|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh (Romans 13:14, NIV).
How often do we hear what somebody did and ask, “How could this person do this?”
One of my mentors early in my ministry, when I had asked about a pastor that we both knew who had an affair, explained with this answer, “Sin is insanity, and as such can’t be understood.”
Through the years, I’ve witnessed and heard of supposedly decent people doing stupid, foolish, and even insane things, and while I’ve given up understanding the “why” from a distance, I’ve noticed five actions that, if witnessed in anyone’s life, should give us pause for prayer, discernment, and possible confrontation.
- The Casual Off-Colored Joke
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).
Those dealing with unrepentant sensual sin will casually joke about inappropriate topics. Not enough to blatantly offend, but still enough to disquiet those of pure spirit.
- Testing the Waters
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires (Romans 6:12).
Those who succumb to the flesh often casually break boundaries through oversharing, touching, and using insinuating words. Maintaining plausible deniability, they test the waters of what others will accept.
- Give an inch, take a mile.
Do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).
We often overlook the oft-colored and the testing of the waters while thinking the best of others and considering ourselves too critical. However, the oft-colored and the testing don’t stop but keep encroaching on our sense of propriety.
- Vilify Others
A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends (Proverbs 16:28).
Those with ill intent, especially those with predatory instincts, must separate potential victims from their anchoring relationships with family and friends. No weapon is more effective for this task than slander and gossip.
- Dim the light
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
The light switches of the Bible, accountable friendships, and truth must be dimmed for evil to progress. Sin is a dimmer, not an abrupt on-or-off switch: a lie here and a compromise there, slowly dimming our holiness until our seeming self-righteousness becomes spouted evil.
Now, take a moment and review this summary…
The Core Problem (Romans 13:14): Sin starts when we intentionally entertain fleshly desires instead of clothing ourselves in Christ.
The Five-Step Downward Spiral:
Inappropriate Joking: Testing boundaries through casual, gray-area speech.
Testing Waters: Pushing relational limits while maintaining plausible deniability.
Taking Ground: Turning small compromises into a spiritual foothold.
Isolation: Using gossip and slander to cut off godly accountability.
Dimming Light: Gradually hardening the heart until truth is entirely obscured.
Reflection: Where do you need to invite accountability to guard against the “downward spiral” today?