A Sin By Any Other Name

January 16, 2009
A Sin By Any Other Name
READ: Genesis 39:1-9

How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? —Genesis 39:9

Joseph found himself in a difficult position one day when his master’s wife attempted to seduce him. How tantalizing this woman must have been to a healthy young man! And it must have occurred to Joseph how fearsome her wrath would be when he spurned her advances.
Yet Joseph flatly resisted her. His moral convictions stemmed from his clear view of sin and his reverence for God. He said to her, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9).

Today, it is popular to call sin by more acceptable names. But using euphemisms for offenses against God will only weaken our resistance and trivialize sin’s harmfulness to us.

To Joseph, sin was not just “an error of judgment.” Nor was it a mere “slip of the tongue” or an “indiscretion” in a “moment of weakness.” Joseph saw sin for what it was—a serious offense against the Lord—and he did not play down the gravity of the offense.

God’s moral standards are absolute. It is only when we see sin as something abhorrent to the Lord that we will be motivated to make right moral judgments.

Calling sin by a softer name will change neither its offensiveness to God nor its cost to us. — C. P. Hia

Was it for crimes that I have doneHe groaned upon the tree?Amazing pity! Grace unknown!And love beyond degree! —Watts

There’s no excuse for excusing sin.