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The Easiest Way To Sin

I don’t know which sins come easiest for you. That is, I don’t know how you find yourself most frequently tempted and embattled in the good fight of faith. But I think a strong case can be made from Scripture that the easiest way to sin is with our tongues.

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so (James 3:7-10).

In the Porterbrook Course this morning, as we studied the theme of Holiness in our Conversations, we read these words: “It is easy to sin through speech because it takes so little preparation. That is, some sins (like adultery or embezzling money) involve complex processes that develop over a period of time. They are not something we can simply ‘slip into’ without some prior planning. Words, however, can fly off our tongues before we have thought about them. As such, they reveal aspects of our heart that sometimes even we ourselves did not know. It is very difficult, therefore, to produce ‘holy speech’ in a counterfeit way.”

Our sins of speech are one of the clearest indicators of our need for a Savior. With other aspects of holiness, it can be easy to maintain an external appearance of respectability – a “tawdry replica of true holiness.” It’s easy to “look good” by avoiding sins or behaviors that don’t present any real temptation to us personally. But when it comes to the tongue, how quickly we slip into gossip, harsh criticism, cutting remarks, or dishonesty. Moralistic rules are not sufficient to tame the tongue. Hard as we try to control it, before long our tongues betray the sinfulness of our hearts, and reveal how greatly we need our Savior’s work on the Cross.

God wants the community of his people to be characterized by speech that is distinctively different from the speech patterns of this world. In particular, the Apostle Paul focuses his attention on an area that is prevalent in our culture today:

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving . . . For it is shameful even to speak of the things that [the community of darkness does] in secret (Ephesians 5:4, 12).

Crude joking includes anything that trivializes sex and immorality. How often do we hear crude joking in our culture? Does a day go by when we don’t have to guard our ears from such conversation?

Through humor, things that once were considered unacceptable and out of place become commonplace. How do we respond to crude jokes, filthiness, and foolish talk? Do we mindlessly laugh along with the community of darkness?

When we allow ourselves to be entertained or amused by such language, we end up trivializing the seriousness of God’s judgment on sins which are abhorrent to him. “By laughing about these things, the bar of acceptability is lowered. As soon as I find them funny, I no longer see them as being offensive to a holy God. I no longer recognize them as being worthy of judgment. Coarse joking can deceive us about the seriousness of sin.” This is what God’s Word teaches us:

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 5:6).

Let us remember that our lives here are a prelude to an encounter with the Living God. And let us fill our hearts with joyful adoration for who God is and for all that He has done for us in Christ. Then our lips will pour forth thanksgiving – and this is the antidote to every form of sinful speech.

Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:18-20).

May our mouths be filled with God’s praise!

Pastor David Sunday

*These insights come from the Porterbrook Course, “Gospel Change.” Porterbrook meets on Tuesday mornings at 6:00 a.m. The next five-week session, “The Bible in Missional Perspective,” starts on Sept. 30. Email Pastor Dan Huff at dhuff@newcbc.org if you would like to join this stimulating course.