Articles
What Sin Really Looks Like
It can be reasonably inferred that when David saw Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop and he was fully in the throes of lust, he did not foresee the anguish that lay ahead: pregnancy, panic, scheming, murder of a loyal defender, death of a child, years of family strife and rebellion – and ultimately the loss of fellowship with God by his sin.
We might also infer that when Peter and Barnabas shunned Gentile brethren in Antioch, they did not fully grasp the seeds of division they were sowing. Perhaps not until Paul “withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed” (Gal 2:1) did it fully dawn on Peter what he had done.
When sin is still in the temptation stage it appears harmless, desirable, maybe even beneficial. As he appeals to our selfish desires, Satan blinds our minds to the true nature of transgression (cf. 2 Cor 4:4). So, effectively resisting temptation involves taking a wider view, looking ahead to where our behavior will lead. What can help us take this wider view?
First, it helps to be honest about our own past experiences. How many times have we succumbed to temptation only to find that sin either made the issue worse or brought new, unforeseen troubles? Even if our sin is not detected by others, we have to deal with our own conscience. We know we did wrong, and that knowledge by itself often ruins whatever advantage we thought sin would gain. Before David accepted responsibility for his transgression he said, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer” (Ps 32:3-4). The weight of guilt is heavy; it withers our soul.
Second, as Moses warned the trans-Jordan tribes about their responsibility to help conquer Canaan, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out” (Num 32:23). One of temptation’s biggest enticements – and falsehoods – is that our sins will remain secret. Of course, this ignores the obvious truth that God is always aware of our behavior. While we know this intellectually, our feelings trump reason, and we only think about hiding our actions from our fellow man. But isn’t it uncanny how often our sins are discovered, even when we thought we covered our tracks? And when caught, our knee-jerk reaction is to lie. Lying nearly always magnifies the original offense, yet we see people do it over and over again. Lesson to self: Getting caught in sin is always shameful, but lying about it reveals that we aren’t really sorry and our character is still defiled.
Third, while sin is devastating to the perpetrator, it has a ripple effect throughout society. “I’m not hurting anybody” is often disproven by a devastated spouse, neglected children, shamed parents, a grieving church, perhaps even compounded by criminal elements. Sin hurts everyone. Crime is rarely victimless, and sin never is. If we could only pause and think, “Who am I going to hurt by my sin, and is it worth it?” Sin is often a manifestation that we really don’t love others. If we did, why would we hurt them so badly?
If we are not circumspect, then “when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (Jas 1:15-16).
