maybe in our own lives?  We tend to accommodate certain sins.  We don’t want to face up to the very sin that holds us most closely.  Which sin?  I guess it depends on the person.  For some, it may be pornography.  For others, maybe the inability to get through the day without a beer.  Sex outside marriage.  Bigotry.  Gluttony.  Homosexuality.  Self-centeredness.   The fact is that we all sin, but as Christians we shouldn’t willfully indulge in any persistent sin.  We aren’t perfect, but we shouldn’t use that as an excuse to sin.

The point is, if we are maturing as Christians, we will be on the lookout for any sin that keeps us from becoming all that God wants us to be.  And we need to help those we love to face up to any sin that grips them, too.  That doesn’t mean harping on their sin or breaking off our friendship with them, but it does mean gently and respectfully making them aware.  And always doing so in love.