Christians should always strive to live in a way that is pleasing to God. Paul wrote, “Whatever you do…do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). But living as a Christian means that we will not only choose to obey but also refuse to accept sin.
We need to refuse to accept sin in our own lives. We each have a responsibility to examine ourselves (Matthew 7:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:28), to “flee from” temptation, and to avoid sin (1 Timothy 6:11; Romans 6:12). We cannot grow comfortable with personal sin that separates us from God.
We need to refuse to accept sin in the lives of other Christians. By God’s design, every member of the Lord’s church is a member of the “body” (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27). We are connected and joined so that we can “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). By God’s design we should have great concern for each other’s spiritual welfare which means that we can never become comfortable or accepting of another Christian’s sin.
We need to refuse to accept sin in the world around us. Christians should have a powerful and positive influence on those who do not yet know Christ (Matthew 5:13-16). While we do live in the world, we are not to be “of the world” (John 15:18-19). Because we belong to Christ, we might often be at odds with sinful behaviors that surround us. We must never become indifferent to sin, even when living in a sinful culture.
We all need to choose to obey God’s commands and refuse to accept sin.
Matt Langfield