Just One Won’t Hurt, Will It?

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 1:29

YOU’VE BEEN TRYING TO get in better shape, so watching what you eat has become a way of life. You work out. You jog. You’re doing all the things you’re supposed to do, and in the long run, it’s paying off. But there are certain little treats that you miss, and they’re oh-so-tempting sometimes.

Maybe you love tortilla chips, so you rationalize: One tortilla chip is not going to kill you, right? So you take one—okay, maybe two—and enjoy them. You savor the taste. And then you get on with your day, right?

Right?

Like habits we know are not good for us, and like the ways in which we rationalize our unwillingness to give them up, the temptation to sin can also be very deceptive. A sin can seem insignificant: maybe fudging a bit on a job application or letting a curse word slip out. We may rationalize that “one tiny little sin” won’t doom us to eternal damnation, and that God doesn’t hold such things over our heads, waiting for us to slip up again.

But just like your favorite snack food, sin has a way of quickly spinning out of control. Before you know it, you’ve eaten the whole bag of chips. In the same way, one small sin can quickly become a daily habit that spirals into an unhealthy addiction—something you feel that you can’t live without. So fight against sin with all your heart, relying on God’s strength to give you lasting victory. And ask Him to help you with those bad habits, as well.

BOTTOM LINE

God forgives the biggest and smallest of sins, but always, always, always fight against them.

Moment of Strength: Romans 6:12-14