• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Bible Reflection On rationalization of sin

On rationalization of sin

Posted on April 17, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 9 Comments


Gold BarsThis morning I read the story of Achan whose sin caused the defeat of Israel when they went up against Ai. This story can be found in Joshua 7:16-26.

As a 21st Century American, I bristle when I read this story. I want to tell God that it was such a little sin. It seems natural that Achan should desire the goods that he confiscated. He had a momentary lapse of judgment and for that he and his entire family got stoned?

The danger of grace is that we can take Grace for granted and lose perspective on how serious God is about sin. I once heard a definition of sin as man playing God in his own life. By this definition, anything that I do that is contrary to what God expects is a sin.

I observe in myself and I believe I observe in others that humans have an almost infinite capacity to rationalize sin and make it sound legitimate. In this we follow our first parents in their response to the very first sin. Adam blamed Eve (and God) and Eve blamed the serpent.

When confronted with sin, like Adam, I want to find a way to say that it is not my fault. But it is my fault, the fact is that I choose to disobey.

The fix for this problem is not a legalistic system of do’s and don’ts. Legalism exacerbates the problem by focusing attention on the symptoms rather than the disease. The disease is a heart that is unwilling to yield to God. Legalism does nothing to soften the damaged heart and bring it in submission to God.

Legalism produces two undesirable effects. For those who are successful at keeping the rules, pride sets in which makes the heart even more unresponsive to God. For those who recognize their inability to keep the rules, an inappropriate sense of unworthiness can set in. This sense of unworthiness can then trigger rejection of the very God who gives them worth.

The sin of Achan was not that he desired the loot. The sin was that he did not desire God more than the loot. As C. S. Lewis points out, the problem was not that Achan’s desires were too strong, they were weak and focused on the wrong thing.

We presume upon Grace when we rationalize sin. The fact that we don’t end up under a heap of stones is not because we don’t deserve that heap. I share in the sin of Achan and that is why this story makes me feel uncomfortable.


Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: Achan, covet, desire, gold, Sin

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Merry Christmas

A Christmas Thought for 2015

Jesus loved well and turned the world upside down.

May we, the church universal, do the same. May this Christmas be a time of rediscovery of how much we are loved and a discovery of how we can better love others.

Surgery

I stand before my maker, becoming unmade and then made again, sometimes yielding, sometimes fighting, but always under the surgeon’s knife. Which is greater, the pain of being shaped or the pain of being left as I am?

Westminster Divines

107 Days with the Westminster Divines

As part of ongoing training for the elders at my church, we have been reviewing the Westminster Confession of Faith along with the larger and shorter catechisms produced by the Westminster Divines. I have found the shorter catechism, in particular, very helpful as I study through (and try to memorize) the answers to the 107 […]

Heavenly Minded

Heavenly minded or no good at all

I have heard it said that a person could be so Heavenly minded that he is of no Earthly good. Perhaps it is only me, but I find that I am in greater danger of becoming so Earthly minded that I am no good at all.

An Unholy Alliance: Pharisees and Herodians

An Unholy Alliance We are moving toward a presidential election year in the United States. As a result, the political pundits are ramping up their efforts to develop a market for their predictions. With this backdrop, when I read Mark this morning, Mark 3:6 grabbed my attention. In this verse there is a simple statement […]

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2022 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in