Agreeing with sin is sin; that needs some explanation. Perhaps an incident in Heaven can explain it perfectly.
Heaven:
Satan, or Lucifer, as he may have been known in Heaven before his fall, was the chief angel with the responsibility to see to it that what God wanted done in Heaven was carried out. He was closer to God than any of the other angels.
Eze 28:14:15 “You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I had put you in the holy height of God where you were; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you.”
At some point Lucifer thought he was doing a pretty good job in running affairs in Heaven and decided he could run Heaven without God and didn’t need God to tell him what to do. That free- will decision to exclude God from his life was the result of pride and was the first sin committed. The sin that corrupted Lucifer was self-generated pride.
As the result of that one sin, Lucifer, the anointed cherub and chief of angels, an archangel, was thrown out of Heaven.
Rev 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
“…and his angels were cast out with him.” Rev 12:4 “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them onto the earth…” What was the sin of a third of the angels? Scripture does not say the sin of pride was found in them. But what they did do was agree that Lucifer was good at his job and probably could run Heaven as well as God, if not better. Their sin was agreeing with Lucifer’s sin even though they themselves may not have committed the sin of pride.
Earth:
Where and how can this lesson be applied to humans on earth? With the multitude of sins that we commit as a result of our human sinful nature, there are as many instances where this lesson can be applied. I’ll zero in on two grievous sins that will illustrate it perfectly.
Abortion is the killing of an innocent human being and is a grievous sin before God. In Leviticus 20 God explains to Moses that sacrificing offspring to Molech is a sin:
Lev 20:2 “Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.”
But what does God think about someone who does not actually sacrifice but turns a blind eye and allows others to sacrifice their offspring?
Lev 20:4-5 “And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.”
Yet today, how many people say they stand for the right of a woman to make the choice to abort but would never do that themselves? Agreeing that the sin can be committed by someone else, but not yourself, is a sin and will exclude you from Heaven just as the angels who agreed with Lucifer were banned from Heaven.
The second sin to consider is the sin of homosexuality and other immoral sexual acts committed between same-sex genders, and this includes same-sex marriages. The instances in the Bible wherein God calls this lifestyle an abomination are found in Lev 18:22; Lev 20:13; Rom 1:27; 1 Cor 6:9-10; and Jude 1:7.
Many people, including some “so-called” Christians, believe it is okay for two people who say they love each other to have a homosexual affair or to be married to a same-sex partner. Sadly, there are denominations “claiming” to be Christian that accept, endorse or even allow the practice of the lifestyle. Again, we have the agreement of a sin; and that in itself is a sin that excludes you from Heaven just as the angels who agreed with Lucifer were banned from Heaven.
It would behoove these “so-called” Christians and particularly their denomination leaders to understand this sin, confess it and reverse any policies in their sphere of influence.
Nation:
Through the courts and legislation, our nation has accepted abortion and the lifestyles of the LGBT community as normal and acceptable, even though true Christians wish it were not so. Our nation is and has been in great peril by going against God.
When Israel was at odds with God, it was the leadership of the nation that called for repentance; and the whole nation repented. It was only then that God healed their nation.
How can we expect God to heal our nation, even with fervent prayers of Christians, when our government leaders continue to defy God? What we need is Christian leaders in government that will take us in that direction despite the threats from secular anti-religious groups. Repenting as a nation will bring favor from God. Pray that we will elect the leadership that will be bold enough to turn our nation towards God despite the secular onslaught.
William Clemens
Written October 2016