When I was on my trek through college, there was this phrase, “When you see sin, you flee.” While I cannot recall the context from which the phrase entered our collegiate phrasebook I cannot forget the way we would say it: half-jesting; lilt of a backwoods preacher.
Today’s passage deals with “seeing sin,” but not so much in the context of running from temptation. This lesson from John focuses on how to behave when we see sin entangling our fellow Christian.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life… (1 John 5:16a–ESV) 1
Sinning Christians, how do we respond?
There it is. With verse 16 the sin of professing Christians is placed on the agenda. The action item, though, is not primarily the one involved in ungodliness. The top priority in this passage is the observer of such ungodliness. When living in and around others we get to see their foibles, and for most of us, our “foible-detector” works automatically and efficiently. There is the underlying sin engaged in by the one observed, and then the new opportunity for sin in the one who sees it.
When we see the sins of others what do we do? Flee? Ponder? Judge?
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