What is the most dangerous sin? Which one poses the greatest spiritual threat? You’ve probably spent some time asking that question and you’ve certainly spent time trying to convince yourself that the answer wasn’t a particular sin; you know the one? The one that you excuse yourself for indulging in. As we gathered last week we dealt with the question of what is sin, but this week we’ll be getting more specific as we discuss types of sin. There really are quite a few ways to sin; a whole host of ways to go wrong. Are you wondering whether your pet sin will get a treatment in our message this week? Are you hoping it does or doesn’t? The answer to that question may strongly indicate the answer to our first question.
In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Something Wicked this Way Comes, Bradbury expresses an interesting truth about sin and struggle:
“all men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors & smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit appetites… being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it… You work twice as hard to be a farmer as to be his hog.”
What is the most dangerous sin? It’s the one you genuinely enjoy and aren’t actively working against. Even more dangerous when all the “work” you do regarding that sin goes the other way: justification, selectively ignoring it (attention management), distractions and the like. What’s the most dangerous sin? It’s the one you don’t recognize as sin because it’s hard to see when you’re already facedown in the slop.
