Background<\/h1>\n

We received questions to our twitter account concerning sexual immorality (this was back in 2011).\u00a0 The nature of these questions was very specific and would be offensive to many. We will, therefore, not restate them here.\u00a0 \u00a0However, we will address the crux of the issue behind the questions.<\/p>\n

Many non-Christians have a view of Christianity as being judgmental\u2026 especially when it comes to sexuality.\u00a0 Many Christians, out of ignorance of what Christ actually taught on issues of sin, behave in ways that thoroughly support this view.\u00a0 So here we will take an opportunity to set the record straight.\u00a0 We will discuss what the Bible says about sin, how Jesus dealt with sin, and how Christians are to deal with sin.<\/p>\n

Christian Perspective on Sin<\/h1>\n

For a Christian, sin exists.\u00a0 It is a given.\u00a0 It is any behavior or wilfulness that contradicts the nature and will of God.\u00a0 Sadly, many Christians have \u2018rated\u2019 sin.\u00a0 There are \u2018bad\u2019 sins like murder, \u2018moderate\u2019 sins like theft, and \u2018little\u2019 sins like gossip.\u00a0 Homosexuality, pornography, adultery, prostitution and fornication have all come to fall into the \u2018bad\u2019 category.\u00a0 What does the bible say about sin?<\/p>\n

Romans 3:19<\/strong>. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.\u00a0 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God\u2019s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. \u00a021 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n

James 4: 13.<\/strong> \u00a0Now listen, you who say, \u201cToday or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.\u201d 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, \u201cIf it is the Lord\u2019s will, we will live and do this or that.\u201d 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn\u2019t do it, it is sin for them.<\/p>\n

James 8:8.<\/strong> \u00a0If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, \u201cLove your neighbor as yourself,\u201d you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, \u201cYou shall not commit adultery,\u201d also said, \u201cYou shall not murder.\u201d If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a law-breaker. \u00a012 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.<\/p>\n

1 Timothy 5:24.<\/strong> \u00a0The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25 In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.<\/p>\n

Hebrews 13:4.<\/strong> \u00a0Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From these verses we get a good feel for what the New Testament has to say about sin.\u00a0 It has different consequences here on earth as some sin breaks the law of man as well as the law of God.\u00a0 But even what we would consider to be minor sins like gossip, dishonesty, or sexual practices that \u2018don\u2019t affect anyone else\u2019 are still sins.\u00a0 They are behaviors that place our will above God\u2019s will and elevate our confidence in what we know is best above what God says is best.\u00a0 That is behaving and thinking in opposition to God which is sin.\u00a0 We *all* do it.\u00a0 But it isn\u2019t the place of people to judge each other.\u00a0 It is our place to discern sin and to avoid it in order to obey God, but we have no authority to condemn another.<\/p>\n

Jesus Dealing Directly with People and Sin<\/h1>\n

Here are a couple of situations where Jesus dealt directly with people (generally very judgmental Pharisees) and sin:<\/p>\n

John 8:2.<\/strong> \u00a0At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, \u201cTeacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?\u201d 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. \u00a0But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, \u201cLet any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.\u201d 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. \u00a0\u00a09 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, \u201cWoman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?\u201d \u00a011 \u201cNo one, sir,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cThen neither do I condemn you,\u201d Jesus declared. \u201cGo now and leave your life of sin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew 12:40.<\/strong> \u00a0For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ^{41<\/sup> The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42<\/sup> The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon\u2019s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.<\/p>\n}

John 5:16.<\/strong> \u00a0So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. ^{17<\/sup> In his defense Jesus said to them, \u201cMy Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.\u201d 18<\/sup> For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. \u00a019<\/sup> Jesus gave them this answer: \u201cVery truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20<\/sup> For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21<\/sup> For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22<\/sup> Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23<\/sup> that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. <\/strong>\u00a024<\/sup> \u201cVery truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25<\/sup> Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26<\/sup> For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27<\/sup> And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. \u00a0\u00a028<\/sup> \u201cDo not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29<\/sup> and come out\u2014those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30<\/sup> By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. <\/strong><\/p>\n}

John 8:13.<\/strong> \u00a0The Pharisees challenged him, \u201cHere you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.\u201d \u00a0^{14<\/sup> Jesus answered, \u201cEven if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15<\/sup> You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16<\/sup> But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.<\/strong> 17<\/sup> In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18<\/sup> I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.\u201d \u00a019<\/sup> Then they asked him, \u201cWhere is your father?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou do not know me or my Father,\u201d Jesus replied. \u201cIf you knew me, you would know my Father also.\u201d 20<\/sup> He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.<\/p>\n}

Matthew 9:9.<\/strong> As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector\u2019s booth. \u201cFollow me,\u201d he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. \u00a010 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew\u2019s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ^{11<\/sup> When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, \u201cWhy does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?\u201d<\/strong> \u00a012<\/sup> On hearing this, Jesus said, \u201cIt is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13<\/sup> But go and learn what this means: \u2018I desire mercy, not sacrifice.\u2019\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong> For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n}

Again, Jesus shows that we are in no position to judge sin as we are only capable of judging by flawed human standards.\u00a0 We are sinful, therefore cannot judge another for the same sin we are guilty of.<\/p>\n

How Should<\/em>\u00a0 Christians Deal with Sin?<\/h1>\n

So how *should* Christians deal with sin?\u00a0 If they are to keep in line with biblical teachings, that is?<\/p>\n

Matthew 18:15.<\/strong> \u201cIf your brother or sister\u00a0 sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that \u2018every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.\u2019<\/p>\n

Romans 6:1.<\/strong> \u00a0What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ^{3<\/sup> Or don\u2019t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4<\/sup> We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. \u00a05<\/sup> For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6<\/sup> For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,<\/strong>that we should no longer be slaves to sin\u2014 7<\/sup> because anyone who has died has been set free from sin \u2026 <\/strong>2<\/sup> Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13<\/sup> Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14<\/sup> For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. <\/strong><\/p>\n}

1 John 3: 4.<\/strong> \u00a0Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ^{6<\/sup> No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. \u00a07<\/sup> Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8<\/sup> The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil\u2019s work. 9<\/sup> No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God\u2019s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.<\/strong> 10<\/sup> This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God\u2019s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.<\/p>\n}

1 John 1:7.<\/strong> \u00a0But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. \u00a0^{8<\/sup> If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9<\/sup> If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. <\/strong><\/p>\n}

Galatians 6:1.<\/strong> \u00a0Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other\u2019s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.<\/p>\n

Romans 2:1.<\/strong> \u00a0You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God\u2019s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God\u2019s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God\u2019s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Conclusion<\/h1>\n

Looks like, according to scripture, Christians should recognize that they are no better than anyone else.\u00a0 They sin too.\u00a0 Christians are to avoid sin at all costs, which makes sense as their new goal should be to live within God\u2019s will.\u00a0 If they are seeking and striving to live according to God\u2019s will, then they – by default – will not be acting in opposition to God\u2019s nature.\u00a0 They are to deal gently with other Christians who are caught up in a sinful lifestyle, acting in love and compassion never judgment.\u00a0 And they are to never pass judgment on another because of sin.\u00a0 Again, Christians must recognize and avoid sin, but we are also specifically instructed on several occasions not to judge others because of their sin.\u00a0 The bible draws a distinction between judgment and discernment.<\/p>\n

So\u2026 in answer to the questions about sexual immorality, yes it is sin.\u00a0 Yes it is wrong.\u00a0 Yes, it goes against the nature and teachings of God.\u00a0 Yes, it is equal to other sin, no better no worse.\u00a0 Yes it is forgivable.\u00a0 And no\u2026 we won\u2019t be placed in a position of judgment of other people because of it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Background We received questions to our twitter account concerning sexual immorality (this was back in 2011).\u00a0 The nature of these questions was very specific and would be offensive to many. We will, therefore, not restate them here.\u00a0 \u00a0However, we will address the crux of the issue behind the questions. Many non-Christians have a view of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[77,186,107],"tags":[187,194,149],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n