Calling Sin What It Is ---- "Sin"

In the past generation or so, this writer has noticed that people seldom use the word “sin” anymore — including some so-called preachers of God’s word. When we do something contrary to God’s law (1 John 3:4), we say we showed “inappropriate behavior” or made a “tactical error” or “mistake.”

We may even say, “I have done a bad thing” or “I have been morally challenged.” It seems as if folks have come to believe in their own innate goodness.

We do so in spite of overwhelming physical evidence to the contrary. From news stories, we hear of the genocide that is rampant in Sudan. We hear of the atrocities have been endured in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Cambodia. And what about the millions of unborn babies killed in the United States in the name of "convenience" over the past thirty plus years?

Yes, sad to say, sin is still very much with us. As followers of Christ, we must steadfastly resist the efforts of our world to minimize the reality of sin. We must agree with God that “there is none who does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:3; cf. Romans 3:10).

Recognizing the sins of nations is easier than admitting our own personal sin. But we need to confess the specific sins we commit against our holy God (1 John 1:9). “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).

Beloved, let’s begin facing any sin in our lives by first calling our sin what it is — "sin" — and then willingly confess it to God (1 John 1:9; Psalm 51:1-3).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets