| April
20
No Justification by the Law
We must walk a fine line as Christians. We
need to point out sin in others while
recognizing that we too sin. We must point
sin to non-Christians because only when they
recognize their sin will they become aware of
their need for a savior.
Likewise, we point out sin to Christians because
even though our salvation may be secure, sin
still damages our relationship with the Lord.
Furthermore, it has earthly consequences that
can lead to anything from physical harm to
damaged relationships to imprisonment or even
death.
We have many good reasons for preaching about
the hazards of sin and warning Christians and
non-Christians alike about it. The danger
lies in believing that we are better than others
who still fall victim to the temptations of any
particular sin that we have mastered.
To begin with, we all struggle with sin.
Some just struggle more than others and some
struggle with sins that we do not. We must
not preach about as if we are better than those
who commit the sins that we preach against.
Instead we must remember that we are all sinners
in need of grace. By teaching others about
their sin, we hope to correct bad behaviors and
bring people to repentance. This should
always be the goal of preaching about sin.
We should never be like the Pharisees and
pretend that we are better than others who
commit a certain sin that we preach against. |
