Don't whitewash sin

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT)

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

In these verses we find the Apostle Paul describing the desires of our sinful nature. Apart from God and allowing our sin to go unchecked we can fall into any one of these sins. Most people can find at least one or more sins they can identify with and know they are guilty of. For this reason Jesus could look at a crowd of people ready to stone an adulterous woman and say, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” Of course no one did because each realized they had sin in their lives.

I’m going to say it straight out – you can’t whitewash sin and please God. I am going to include myself when I say I have heard people minimize the sin in their lives thinking it would make it better. I hate to think of how often I have minimized my own sin. I am not in a position to judge a person for their actions; God has done that already by pointing out what is sin. What I am in a position to do is to help hold others accountable in love while they hold me accountable so we all stay on the right course and avoid the temptations of sin.

Let’s see if you have heard these statements before. We went partying, but no one really got that drunk or out of control (wild parties, drunkenness). I had a right to get angry and show my temper – after all they got something I really deserved (outbursts of anger, hostility, quarreling, envy, jealousy). What’s wrong in going out with the guys to have a little fun at the clubs (lustful pleasure, impurity).  People should have the right to physical love; after all sex is natural in our society (sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures). I only do those things for good luck (idolatry, sorcery).

Any of those sound familiar? I’m not trying to make you feel guilty, but I want you to understand we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. We can’t make excuses for sin and think God is going to agree with us. How can we say they are right when God says they are wrong? God is holy and just and God will not tolerate continuance in sin. God looked at the people of Noah’s time and was sick over man’s sin and only found favor in Noah. All other men perished except Noah and his family. God told Abraham he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sinful sexual acts. Abraham begged they be spared if righteous people could be found, but they weren’t. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their uncontrolled sexual perversion. Only Lot and his daughter’s were spared. Lot’s wife looked back toward the sin she desired and died. And even afterwards Lot’s daughter perverted sex because of their desires.

So let’s not whitewash sin. Call sin out for what it is whether it is adultery, lust, gluttony, pride, homosexuality, gossip, drunkenness, hostility, murder, envy, jealousy, idolatry and as The Bible says, “other sins like these.” But remember God gave His Son Jesus Christ to pay the debt for these sins and write upon our hearts what is right and wrong to give us direction in life. Don’t hamper the efforts of the Holy Spirit trying to work in your life by covering up sin. Confess your sin and allow God to show you the steps you need to take in your life to overcome sin.

One final word, I love people and try to love people as Jesus did. I pray you are able to do the same as well and encourage people away from sin through love and not hate.