The Danger of Making a Mockery of Sin

Prov 14:9 NIV) Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.

This morning we continue our series, In this verse Solomon reminds us of something that we must acknowledge, confess, and repent from sin. Solomon tells us that it is only the fool who makes a mockery of making amends with sin. It is the fool who believes that sin does not have consequences anymore or that sin is now somehow alright, because we are living in the 21st century.

The New Living Translation reads: "Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation." When a believer sins, part of the role of the Holy Spirit is to convict us. Now, I said convict and not condemn. The enemy will attempt to condemn you, because condemnation will make you feel disconnected from God and in that state you will never come to Him for reconciliation and restoration.

But if you get convicted in your heart, you will know that what you have done is wrong and you will seek restoration through Godly repentance. While this seems like pretty straightforward teaching to me, I know that this is not popular teaching today.

Solomon's words ring true all over the world where people are making a mockery of sin, of God's Word, and of His standard. The Message Bible translated this verse: "The stupid ridicule right and wrong, but a moral life is a favored life." This translation stuck out with me because many today don't believe in right and wrong. They want to accept any and everything.

No one wants to tell someone else that they are wrong; as if everything is right and should be accepted.

No! While we should love the sinner, we, as believers, must hate the sin. As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I must to call right "right" and wrong "wrong!" I am called to teach the truth, not to win a popularity contest. Accepting the sinner is one thing, but accepting the sin is something else altogether!

Families have been destroyed, lives have been wrecked, businesses have been bankrupted, and destinies have been aborted because sin was not acknowledged and dealt with.

In John's first letter he said, "This is the message we heard from Jesusand now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."

There is nothing confusing about that. John tells us that God is light, so we should be light. If we say that we have moved, then people should not continue to find us at our old address. But don't get me wrong, that does not mean that we will be completely sinless.

John continues, "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts" (see 1st John 1:5-10).

So what does this mean? It means that while you may not get to the point where you are completely sinless, you should definitely get to the point where you sin less! Sin should no longer be your lifestyle. Sin should not be something that you take lightly. Don't make a mockery of sin, because if you do, it will make a mockery of you.

So if you sin, acknowledge it, quickly repent, receive forgiveness, forgive yourself, and seek to walk in purity - by faith!

Father, I thank You for maintaining the Standard! I appreciate the standard You have established in Your Word and I seek to walk in it daily. Sin is no longer my way of life. While I may not be sinless, I do sin less. If I do sin, I will quickly repent before You, so that I can receive forgiveness and move on. I thank You for convicting me when I am wrong and for helping me to know the difference between conviction and condemnation. I refuse to walk in condemnation. I am covered by the Blood of Jesus and I walk in the newness of the life He died to give me - by FAITH! In Jesus' name. Amen!