Should Christians Endorse Sin?

Should Christians Endorse Sin?

It seems the answer to this question should be an easy "No," but how does that work in practice? The world is full of sin. The apostle Paul says all "creation has been groaning" to be free from this curse (Romans 8:22). Sometimes, it feels as though avoiding sin is as futile as walking through a field without stepping on grass. It's everywhere. How does a Christian not endorse sin in a sinful world?

An endorsement can take on various forms, but this blog post will focus on one fundamental way most actions are endorsed—through the world of advertising. Whether it's a promotional poster, a video commercial or an eye-catching billboard, advertisements are dominant all over the globe. They exist in nearly every written language. No matter where someone goes, they are bound to encounter an ad, maybe more than they'll encounter grass.

Let's begin this examination, starting with the sin of...

Gluttony

Consider this scenario: You and a friend walk into a fast food restaurant and on one of the windows is a poster of a guy eating a cheeseburger the size of his mouth. At the bottom of the poster it reads, "Eat a BIG burger! The way you want!" Does this poster endorse gluttony? Nope. It's more than possible for someone to imitate everything in this ad without committing a sin. Extra large portions of meat are not inherently sinful. Otherwise, the prodigal son would be better off sticking with pig slop, since his dad said he was gonna serve the "fattened calf" and "have a feast," (Luke 15:23). Having said that, it is possible for an individual to eat a big burger in a sinful way. Any believer who doesn't take care of their body dishonors the Holy Spirit, because "your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own...Therefore honor God with your bodies," (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). A glutton will over indulge, but believers should feel free to eat until they are satisfied.

Greed

Here's another scenario: You and a friend walk into a convenience store, and you see a sign above the front entrance. It reads, "HUGE SALE! BUY MORE and SAVE MORE!" Is someone falling into the sin of greed by obeying this sign? Not necessarily. People are able to buy more than they need, without it being a sin. If it were not so, then King Solomon, who "was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth," could not have been able to give the people "the wisdom God had put in his heart," since his heart would've been too cluttered with all that sinful gold, (1 Kings 10:23-24). However, it is possible for someone to fall into the sin of greed through the lure of big savings. The Apostle Paul says, "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs," (1 Timothy 6:10). It can be dangerous for some believers to spend a lot of money, but it isn't a sin for all believers.

Does this make sense so far? Perhaps our exam should consider something with more nuance.

Pride

Here's the scenario: You and a friend are at a clothing store, and in the center aisle is a colorful display. Dozens of shirts surround a big banner that says, "Wear it with PRIDE!" Considering what Jesus says about sexual immorality, is it a sin for a believer to wear these clothes? The answer is "Yes." On first glance, that might not sound fair. None of the other situations led to this conclusion, but none of the other ads directly endorsed sin. In this scenario, though, there is no way to both earnestly and sinlessly wear these clothes, because the words on them are actively endorsing sin. The Apostle Paul says, "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body," (1 Corinthians 6:18). Jesus also teaches that what goes into someone does not defile them, but what comes out of that person defiles them, (Matthew 15:11). This principle applies to a great deal of behaviors, showing that it's hard for a believer to stay pure on the outside, if their inner spirit is craving sin.

When people endorse and practice sexual sin,
it makes the earth sick (Leviticus 18:24-25).

Is this the end of our exam? Not quite, because there is one more aspect that has yet to be addressed.

All these scenarios started with four words, "You and a friend." This means there was someone else who saw the burger, the shopping cart, and the rainbow merchandise. Now, let's say this friend isn't aware of what makes an action sinful or non-sinful. Does that mean any believer who follows these ads while this friend is watching is endorsing sin? Paul would say "Yes." In fact, he reminds believers that some young Christians are accustomed to seeing certain actions as sinful, even if they're not (1 Corinthians 8:7). For the sake of these believers, Paul urges the Church to "be careful that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you" doing what they believe to be sinful, "won’t that person be emboldened to" follow you and go against their conscience? (1 Corinthians 8:9-10). In this way, believers can unwittingly destroy one another. Paul concludes stating, "If what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall," (1 Corinthians 8:13).

"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all people so
that by all possible means I might
save some," (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).

We, as believers, should remember that we do not strive to avoid sin just for our own sakes, but also for the sake of one another. Believers are meant to do good so that the world "may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven," (Matthew 5:16). This isn't just a matter of avoidance. This is about leading sinners to God; to pursue the Lord's righteousness "on earth as it is in heaven," (Matthew 6:10).

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)