What to Do with Other People’s Sins

Sin is uncomfortable. Sin is burdensome. Sin is a bully and when allowed to reign, sin becomes an automatic tyrant. Sin has never mastered the art of freewill and freedom of choice. Sin does not negotiate, but wants it all, and he wants it now.

While fire is a good servant and a bad master, sin a terrible servant and unbearable master!

In this context, a sinner refers to an individual caught in a public sin. For, fundamentally we are sinners:

"The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:22-24, CSB).

With this information you realize that it means a lot how you handle a sinner. I am not saying that a sinner is a great person. Sinning is not a great thing that needs a standing ovation. No, never!

A sinner is not an important person that we may need to tread softly while handling him out of awe and respect for what they have achieved by their disobedience. There is nothing respectful about sin, deliberate and otherwise. There is nothing admirable about sin.

Sometimes God allows that we get to the knowledge of people’s dirty secrets. Many people find in such happenstance an opportunity to condemn, accuse and fault-find. I neither rebuke nor approve them. It reveals that they are humans and were never meant to deal with the problem sin.

Our reactions to public sin, especially when it involves men and women who wears sacerdotal robes, reminds me of two things:

1. That God is Good. Imagine God has always known those things yet He has been quiet. Instead of allowing them trend on an hashtag, He is busy working on the business of restoration. He is holy, we are not. If these things are offensive and abhorrent to us fellow sinners, how much abominable are they before a Holy God? Oh God is good!
2. We Don’t Know How to Deal with Sin. Oh yes! You don’t know, and neither do I. There are two broad responses that people often give to public sin. The first group tends to excuse it and want to be loving. How can you excuse sin? The next group condemns and whip character out of the victim. Yet they don’t qualify because they have a case to answer as well. All this reveals that sin, just like death, are intruders. We were never meant to know how to deal with them.

With this in mind we should accept to be demoted from the round table of censure and finger-pointing. And again this doesn’t mean that we should clap for sinners. There’s nothing really commendable about sin! Sin is not funny. Sin breaks God’s heart because it demands His very life.

The Danger in Discussing Other People’s Sins

Most of us find in the faults of others a topic of discussion. Well, this a reality that is hard to deal with. When something happens discussions are most often to follow. It would be strange to keep quite when something obscene happens in the house of God. Yet, every time we get walking talking about we often make mistakes.

Are there dangers awaiting us, as we discuss public sin?
O yes there is.

The first danger is that we don’t know how to handle other people’s sin. We find it a topic of discussion, while we should have made it a prayer item. Just imagine if all these things would drive us to our knees? And like Daniel we pray to God?

"Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands—we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land...
Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us...Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name" (Daniel 9;4-6, 16,19, CSB). 

Secondly, when we focus on the sin of other people, we are often lenient on ourselves.

And this is another very delicate topic. We know of Jeroboams among us. Those who do not want people to worship in Jerusalem. They have apostate altars in Dan and Bethel where idols have replaced Yahweh. We also know those daring enough to be in the fold yet entertain rendezvous of coquetry. And many more abominations that are done in Zion… name it.

The problem comes when we start discussing it. We are in danger of recommending ourselves and feeling better because of the advantage of contrast. We ourselves may not be objectively admirable, yet we have a comparative advantage when placed side by side with ‘Jeroboam’.

Unfortunately, at the time when we feel better, we often go down on our guards. The enemy takes advantage and when confronted with a rematch, we often sustain a loss.

“Other people’s Sin is not the everlasting gospel, stop preaching it to all the Nations“

The Cleaver

Only God can handle the sin problem. Remember the plan of redemption is older than Adam. Before Adam took us in, Christ had pledged Himself a surety for us. He has the moral ground to complain at our ingratitude and deliberate sinning.

Instead, He has pledged Himself that:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" ( 1 John 1:9, KJV).

Therefore, if we must talk about the sins in Zion, we only safe to talk about them to God. If must, let it be in weeping between the porch and the altar:

"Blow the ram’s horn in Zion!
Announce a sacred fast;
proclaim a solemn assembly.
Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the infants,
even babies nursing at the breast.
Let the groom leave his bedroom,
and the bride her honeymoon chamber.
Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say,
“Have pity on your people, Lord,
and do not make your inheritance a disgrace,
an object of scorn among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2:15-17, CSB)

Conclusion

The sin problem is one of the things we don’t know how to deal with. Sin was not supposed to one of our experience so God didn’t wire us to handle it. When we demonstrate that we don’t know how to deal with it—through unwarranted leniency or cutting rebuke—we are just being what we are meant to be.

But God…

God knows how to deal with it. Let us talk to Him to about it. Let us tell Him the sins in Zion. Yet let us not forget the sin in us that keeps striving for mastery.

If there is something you are struggling with? I want to tell you that God is in the business of restoration. Amen.