Episode #97—A Theology of Sin: Conscience, Confrontation, and Christian Liberty

Confronting sin is a particularly sensitive question in church life. When do we speak up? What counts as sin in the first place? And how do we handle the grey areas where conscience, culture, and Christian liberty collide?

Before we confront sin, we must know what it is. John defines sin as “lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin is transgression—stepping over boundaries that God has revealed. The word “trespasses” captures the same idea, as does “iniquity,” with its sense of crookedness or twistedness. In short, sin is any violation of what God has made known.That violation can run in two directions. There is sin of omission—failing to do what God has commanded—and sin of commission—doing what God has forbidden.Some limit sin to violation of the Ten Commandments. The concept of law is helpful, because it keeps us tethered to what God has revealed. That is an important anchor, because there is a real danger in binding people’s consciences over things God has never labelled as sin. We must be careful of labelling as sin things that God never called sin.With that said, the Ten Commandments are hardly the whole picture. The 635 laws given to Israel in the Old Testament are largely applications of those ten, and the New Testament adds its own commands: make disciples, be baptised, don’t neglect the gathering of the saints (Hebrews 10:25). These are commands, and failing to keep them is sin. The Ten Commandments give us the root; the rest of Scripture fills out the branches.

This is where things get more complicated. What about areas where one believer’s conscience allows something that another believer’s conscience forbids?Consider, as an example, the use of alcohol. The Bible doesn’t prohibit drinking, but it does warn seriously against drunkenness and the loss of self-control that comes with it. If a believer who was saved from a lifestyle of drunkenness sees another Christian enjoying a glass of wine, they may feel that it’s sinful, even though the Bible doesn’t say so.If you know that a brother or sister struggles with alcohol and you order a glass of wine in their presence anyway, that may well be sinning—not because drinking is wrong, but because you are not respecting their conscience and may be placing a stumbling block before them. Paul makes this plain in Romans 14 and revisits the theme in 1 Corinthians 8–10. Paul refused to that would cause his brother to stumble.But it works the other way too. The recovering alcoholic should not try to bind the conscience of every believer around him by insisting that drinking is categorically sinful. The Bible doesn’t say that, and imposing that view on others is its own error.So how do we escape this bind? The conscience needs to be informed by truth. The word “conscience” is itself a compound word built on the idea of knowledge. A weak or mistaken conscience isn’t corrected by ignoring it; it’s corrected by teaching it. A professor in Bible college knew a woman who believed it was a sin to kill anything, including cockroaches. Predictably, her home was infested and her neighbours were at risk. The answer wasn’t to hand her a can of insect spray and tell her to get over it. The answer was patient instruction: helping her see that allowing disease to spread is not loving one’s neighbour. That’s an extreme case, but the principle holds. Knowledge strengthens conscience.

What about films or music with explicit content—blasphemy, crude language, or explicit sexuality? Some insist that they don’t stumble, and that these things demonstrate the reality of the culture being portrayed.But let’s go back to Scripture. What does the Bible say about profanity? About taking God’s name in vain? The question to ask isn’t only, “Does this make me stumble?” but, “Is this honouring to God?” At the same time, someone who feels strongly about this needs to be careful not to become condemning and judgemental toward someone who simply hasn’t thought it through yet.I recall hearing of a well-known theologian who, as a teenager, used to study the book of Romans while listening to the Rolling Stones. By his fifties, I suspect that he had probably matured past that, coming to recognise that much of what was in those lyrics sits in direct tension with what Romans is teaching. But that’s the point: Maturity takes time. Paul tells Timothy to let his progress be evident (1 Timothy 4:15). We want to help people grow, which usually requires patience.

Patience, however, doesn’t mean indefinite silence. Sometimes, confrontation can’t wait. Sometimes, sin is blatant and serious. The case in 1 Corinthians 5 is an obvious example: a man sleeping with his father’s wife. That’s not a grey area.When confrontation is necessary, it is helpful to bear in mind a few principles.First, be word-informed. You need to be able to show the person, concretely, from Scripture, why what they’re doing is sin and why it must change. “Because I feel like it’s wrong” isn’t enough. You must be able to concretely point to the Scriptures to show that the behaviour is sin.Second, follow the Matthew 18 pattern. Jesus’ instruction to bring one or two witnesses isn’t primarily about building a stronger case against someone—it’s more like a jury than a prosecution. The witnesses are there to help adjudicate. Is the behaviour being called out actually sin? You might be wrong. The witnesses will help decide one way or another. Their presence serves the truth.Third, watch your spirit. Galatians 6:1 says that if anyone is caught in a transgression, those who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. “Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” The spirit in which you come matters just as much as the Scripture you bring. Coming in a spirit of condemnation may be technically right but practically disastrous.Fourth, come in the context of relationship. Any Christian who comes to us with genuine concern deserves to be heard. But it’s far easier to receive correction from someone who has a track record of care—someone who has encouraged and built us up, not only ever appeared when they had something critical to say. That’s not a reason to refuse to speak; it is a reason to invest in relationships before the moment of confrontation arrives.

It may be worthwhile noting the reality of the professional “weaker brother.” Some people treat everything as an offence, calling anything they dislike a sin—your music taste, your dress sense, your leisure choices. That’s not a weak conscience; that’s spiritual immaturity of a different kind. If it isn’t sin, someone may need to say so, kindly but clearly.

There is one more category worth mentioning: prudence. Some things aren’t sinful but simply aren’t wise. Listening to heavy metal constantly may not be sin, but if you’re prone to depression, feeding yourself a steady diet of that material probably isn’t helping. Drinking several glasses of wine every evening may not constitute drunkenness, but it may not be wise—financially, legally, or physically.The question to ask isn’t only, “Can I find a Bible verse that forbids this?” Sometimes the more honest question is, “Is this the best use of what God has given me—my time, my money, my body, my mind?” The good is often the enemy of the best.So take holiness seriously. Take your brothers and sisters seriously. Be open to being helped yourself. And if you’re going to call something sin, make sure you have biblical grounds for it. That’s not a low bar—it’s the correct one.