Do Not Rationalize Sin

​From our earliest age, theft is probably the sin that lingers in our memory. Prior to school days, we learned the concept of what it means to take something that is not ours. The concept of getting something for nothing permeates our culture. Let us not be deceived into thinking sin is not that big of deal. All sin has a consequence. The headline read: “Three Guilty of Manslaughter for Stealing a Stop Sign.” I am unaware of what these three young people, ages 20-21, were thinking. Perhaps they said to themselves, “It is just one stop sign, it is not that big of deal.” They may have thought it was not that big of a deal until one day three other teenagers died in a collision with a tractor-trailer. God says, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). In a sense, the sin of eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was a theft. The man and woman took what God said was forbidden. I wonder if Adam and Eve tried to rationalize away their sin by saying, “It is just one piece of fruit.” Yes, it was, but the conscious act of disobeying God caused them to be banished from the beautiful garden. Be thankful you serve a God who loves you enough to forgive your sins, but do not be deceived, sin has consequences. 

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Clark Tatum