JUST KIDDING?

Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) was Minister of Propaganda for the NAZI regime, Adolph Hitler’s  alter ego and chosen successor, he ranked high among those who carried out his agenda of total war and human extermination. Addressing the Gestapo, Goebbels once said, “History will note that we did these things while still preserving our essential humanity.” He was kidding himself; and trying to kid others about the horrible sins they were committing. I’ve often thought that if nominations were ever taken for an eleventh commandment, “Thou shalt not kid thyself” might be one to consider.

The lost world kids itself about sin all the time; and sometimes, Christians do it too. People get really euphemistic and cute about sin. They shrug it off, blow it off and laugh it off. But God doesn’t take it lightly, whether it’s sin committed by NAZIS, terrorists, abortionists, sex traffickers and child pornographers or sin expressed in every day acts of bad behavior.

People have an enormous capacity for dismissing fact and embracing fiction where sin is concerned. They can be very imaginative and clever in excusing, downplaying and denying it ; very adept at rationalizing and justifying it, They sugar coat, smooth over, window dress and whitewash their sin  and that of others. But God views sin differently. (See Isa. 5:20; Ezek. 22:26; Jer. 44:4; Isa. 7:13).

Sin is defined in 1 John 3:4 as the transgression of God’s law (See the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount and James 2:10). It separates believers from intimate fellowship with God and sends those who have never been saved to hell forever (Isa. 59:2; ! John 1:8, 9; John 3:16; Acts 20:21; Rom. 10:9-13).

A casual attitude and wrong approach towards sin is deadly dangerous for unbelievers and spiritually decimating for believers. Don’t kid yourself about it.