There's No Such Thing As Harmless Sin

"We're consenting adults, so we aren't hurting anyone." It's an argument that might sound good, but it's not true.

Sin is sin, no matter who consents...

"We're consenting adults, so we aren't hurting anyone."

Even from a worldly standpoint, this excuse isn't logical. How many families have been torn apart by adulterous affairs between two consenting adults? 

How many unwanted pregnancies, abortions, latent regrets, sexually transmitted diseases, broken promises?

But suppose two adults could be involved in sinful behavior that didn't touch another person's life in any way. Would it be harmless?

Scripture says otherwise:

"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8

Even if no one else is affected, sin still damages those who consent to it. There's no such thing as harmless sin. 
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"We're consenting adults, so we aren't hurting anyone." It's an argument that might sound good, but it's not true.

"We're consenting adults, so we aren't hurting anyone." It's an argument that might sound good, but it's not true.

 



7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hi ewen,
      Sin always damages us spiritually and often damages us physically and emotionally. I will let Scripture explain:


      The two passages in this devotion explain that sexual sin is a sin against our bodies * (1 Cor.6:18), and there will always be consequences when we violate God's laws * (Gal.6:7-8).

      Continual sin weakens our conscience, meaning we will lose our understanding of right and wrong, which God gives us to protect us from harm. * 1 Timothy 4:2 talks about people who have completely lost their consciences: "These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead."

      Christ says we can't love Him and continue to willfully disobey Him:
      * "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:15
      * "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God." 1 John 3:9

      Of course, Christians still sin, but they acknowledge their sins and repent of them:
      * "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:8-10

      When we are genuinely saved (i.e. have genuinely committed our lives to Christ and received the promise of eternal life), Christ's Spirit within us causes us to be offended by our sins and teaches us to say "no" to them:
      * "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" Titus 2:11-12

      So sin always brings consequences into our lives even if it doesn't harm another person. It always damages us spiritually, but it also can do physical and emotional damage to us. Consequences are different for different people and different types of sins, but God warns us that we will always reap what we sow (Gal.6:7-8).

      I hope this answers your question, ewen.
      Gail

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    2. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
      Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

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  2. I have been dealing with a bf.I'm not divorce yet! It so bothers me now

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    Replies
    1. Hi Gina,
      I will be praying for you that God will guide you.
      God bless you,
      Gail

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  3. Have you ever written on what the Bible says about how we are to be with someone who professes to be a believer, but lives in deliberate sin?

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  4. First there must be a clarification: as believers - it doesn't mean that we are perfect or do not sin. We do, but there is a difference in a knowledgeable continuation of sin and those who sin and truly repent, seeking to follow God's commandments. There is a change in heart that happens when a believer receives Christ, part of that change is to foresake our old ways and fear God.

    Then there are those who are not believers but pretend to be believers.

    The bible calls these people false believers, unbelievers, or unrighteous. There are several passages that relay the out come for them or what God sees in them. Here are some passages:

    1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

    2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.


    Isaiah 29:13 And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

    Titus 1:16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good.

    1 John 2:4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

    1 John 3:6 Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ.

    John 14:23-24 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”

    This is said of those who do things just for praise and pride - the hypocrites:

    Matthew 6:1-2 Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

    Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

    So- how are we to deal with them? We are to deal with them as unbelievers. Evangelize to them, pray for them, be the light the Jesus would have us be to them, through example, but not humour their deliberate sin. Remember that we are all saved through God's grace and mercy, so unless they have fully given themselves over to the evil one, there is hope for them because of the price paid by Jesus Christ's blood of redemption. Be a light, but don't enter into their darkness.

    God bless you and guide you.

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