I hope everyone is well, and enjoyed their time with family and friends over Christmas.  There are so many voices that have already spoken into the situation regarding A&E & Duck Dynasty in far better ways than I could muster, I do not feel the need to address the main issues that have been brought up.  I wanted to step back from the surface level discussion of whether what was said was Biblical (it was) and whether or not it was said in the best way (it wasn’t) to address what I feel is a more pressing question to you as my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  The question that is sitting underneath the Duck Dynasty conversation, is what does it mean to be a Christian freed from sin?  I’m fairly focused on the gospel in my writings because whatever else I do or say, I realize the most helpful action I can take is to point people to Jesus, the cross, and put them to a decision about whether or not they believe Him, and identify themselves by faith with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection.  This isn’t a one-time thing for a new believer, this is a daily thing in the life of a Christian.

There seems to be a large push among mainstream Christianity to make Christianity less offensive and easier for more people to accept.  No matter how “loving” this may seem within our culture, this is deadly.  It is not being driven by God, but by sinful men who have rejected Galatians 1:10 and care more about the opinions of men than of God.  In Matthew 7:13-14 – Jesus tells us “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” 

I want to put a question out there for us all to consider, because we are all succeptible to sin.  If sin is serious enough that Jesus, God Himself, came down in flesh to bear the infinite wrath of God the Father in our place, why are some Christians trying so hard to make sin acceptable?  In 1 Corinthians 6:9 we are told – “do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”  I actually have heard multiple Christians say that you can’t say homosexuality is sinful from that verse because everyone would be guilty of one of those sins….  I am in awe and dismayed at these “arguments”.  Yes, we’re all guilty of those sins; that is the entire point of the gospel!  We are all sinners in need of the grace bought by the blood of Jesus.  We as Christians should not be in the business of trying to make light of sin, but we should view it as Jesus views it – wretched and deadly.  The call of Jesus is given to us in Mark 1:15 –  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  Christians understand the weight of sin.  Christians understand that their sin is infinitely offensive to a righteous and Holy God.  The greek word for repentance, metanoia, means to change or alter one’s mind about.  Christians have changed their mind about sin and turn to Jesus in faith.  Christians do not make light of sin, that is to make light of the work of Jesus.  Christians do not embrace sin, the seek to kill it by abiding in Christ and pursuing joy in Him and working for His glory.