A SIN BY ANY OTHER NAME

Joseph found himself in a tricky situation one day when his master’s wife tried to get him to sleep with her (GENESIS 39:7). How tempting she must have been to this young guy! Joseph could sleep with her, without anyone knowing . . . or say “No” and face her anger. It must have been hard to do the right thing, yet Joseph flatly refused her. She asked him “day after day” (V.10), even grabbing him by his clothes, “but he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house” (V.12). How was he able to turn away from such obvious sexual temptation—especially when it was shoved in his face every day?

Joseph’s ability to say “No” came from his clear view of sin and from his love and awe of God. He said to her, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (V.9).

To Joseph, sin was not just “a mistake”. Nor was it a “slip of the tongue” or a “one-off” in a “moment of weakness”. These are the sorts of words we sometimes use to make sin seem smaller. But Joseph saw sin for what it was—a serious offence against God, the One who would provide him with what he needed so that he didn’t need to grab it for himself. He understood the seriousness of sin.

God’s standards are absolutely perfect. It is only when we see that sin is our enemy, not our friend, that we will be motivated to stand against it—even stuff we do in private or think about in the quiet of our own minds. It is our love for God that weakens our love of sin.

Calling sin by a softer name will not change what it is: a rebellion against God that Jesus died to pay for.

To pray about . . .

Dear Jesus, thank You for paying for my sin in full. Help me to see it for what it is, so that my love for You will grow and my love for sin will fade.