What Attitude Should We Have Toward Sin?
Photo: Ballyscanlon / Getty Images1 Corinthians 10:23-24
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (NIV)
Romans 14:23
...everything that does not come from faith is sin. (NIV)
These passages seem to suggest that some sins are debatable and that the matter of sin is not always "black and white." What is sin for one Christian may not be sin for another Christian. So, in light of all of these considerations, what attitude should we have toward sin?
Recently, the members of the Christianity forum were discussing this topic of sin. One member, RDKirk, gave this excellent illustration demonstrating a biblically correct attitude toward sin:
"In my opinion, a Christian's attitude toward sin--specifically his own sin--should be like a professional baseball player's attitude toward striking out: Intolerance.
A pro ball player hates to strike out. He knows it happens, but he hates when it happens, especially to him. He feels bad about striking out. He feels a personal failure, as well as having let down his team.
Whenever at bat, he tries hard not to strike out. If he finds himself striking out a lot, he doesn't have a cavalier attitude about it--he tries to get better. He works with better hitters, he practices more, he gets more coaching, perhaps he even goes to a batting camp.
He is intolerant of striking out--which means he never considers it acceptable, he's never willing to simply live as someone who always strikes out, even though he realizes it happens."
Here are a few resources to keep you from striking out in your struggle with sin. By God's grace and the aid of the Holy Spirit, you'll be hitting home runs before you know it:
I AM A DEVORCED SIXTY YRAR OLD MALE. I HAVE WORKED AT BEING A GOOD CHRISTIAN FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. MY GIRLFRIEND AND I ATTEND CHURCH ON A REGULAR BASIS AND WE ARE CONSIDERING HOSTING A SMALL PRAYER GROUP. WHILE WE BOTH HAVE OUR OWN HOMES, WE DO SLEEP TOGETHER FROM TIME TO TIME. WE BOTH ARE AWARE HOW GOD FEELS ABOUT SUCH THINGS WE STRUGGLE WITH OUR FOUR YEAR RELATIONSHIP. WHILE WE LOVE EACH OTHER,MARRIAGE IS IN OUR FUTURE, BUT UNTIL THEN WE BOTH STRUGGLE WITH OUR DESIRES TO BE TOGETHER.LIKE THE BALL PLAYER, WHEN WE GIVE IN TO OUR DESIRES, WE FEEL LIKE WE STRUCK OUT. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
I, too, struggle in a different sense, as I pursue my relationship. While my issue is not the same as yours, our struggle are similar in that the FLESH CALLS. I try, daily, to remember the Lords design for marriage. Most of the things we, as humans, desire are only sanctioned by a maritial relationship. At the point of my failing, I move quickly to the Word of the Lord and meditate on the truths therein. This reawakens my sense of conscience and I immediately repent for my throughts or actions. I have had two failed marriages and they were due to my disregarding the Lords plan for my life. I know that if I am to succeed, at being the Godly wife that I so desire, I must TOTALLY SURRENDER my will to the Lord who knows what is best for me. I am in NO WAY being critical of you. I compassionately responded because I understand your current struggle. In the end, the Lord is more than able to carry us through.
Hi John –
May I suggest posting your question in our forum community?
Christianity Forum
What you fail to mention in your discussion about sin is that sin is more than an action. It is also an entity that indwells us. See Pauls remarks in Romans, and read Dr Bill Gillham’s book “Lifetime Guarantee”. If more Christians understood what many did generations ago about true sin rather than the modern religious version they would have true power to overcome. Here’s a good link to start with http://www.krowtracts.com/gillham.html
I struggle as well with temptation. God is teaching me that I must ask HIM (pray) for a way to escape the temptation and ask HIM for forgiveness daily (pray) for my sins. Then, I’ve learned to avoid trying to keep from sinning in my flesh, and instead living by His Spirit that is in me to overcome or escape the temptation. I memorized 1 Corinhians 10:13 and 1 John 1:9 and this has really helped me.