Calling Out Sin

Getting Closer to Jesus: One of the things an authentic, fruitful, effective Christ-follower must master in life is balance. Balance isn’t listed as a virtue in New Testament theology; it is not a mark of discipleship that Jesus articulated; it is not the tenth fruit of the Spirit. Yet balance is the byproduct of Christian virtue, it demonstrates that we have a grasp on what it means to live as a true disciple, and it is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s production of spiritual fruit in our lives.

If we are to live as Jesus lived, think as Jesus thought, and interact as Jesus interacted, then like Jesus, we must learn to balance truth with grace, tolerance of flawed humanity with fidelity to God’s standard of holiness, working out our salvation with resting in God’s effort, and on the list will go. But balance for the Christian is neither easy to achieve nor to maintain because the drift of the sinful nature still fighting for mastery of our lives is always toward an extreme.

Nowhere is this imbalance more apparent in our contemporary American experience of Christianity than in our posture toward sin. It is especially noticeable in the current cultural debate on all matters sexual—same-sex attraction, gender identity, transgenderism, gender reassignment, etc.—where many spiritual leaders are now rejecting this idea that the believer must “love the sinner but hate the sin” as un-Christlike. Yet Jesus did exactly that. So that, too, is a balance that we must learn to achieve.

Of course, some will passionately disagree with my statement. I understand that pushback. There is a legitimate discussion these days about how to approach the issue of sin in our culture. But my fear is that because the secular mindset is increasingly pressuring the church to not only condone no-holds-barred sexuality but to celebrate whatever form it takes as perfectly healthy and appropriate, and because of our growing fear that the world will hate us if we stand in their way, many Christians—leaders and lay people alike—are going to great lengths to avoid calling out sin where sin desperately needs to be called out. A too large percentage of believers now live with a consuming phobia of being labeled—labeled a homophobe, a hatemonger, intolerant and ignorant, or worse.

But let’s remember that Jesus was hated and called names precisely because he pointed out the evil and sin in the world. Sinful man didn’t reject and ultimately crucify him because he came saying, “Everything is alright; go your merry way.” Jesus was murdered because he said things like, “You are slaves of sin, every one of you.” (John 8:34) Believers by the thousands have not been martyred throughout Christian history because of their tolerance of sin; they were killed because they rubbed against the grain of evil cultures.

Now again, balance is the key. Jesus didn’t come to condemn sinners—they were already under condemnation—but by his righteous lifestyle and message of holiness, sin was condemned. Jesus didn’t condemn the woman caught in adultery in John 8, but he wasn’t afraid to tell her to go and “sin” no more. The very first words out of Jesus mouth as he began to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom was “‘Repent!’ From then on, Jesus began to preach, ‘Turn from sin and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’” (Mat 4:17)

Jesus wasn’t afraid to use the “s” word. Sin is sin, and it separates from God. As C.S. Lewis said,

Jesus Christ did not say – Go into all the world and tell the world that it is quite right.” If we are to truly love people as Jesus did, then at some point their sin must be a topic of conversation. For people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, sin must be acknowledged, and repentance must be expressed. There is no other way. To point that out is truly the most loving thing a believer can do with an unbeliever.

Of course, it is all in the delivery. People must know that you truly love them if the call to repentance is to be received from a loving heart. But even then since the message of righteousness rubs against the grain of a fallen world, we must be prepared to be labeled. But remember, it won’t be the first time.

Take the Next Step: Evaluate your response to sinful people: Do you condemn them roundly at a distance, i.e., by your posts on social media, or do you engage them in redemptive face-to-face conversation, where you can express your deep love for them while inviting them out of their destructive behavior to a better way of living? Remember, it is always far more effective to light a candle than to curse the darkness.