We Justify Sin When it Becomes Pleasurable

I know we have ignited and sped up the beginning of the end of human race when those behaviors that used to be considered sinful are now generally acceptable in society. Even inside the church we now embrace sexual perversion. The problem is not so much the sexual perversion we now embrace, but because it also opens the door for other forms of perversion to be encouraged in the society. Years ago, discussion of extramarital affairs was like a taboo subject being discussed in the hidden closet of a family therapist. Today, we have websites dedicated to married women who want to have affairs while they remain married. Another rising marriage style is emerging in the U.S. where a married woman has a female lover, a man lover, and her husband at the same time called polyamory. A married woman can now have as many lovers as she wants to celebrate the demonic desires of unlimited pleasure. In some of the arrangements a female in such a marriage can have up to eight or ten lovers at the same time. If statistic is correct, over one hundred thousand married couples are involved in polyamory relationship.

It is time we started weeping for the human race because we are on a collision to self-destruction. There is no doubt in my mind that the train has already left the station as we journey straight into the gates of hell! The human race is doomed! The critical issue is not to throw stones at sinners. We all have issues we struggle with in life including many famous preachers we see everyday. The sadness of unrestricted pleasure in a hedonistic society is the celebration of sinful behavior without remorse. How far do we go and let the devil leads us in the pathway to self-destruction?

True, Christians need not to worry but to remain steadfast to the Lord regardless to what the world throw at us. However, we need to remain on guard for our children because many people are lining up each day intentionally on a journey to the gates of hell. In the Old Testament, when both Adam and Eve sinned, God issued a curse between man and the serpent. God knew the nature of the serpent and he did not want man and the serpent to join together as partners in crime. Today despite God pointed out the enemy of man, yet some people have determined to join in the intentional disobedience to God. Throughout the Bible, we read about the consequences of disobedience to God, and how those people who remained disobedient ended up facing God’s painful judgment. King Saul was one of those people. Despite his anointing, he died in the battle as a wretched man because he disobeyed God. Man has an excuse to claim that the devil placed humanity in a trick bag in the Garden of Eden. Perhaps some people may even argue that why did God place a naked woman in the Garden of Eden when the serpent was known to be a deceiver.

God accepted that challenge when neither Adam, Eve, nor the serpent took responsibility for what happened. God said in so many words, "I’ll take responsibility for the original sin of humanity." He therefore created a rescue plan to reconcile man back to himself after the great fall in the Garden of Eden. In the process, God himself took the punishment of the sins of humanity. This was why about two thousand years ago, God sent his only Son to be crushed on that cross in payment of the sins of man. Consequently, there will be no excuse about the consequences of sin because God does not violate his own rules. For everything we do wrong, there are consequences, and sometimes very painful consequences.

When God placed Adam and Eve together in the Garden of Eden, he created a plan of procreation for humanity. Regardless to how man wants to change God’s plan and justify evil, it will not work in the presence of God. There was a story of a man in St. Louis who had a pet snake. He must have developed what he thought was a very good relationship with this giant python snake. Only God knew for how many years this man had the pleasure of this relationship with his pet snake. One day, when the man was asleep, the snake wrapped itself about the man’s chest and squeezed. The man was found dead the following day, his chest crushed by the snake. The snake was later taken to the zoo. Sometimes what we think is a pleasurable relationship may one day come to destroy us. Could it be possible that the pet owner of this snake forgot that God had already placed enmity between man and the snake? Yet, he sacrificed his life for the illicit pleasure of a relationship with a serpent. Similarly, there are many people who have surrendered their lives for the illicit relationships that appeared to be pleasurable. But, God in Heaven had condemned such relationships from the beginning of time. No matter how good it feels, no matter how we choose to justify perversion, one day if we choose not to repent, such behavior will be exposed to God’s eternal damnation.

I remember a story of a Deacon who left his wife to live with another woman in the church. His excuse was her husband was not taking care of her. A group of Deacons in the church got together to confront this deacon about his illicit affair with a member of the church. In that story, he was referred to as, "The Deacon Without Shame." It is bad enough when we justify perversion. It is even worse when we encourage a larger number of people to join in such behavior to establish popularity. Once such behavior is accepted in the society, we believe it is acceptable before God. But, God has a different standard. That standard does not change. "I tell you, except you repent, you will likewise perish" (St. Luke 13:3). Go ahead and enjoy your illicit pleasure for now. Be ready that one day you will face the consequences of such behavior if you choose not to repent.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is you reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1-2).

When we justify sin because it is pleasurable, is it acceptable to God? Otherwise, are we rubbing the face of God in the sewer of our immorality?

Yinka Vidal, author, Closer Walk With Jesus