After writing about the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, I began thinking and writing about the impending arrival of post-Christian America when a reader asked a great and difficult question:
What do we do if, as a Christian, what we consider “sin” is acceptable in other areas of society?
What you do with sin regardless of how society looks at it depends largely on who you’re dealing with. That’s because it’s impossible to hold an unbelieving world to the same standards as a follower of Jesus Christ.
In other words, the world doesn’t care what God’s word has to say about sin and sadly, many who claim to be Christians don’t either.
For the non-believer
We strive to build genuine relationships in spite of our differences. I never ever want anyone to even imagine that my friendship hinges on whether or not they follow Christ, or that they ever will. That work is between their heart and the Holy Spirit, our duty is to love unconditionally (2 Timothy 2:24-26) and to be a fruit-bearing witness for Jesus.
And the fruit is totally up to Jesus!
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
John 15:4
What you do want is for people in your life, whatever their belief, or even of none at all, to know what unconditional love looks like. It can look a lot like being a loyal, loving and trustworthy friend to someone whose life significantly differs from yours.
Admittedly, this doesn’t always work. What I’m finding out the hard way is that my closest friends with whom my personal convictions differ the most are expecting my tolerance and approval, but are vocally intolerant of my beliefs. Despite my confirming that regardless of their life choices, my love and value for them as friends hasn’t changed, but some of these friendships are sadly ending.
And that’s ok, but it won’t change my thinking or stop me from trying.
Love can look a lot like being a friend to someone whose life significantly differs from yours.
Sin in the life of a Christian
First off, Christians sin. Daily. The sooner we get that out of the way, the better. What you need to understand though is that there is an enormous difference between a Christian who loses their temper and flips someone the bird on the highway and a Christian living inside daily, habitual, consuming sin.
In the life of a fellow Christian who is living in or who is accepting of sin, you provide counsel and accountability that is grounded in scripture, following the biblical model of working to “correct a brother” (Matthew 18:15-17), but as you and I both know, not every believer sees the need for correction.
In a worse case scenario, I would have to follow the biblical model of some form of separation from that person, perhaps limited interaction and even up to cutting off the relationship all together (1 Timothy 5:20, Acts 20:28).
Sometimes you’re required to break fellowship with another believer.
That would be a pretty bad scenario, but Romans does teach us that even God “turns some over to their own sin” (Romans 1:24-25).
So, what exactly is sin?
Sin, by definition is rebellion against God (1 John 3:4) and sin is unrighteousness (1 John 5:17). However, many of us are programmed by our culture to categorize some sins as being “worse than others.”
We measure our lives against the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-20) and justify ourselves as being “not as bad as others.” After all, you and I haven’t murdered anyone, right? Or have we? (Matthew 5:21-42)
Overcoming sin
In the original text of the Bible, sin literally means “to miss the mark.” So when Paul writes in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” you begin to get a more clear picture that we are all sinners. This is further illustrated in Romans 3:10 and in Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:3.
They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Psalm 53:3
Once you comprehend that God even has a “mark” and that we’ve all missed it, the Good News is that because of Jesus, there is forgiveness.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5
Overcoming the world
“Victory” is not a subject often spoken of in the New Testament yet one thing stands clear: faith in Jesus is the one, true victory in this life.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5
And that is because Jesus Himself overcame the world!
But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
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