From the Christian Parenting Corner

As a Christian, you know that you are forgiven of your sin. What is more, every time you sin, God will reward your heartfelt apology with his forgiveness. This can lead to a sense of entitlement or at least a loss of healthy guardedness against behaviors that are sinful. Are you taking sin too lightly?

Forgetting Sin's Sting

Romans 1:18 speaks of men who smother godly truth with impiety. Skipping down to verse 21, the Bible warns that these people's thoughts became fruitless and their hearts descended into darkness. All the while protesting and proclaiming their wisdom, they became fools. Before long, they turned away from God and instead turned to manmade idols.

God did not send lightning bolts to end their foolishness, but instead (see verse 24) let them sin it up to their hearts' (and bodies') content. Eventually their worship - note that they never gave up their worship of a god - turned away from the true God and instead focused on a manmade version. A final step into the morass of sinful behavior was a purposeful letting go of godly knowledge.

The result was a population of backbiting gossip mongers that practices any kind of evil they could think of so long as it suited them. Finally, they showed express approval to others in the same position.

Taking Sin Too Lightly Is the First Step

Sadly, this kind of behavior is played out in Christian households today. Mom or dad is rebellious against God; perhaps dad is discontent with his job and puts in extra hours to curry favor and receive a promotion. Unfortunately, this is quickly becoming a lifestyle even after the promotion is earned. Soon, dad is no longer available to parent his children or lead the family spiritually.

Maybe mom feels no longer appreciated at home and decides to go on spending sprees to feel better. Wasteful spending eventually becomes a habit that drags down the family's finances. Arguments ensue and the home life becomes strained. Eventually, mom is no longer able to nurture a gentle and quiet spirit in her children.

The odds are good that these parents are still attending church regularly, volunteering time to help the poor and may even be helping out in Sunday school. Yet as the children learn about the man's role of spiritual leadership in the home, they come face to face with their father's absenteeism. As they learn about the wife of noble character, they compare her to the spendthrift mother who puts herself first.

Not in My House!

While these may appear to be extreme examples, there are most likely already sins playing themselves out in your home. When your spouse asked you to do something, did you roll your eyes? Did you apologize immediately or did you just let it go, since God already forgave you? When your spouse (or your children) pointed out a bad attitude or sinful act you committed, did you brush them off because you were embarrassed? Did you tell them you would think about it but never got back to them? Even as pride is the root of virtually all sin, in this case it is a sign that you might be exchanging the truth of Scripture for a manmade set of rationalizations.

It is also the sign of a hardening heart (becoming heartless). As taught by verse 31, this is the end result of a person rejecting God. Could it be that you are further down the slippery slope of sin than you had thought possible?

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