TEXT: Ezekiel 18:4
TITLE: SAFE SIN
This phrase “SAFE SIN” is what is called an oxymoron. Oxymorons are expressions or statements, which seem to contradict themselves but nonetheless make a point.
Some examples are: “Cruel kindness,” or “clean dirt,” or “tough love.” As a rule these words just don’t go together.
“Safe Sin” is one that can be added to this list. These are good sins, acceptable sins. Sins that are laughed about. As a matter of fact, if put to a vote, these sins would quickly be removed from the list of sins altogether. In other words, there are some sins that people are saying are alright to do.
For sure, sin has gone through quite a change over the years. It use to be that sin brought with it a certain fear that the hand of God was going to descend on it heavily and very soon. At one time people really feared God’s judgment if they committed sin.
At one time sin included all of the “Thou shalt nots” of the Bible, plus numerous “Thou shalt nots” of man (here some change was needed). Later on sin became known as a social ill which we call crime not sin.
Then sociologists and psychologist got into the act and sin became a disorder, a disease, a product of one’s heredity, a problem with roots in unemployment, poor schools and single parent homes. We want to blame the problems on the world on everything but sin.
The tendency now is to smile when someone says they are sinning. Sinning is taken as a joke anymore.
Is it any surprise that some sins have come to be seen as being “safe” sins? Who cares? No biggie. After all, we sure don’t want to be seen as narrow minded do we? Because you see, when a person is narrow minded it’s like being legalistic.
But listen to me. I want you to know that sin is still sin no matter how you label it. God’s Word has never changed and it never will change.
Now, instead of naming specific sins let’s look at some specific categories of what would be called “Safe Sins.”
First, Good Sin. These people base their goodness on what they do not do.
They say things like this: “Hey, I’ve never hurt anyone.” “I’m a good person.”
People who say such things will admit they aren’t perfect, they do sin, but not as bad. Rather than repenting of what they do, these people base their goodness on what they don’t do. They don’t steal, they don’t run around on their mates, they don’t commit acts of violence, they don’t take drugs, etc.
They are safe because their sins are not the worst. They could never go to hell, they are good sinners. It reminds you of the rich young ruler that came to Jesus and kept all the commandments but still was missing something.
An example of these so-called good sinners can be found in the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. These were the men who were respected as “good.” Their name means to “separate” and so they did. They separated themselves from anything they perceived as evil. They intended to obey every precept of the oral and traditional law.
They would sometimes wear large rolls of parchment on their forehead & wrists which contained certain words of the law. Their clothes were distinctive. When it came to prayer, some prayed an hour. This was done three times a day, making 9 hours of pretentious devotion. They seemed to be “good” people. They would have made great holiness people. But Jesus never commended them for their righteousness. Instead, He rebuked them and warned them that they were lost.
Listen to Jesus – Matthew 23:25-28 (read).
Matthew 5:20 warns: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Goodness and good works will not take a person to heaven. Only repentance, confessing of our sins and asking God to forgive us, that is the only way and it still works. When we stand before the Lord, good works want determine whether we enter into heaven or not. He wants to see if the blood has been applied, not just too a few sins, not just to the outside but to all of our sins, those on the inside as well as the outside. He wants to know if the blood has been applied not just to those we consider the worse sins but to the lesser sins as well, because sin is sin no matter how you look at it.
The Pharisees thought they were safe in their own righteousness. They felt safe in their observance of certain laws, rituals and religious activities. But they weren’t. Listen: there will be a lot of “good” people in hell! Some who even thought they were Christians.
Second, Mass Sins. The average person measures his actions by what is socially acceptable.
We hear this from our children: “Well everyone at school is doing it” or “You don’t let me have fun like everyone else” or “I bet I’m the only one not going or doing it.”
The one cry of this type is “Everybody is doing it.” The idea is: If everyone’s guilty, no one’s guilty. Since God’s not going to send everyone to hell we’re safe.
The TV has hurt as much as helped. On TV it is socially acceptable to have free sex, have abortions, etc. It is setting the social standards of our day.
So, the average man measures his actions by what is socially acceptable. The saint measures his actions by divine standards. Listen: our divine standard is the Word of God, not a church manual or code of laws but God’s Word. It never changes. What was sin 20 years ago is still sin today. For sure, some things weren’t sin, but true sin has never changed. For example: it’s still wrong to commit adultery, murder is still wrong, stealing is still wrong.
The average person wants to be accepted. But the Christian should want to please God. Usually the ways of the world and the ways of the church are different. Just because everyone is doing it doesn’t mean it is right.
Mass sin was not safe during the days of Noah. Everyone was evil. Everyone was violent. Everyone was concerned about self. Everyone was into sensual pleasures – everyone except for Noah and seven of his relatives. Out of the whole world they were the only ones spared from the great flood. They were different (Genesis 6). Jesus spoke of our day as being like the days of Noah. Again everyone’s doing it. Sin abounds.
Have you ever-heard expressions like this – “Come on man, everyone tells a lie now and then.” “Everyone cheats at least once.” “Everyone has tried alcohol at least once.”
But I want you to know, God has always had His Noah’s, His Elijah’s, His seven thousand who would not bow to an idol, His saint who goes against the tide of unrighteousness, like Daniel and the 3 Hebrew children.
Listen to the Psalmist in chapter 9 verse 17 – (KJV) “The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.”
So what if everybody is doing it. If it is sin and not repented of then everybody will be lost and go to hell!
It’s time we started preaching from our pulpits, teaching at home and church that sin is sin and that “the wages of sin is death,” and “the soul that sins will die,” will go to hell unless sin is repented of and forsaken.
Third, Little Sins. These people believe only Big Sins will condemn a person.
The little white lie, that keeping of the extra change the clerk gives you by mistake, the cheating on a test, that cheating on taxes, the dwelling on an unclean thought for an extra moment, the unresolved conflict at home—these are some of the little sins that we don’t give much thought to.
How many times have you heard this: “It’s not as if I went out and robbed a bank or something.”
Evil has a way of getting what it can get. If it cannot get you to embezzle a million dollars from your employer, it will endeavor to get you to steal some parts, supplies or even some time.
Consider the man who has been delivered from alcoholism. The tempter does not urge him to go get drunk; he knows that want work anymore. He simply says, “Just take one little drink. What harm can that do? Just take one to be sociable.” It’s safe!
Satan is subtle. He knows using one curse word will not make you a habitual user of profanity, it is only one step in that direction. Buying a lottery ticket will not make you a gambling addict; it simply opens the door.
But be careful, those little sins can grow into something big.
Little sins are like seed planted in the ground; they grow to be big sins if not repented of.
Paul puts it this way in Galatians 6:7,8 – “ (7) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
Closing: Today the world is worried about the curse of AIDS. It is reported that the disease is always fatal given time and that it is spreading at an alarming rate. It is interesting that instead of telling people to stop the evil activities that bring about this disease, the so called experts try to stop the epidemic by encouraging the practice of “safe” sex. Sadly many have found out too late that the practice of “safe” sex turned out to be the practice of “fatal” sex. So it is with these things called “safe” sins. People are telling others how to deal with them the wrong way and these methods are proving fatal. The only real answer is to repent of sin.
Good sins, Mass sins, little sins – they are all sin for which Jesus died for on the cross. Unless a person confesses and repents that person will die and be lost eternally.
What will you do about these so-called SAFE SINS that may exist in your life?
