It seems like the only sin left in American culture is calling something a sin. If you dare to use the s-word, you will promptly be accused of “judging.” You may even be called a “hater.”

Nowadays society demands that we all be like the people in the Hans Christian Andersen story The Emperor’s New Clothes and ignore the fact that sin is real and that it leaves us deceived, self-destructive, and morally disrobed.

How can we expect
To walk in God’s light
When we choose wrong
Rather than right?

Here are 3 ways people deal with their own wrongdoing:
1) They deny that it is wrong and insist that other people agree with them;
2) They cover it up, hide it, and/or excuse it;
Or, 3) They don’t do it anymore and get God’s forgiveness.

The problem with #1 is that changing what you (and other people) call your sin, doesn’t change the fact that you have chosen to act against your conscience, the common moral principles of most of human history, and the living God. You can pontificate like the emperor and insist that others approve of your wrongful behavior, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are ignoring historical standards of decency and you are causing pain for  yourself and for the people who love you.

The problem with #2 is that you can’t hide from yourself.  Everybody else may be convinced that you have told the truth, but you still know that it is a lie.  And you can’t hide your sin from God.

The only effective way to deal with sin is #3.  Stop violating your conscience and God’s moral standards.  Humbly ask Him to forgive you.  Then as Jesus taught: “Go and sin no more,” by getting close to Him.. The living, resurrected Jesus will give you power to daily engage in spiritual warfare and overcome your sin.

It is more effective to bend yourself to fit God’s morality than to try to bend God’s morality to fit you.