Have you ever heard that argument that “my sin only affects me”? Or ever used it? Do you think that your sin will only affect you and you can choose to sin freely without anyone bothering about it? Naivety is the only nice word I can think of to describe such foolishness, because our sin does way more than affect us individually. It affects everyone around us and can even have lasting effects around the world.
The deception of thinking our sin only affects us is a deadly vice. The worst part of it is that this deception actually carries the subtle claim that the person making it thinks he/she will not face any consequences for their sin, and even if they do, they don’t care. It reminds me of the crowd and the Pharisees calling for Jesus to be crucified. They wanted Jesus dead so much that they even cursed themselves with Jesus’ blood upon them and their own children, never once actually realizing their own curse. And the Jewish people have, as a whole, not recognized their Messiah for the last 2000 years as a result (other than Messianic Jews who do). But I have noticed a trend that those who want to blatantly sin simply do not care about the consequences of their choices. They want to be left alone, and so they throw out this foolish lie that it’s their choice and their choice alone and don’t bother telling them about it.
The sin that most people use this argument for is regarding sexuality, specifically the sin of pornography. Pedophiles are renown for telling their victims that their sexual engagement was a secret between them. Potipher’s wife sought to seduce Joseph, and I am certain she said many times it would be their little secret and no one else would know. Porn watchers think they are just getting entertained in their bedrooms or on their phones, but they soon lose track of the fact that on the other side of the camera are real people degrading their bodies for such people’s entertainment, arousal, and pleasure. Not all of those people are doing it by choice. The stronger the lusts, the darker they go, and it goes from willing adults to children enslaved to such acts, both in the receiving and participation in such things. Here in El Paso, TX, we are known for drugs and the bars, but the sex industry is actually a bigger money maker. You cannot drive in or out of the city without coming across the adult stores. It’s a huge industry and to say that it only affects you is total naivety.
Besides Adam and Eve and original sin, there are two accounts I will bring up that showcase the severity of how one’s sin affects many others. One account is the unbelief of the 10 spies sent into the Promised Land and the other is Achan. Let’s look at the 10 spies.
When Moses sent 12 spies to the Promised Land to check it out, two of them, Joshua and Caleb, said that the land was ripe for the taking because they believed in their God. The other 10 feared the giants and the walls and did not see God at all, despite just a year earlier having seen God wipe out Egypt, the most powerful nation in the area. Note that Egypt had economic control over this region too, which is why Rahab reported that Jericho was so scared of Israel at their doorstep. But these 10 spies did not believe, and it caused a great uproar among the people to the point of mutiny. So, God chased them back to the wilderness for 40 years for the whole generation to die off.
Think about that. Everyone in the camp who was 20 or older in that camp had to wander for 40 years so their carcasses would not even be found. All adults were doomed to death, and only Joshua and Caleb would get to live beyond it. Now think about this. What about those teenagers in the camp who were old enough to see what God did in Egypt and actually did believe? We aren’t told of such people, but God has always had a remnant of believers. If any adults believed Joshua and Caleb, they didn’t speak up, so they perished too. But those teenagers who were promised freedom and a land of their own were so close and had to wait 40 years before going in. They were robbed of 40 years of enjoyment of the Promised Land because of the unbelief of others. And think of Joshua and Caleb themselves. They believed and were ready to go and they too were robbed of 40 years of land they wanted. You really think your sin only affects you? Some of you boys or men addicted to porn are costing your wife or future wife time of true pleasure and it may be preventing you from having kids too. Your sin prevents others from getting their blessing, not just you from yours.
And what about Achan? Achan, along with all Israel, went to conquer Jericho and yet God told them not to touch anything in the city. No spoils because God wanted them to trust Him more than spoils of war. Yet Achan saw some clothing and some gold, and he took it and hid it in his tent. What happened? Israel went to take on the tiny town of Ai and lost 36 men in a rout. It was public defeat and total shame. One man’s sin cost the nation 36 men their lives and public shame. Joshua came to confront him, and it cost Achan his and his family’s lives (mostly likely because they knew of the sin and did not report it). Again, Achan’s sin affected more than just him.
It does not matter what the sin is, it has long-reaching affects. This does not even address those sins that come back to visit us years down the road. The nice thing about the sins of the 10 spies and Achan is that there were immediate consequences. Many sins, however, do not come with immediate consequences, so we don’t think twice about it. Do not be deceived! God is going to deal with it all, and He knows precisely how to deal with it, too. David did not see the consequences of his sin with Uriah and Bathsheba for a year, and then later it came to full fruition with Absalom’s rebellion. Don’t think it will be any different with us. Our sins will come and find us out, and they will cost others as well.
Fortunately, the Gospel is able to provide an answer to this all. The Gospel not only deals with our sin, but it can save those our sin affects. The rapist and the murderer affect not just the sinner but the victim; the Gospel will either save the sinner or condemn him, but also save the victim. That is why we must give the Gospel to all people. Every person is both a sinner and a victim of other’s sin. We have all be hit by other people’s sins, too. We all need the Gospel. Only the Gospel can resolve it. Trust the Lord and He will set all things right.
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