When we De-emphasize SIN

American churches are infected with the leaven of sexual immorality. Pastors know it, members know it, the world knows it.  And yet there is very little being done about it.  Sexual immorality gets mentioned in a couple of sermons, on some blogs and there are a handful of ministries attempting to take on the issue.  Why is there so little public dialogue?

I believe that a large part of the problem is that we have stopped talking about sin.  We have allowed the spirit of the age to determine how the gospel is communicated.  We have created a healthy self-esteem; positive message; non-offensive; non-judgmental; relativistic message that strips its transformative power.

 

A proper understanding of sin is starting point of the gospel.

"Until sin be bitter - Christ will not be sweet." -Thomas Watson

The consequences of our sin are seen all around us. They are seen most clearly on the cross. A gospel that does not include repentance and an understanding of the wages of sin is not the entire gospel. 

Additionally, the lives of Christians are to model the forgiveness, love and freedom from sin given us through salvation.  If the world cannot see a clear difference in the actions of believers then they will not believe that God has the power to free us from sin.  So many people are seeking freedom from the bondage of sin. They need hope and to see supernatural change in our lives.

"... there are lots of professing Christians (and non-Christians!) who feel perfectly justified but are not growing in godliness and may not even be God's children. They do not doubt that God loves them. They do not worry that they might not be accepted. They have no problem with grace. They do not come to church with crushed consciences. They do not need to rediscover God's forgiveness. They need to work hard to live like they have died to sin and been raised with Christ."  - Kevin DeYoung  

When we think about Jesus on the cross we see the consequences of our sin.  God's hatred of sin becomes a hatred of our own sin.  When we see our sin through God's holiness it becomes a powerful motivation for battling and mortifying the flesh.