Why Do Relational Sins Seem So Easy To Justify?

It seems that there are some sins which are quickly and universally condemned, such as murder, stealing, rape, child molestation, etc. The very thought of these (and others) can be so repulsive to some that they immediately condemn any practice of it.

Yet, there are some other sins that even Christians seem to have a hard time standing against. These often involve a relationship of some kind, and when it involves someone that a Christian loves, it pulls at the heartstrings to the point that even a Christian sometimes will soften and “not see it as a big deal.” Let me see if I can give some illustrations.

Some Christian parents, who are strong in their faith, have been faced with one of their own children becoming a homosexual. Not wanting to “lose” connection with their kid, some parents have weakened and grown to accept (at some level) the choice of their child.

Other Christian parents have struggled to know how to handle a child who moves in with a lover, has children, builds a life, and lives with all the privileges (and appearances) of a married couple with children, without actually being married. Some parents have just gone along to “keep the peace.”

Many Christians have been challenged by God’s teaching on marriage, divorce and remarriage. They have friends who are in a marriage that is adulterous in the eyes of God. And when there are children involved, it is so common for a Christian to say, “How can God expect them to separate! There’s no way He would! What will that do to the children?” Often Christians put themselves into relationships that are adulterous in the eyes of God, but they are so “in love” and believe so much they “have a right to be happy” that they say, “God will understand” or “God can’t expect me to live alone the rest of my life.”

Many other examples could be given, but hopefully these suffice to illustrate how painful, personal and heart-rending these kinds of situations can be. Some sins can be immediately condemned, but then others challenge us to the point of acceptance.

Consider ten things: (1) God’s law is always right (Psa. 19:7-9; Hos. 14:9). (2) God’s law is unchanging (Psa. 119:89; 1 Pet. 1:25). (3) God shows no partiality (Rom. 2:11; 1 Pet. 1:17). (4) Sin is always wrong (Rom. 6:23; Gal. 5:19-21). (5) No sin can ever be right or acceptable to God (Prov. 6:16-19; Gal. 1:4). (6) Right in one’s own eyes is foolishness to God (Prov. 12:15; Isa. 5:21). (7) Showing approval of sin is a sin itself (Rom. 1:32; 2 John 9-11). (8) One can resist sin with God’s help (1 Cor. 6:11, 18-20; Jas. 4:7-8). (9) One can live single for life for God’s sake and with His help (Matt. 19:11-12; 1 Cor. 7:10-11, 32). (10) We must not conform and must help others to not conform (Rom. 12:1-2; Matt. 5:13-16).