I guess this title sounds a lot like I’m going to be talking today about missions work or spreading the gospel around the world, but it’s actually about something much closer to home. Something in our own towns, our own households and our own hearts.

In Relevant Magazine’s July/August issue, Scott McKnight writes about the lack of people who want to talk about sin anymore. This really got me thinking of how true it is that society is not only changing its views on religious issues each year, but how much interpretation and slack we have given ourselves with God. McKnight writes:

Pendulums are designed to swing, and the pendulum swing toward God’s grace and love meant a generation has been nurtured on a message that has embraced a gracious view of  God, but has far too often ignored the zealous holiness of that God’s love.

It’s true… we dilute the Bible’s messages to make them fit our own standards of living. We justify everything by saying that God has already forgiven us so certain words and actions can be excused. A lot of people don’t even want to talk about the word ‘sin’ anymore. McKnight mentioned a student of his that had never heard ‘sin’ mentioned at church and a girl who was offended by the word altogether.

How do you interpret some of the Bible’s strict messages? Do you excuse a lot of your own actions?