The 'Everybody Does It' Error

Another mistake Christians are prone to is going along with the crowd. So many justify it by saying, "Everybody does it."

But we know that sin is sin, no matter how small it seems. We see how serious sin is in Ezekiel 33:12 (KJV)  "Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, 'The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.'"

Even so, we can receive forgiveness from Christ when we yield to temptation. Scripture says in 1 John 1:9 (KJV) that, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

But what if it's something as minor as jaywalking? After all, it shouldn't matter if no cars are coming, right? Paul answered that matter in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV). "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

Furthermore, Daniel and his three friends certainly could have gone along with the customs of Babylon. Daniel 1:12 (KJV) shows how cleverly they got around the rule that they must eat the king's food which he had earlier offered to idols. "Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink."

We know how that worked out. They were healthier than if they had eaten and defiled themselves with meat and wine offered to idols. By the way, this isn't diet advice, as some Christians think. I'll be writing about this and other Christian fads another time.

We mustn't live like the world and think like them. We live here but we obey our Master in heaven. Supposedly minor sins like speeding or cutting across railway land ruin our testimony, making us look like hypocrites in the eyes of unsaved folks.

I'll deal with this matter further in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? So many churchgoers break laws during the week and then act so pious on Sunday morning.

On Thursday, I'll post about what bearing one's cross really means.