Lies We Believe #14: My Sin Won’t Affect Others
“So the captain came and said to him, ‘What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish’”—Jonah 1:6
For six days in June 2009, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina disappeared. No one knew exactly where he was, including his wife. His staff said that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but he was nowhere near there. In the ensuing days, weeks and months, it was discovered that he was having an affair with a woman in Argentina. The response to this revelation was nothing less than heartbreaking. His marriage ended, his family moved out, and many within South Carolina’s government called for his impeachment, thus signifying an abrupt end to what was once considered a promising and rising political career. Governor Sanford’s affair is by no means an isolated case. History is littered with political scandals and all of us are all too aware of their stories. Nevertheless, we do not seem to learn from those who precede us. Governor Sanford no doubt believed that he could keep his affair quiet. Many of us give into the lie that our sins won’t affect others. We fail to realize the consequences of our choices, naively and ignorantly believing that the only person to be affected by our choices is ourselves. But, we are creatures designed to be in community with others and when we choose to sin, our choice, in some fashion, has an effect on others, whether we realize it or not.
Let’s look at the prophet Jonah for a moment. Jonah was the Jewish prophet of God in the book that bears his name. He was given a task by the Lord to go to the city of Nineveh and preach God’s imminent judgment against it, and call for their repentance. And while Jonah was glad to preach God’s judgment against them, he didn’t want them to repent. He hated them. The animosity between the two nations was long and fierce. The political and racial tensions between the two nations preceded Jonah’s time, and the possibility of their repentance was repulsive to him. He wanted God to judge them, and his worldview had no room for their possible repentance. So, rather than fulfill God’s calling upon his life, he rebels. He turns his back on God and runs in the completely opposite direction. Right after God’s call came for Jonah to go to Nineveh, he immediately escaped to the port city of Joppa and boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction from Nineveh. He wanted no part in this ministry, so he sought to literally distance himself from God’s command. Yet, no sooner had he boarded the ship and it pulled away from the dock than a supernatural storm came upon it. “But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up”—Jonah 1:4.
God was not going to let him go, nor abscond from the task for which he was chosen. Physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted from running to Joppa, Jonah had gone below deck to get some sleep, but the storm intensified and the crew grew alarmed. They were experienced sailors and knew that a storm like this didn’t just happen:
“Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, ‘What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish’”—Jonah 1:5-6
Awoken with a start, Jonah went on deck to hear the sailors casting lots in an effort to discover who precipitated such a horrific storm. Quickly it became apparent that it was Jonah’s disobedience against God that had caused their current situation. As the sea intensified, they sought Jonah’s direction as to what was required to help alleviate their calamity. Jonah replied, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you"—Jonah 1:12
Jonah’s choice to disobey God greatly affected those around him, and he knew it. Suddenly, the sailors’ lives were in danger, all because of his disobedience, and they were faced with an even greater dilemma—kill Jonah in order to save themselves. But would killing him really result in their salvation? How could killing the very man who had merited such a direct act of God possibly alleviate their situation? Wouldn’t it intensify it? Rather than commit murder, the crew attempted to alleviate the situation by rowing to shore. “Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them”—Jonah 1:13.
Unable to save themselves by rowing, and desirous to avoid their own deaths, they decided to do what Jonah had instructed—cast him overboard. It was a difficult choice, one that they prayed about before doing: “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You"—Jonah 1:14.
They cast him overboard and immediately the sea grew calm (Jonah 1:15) as God appointed a fish to swallow Jonah. The story goes on to describe his time in the fish, his reluctance to proclaim God’s message, his eventual obedience, and ends with his awaiting God’s judgment on Nineveh.
While the story of Jonah teaches many lessons, one aspect that often goes overlooked is how Jonah’s sin affected others. He didn’t think that his choice to disobey God was going to affect the sailors whom he had just met, but it nevertheless did. Our sins do affect others. Whether it is to choose to have an affair, look at porn, eat too much, drink too much, or lie, our sins will affect others. We do not know how they will, but we can be sure they will. As the book of Numbers says, “Be sure that your sin will find you out!” (Numbers 32:23) and “What a man sows, he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). We must rid ourselves of any notion that my sin is just mine and doesn’t affect others—it will affect others. We do not know how, nor do we know how much, but we can be sure it will. It is best then to confess our sin, drag it into the light of God’s presence asking for Him to forgive us and free us from it. He will do so. And He will give us the power of His Spirit so that we might be able to continue to walk in victory and avoid the sins which so easily entangle. Amen.
For six days in June 2009, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina disappeared. No one knew exactly where he was, including his wife. His staff said that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but he was nowhere near there. In the ensuing days, weeks and months, it was discovered that he was having an affair with a woman in Argentina. The response to this revelation was nothing less than heartbreaking. His marriage ended, his family moved out, and many within South Carolina’s government called for his impeachment, thus signifying an abrupt end to what was once considered a promising and rising political career. Governor Sanford’s affair is by no means an isolated case. History is littered with political scandals and all of us are all too aware of their stories. Nevertheless, we do not seem to learn from those who precede us. Governor Sanford no doubt believed that he could keep his affair quiet. Many of us give into the lie that our sins won’t affect others. We fail to realize the consequences of our choices, naively and ignorantly believing that the only person to be affected by our choices is ourselves. But, we are creatures designed to be in community with others and when we choose to sin, our choice, in some fashion, has an effect on others, whether we realize it or not.
Let’s look at the prophet Jonah for a moment. Jonah was the Jewish prophet of God in the book that bears his name. He was given a task by the Lord to go to the city of Nineveh and preach God’s imminent judgment against it, and call for their repentance. And while Jonah was glad to preach God’s judgment against them, he didn’t want them to repent. He hated them. The animosity between the two nations was long and fierce. The political and racial tensions between the two nations preceded Jonah’s time, and the possibility of their repentance was repulsive to him. He wanted God to judge them, and his worldview had no room for their possible repentance. So, rather than fulfill God’s calling upon his life, he rebels. He turns his back on God and runs in the completely opposite direction. Right after God’s call came for Jonah to go to Nineveh, he immediately escaped to the port city of Joppa and boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction from Nineveh. He wanted no part in this ministry, so he sought to literally distance himself from God’s command. Yet, no sooner had he boarded the ship and it pulled away from the dock than a supernatural storm came upon it. “But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up”—Jonah 1:4.
God was not going to let him go, nor abscond from the task for which he was chosen. Physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted from running to Joppa, Jonah had gone below deck to get some sleep, but the storm intensified and the crew grew alarmed. They were experienced sailors and knew that a storm like this didn’t just happen:
“Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, ‘What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish’”—Jonah 1:5-6
Awoken with a start, Jonah went on deck to hear the sailors casting lots in an effort to discover who precipitated such a horrific storm. Quickly it became apparent that it was Jonah’s disobedience against God that had caused their current situation. As the sea intensified, they sought Jonah’s direction as to what was required to help alleviate their calamity. Jonah replied, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you"—Jonah 1:12
Jonah’s choice to disobey God greatly affected those around him, and he knew it. Suddenly, the sailors’ lives were in danger, all because of his disobedience, and they were faced with an even greater dilemma—kill Jonah in order to save themselves. But would killing him really result in their salvation? How could killing the very man who had merited such a direct act of God possibly alleviate their situation? Wouldn’t it intensify it? Rather than commit murder, the crew attempted to alleviate the situation by rowing to shore. “Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them”—Jonah 1:13.
Unable to save themselves by rowing, and desirous to avoid their own deaths, they decided to do what Jonah had instructed—cast him overboard. It was a difficult choice, one that they prayed about before doing: “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You"—Jonah 1:14.
They cast him overboard and immediately the sea grew calm (Jonah 1:15) as God appointed a fish to swallow Jonah. The story goes on to describe his time in the fish, his reluctance to proclaim God’s message, his eventual obedience, and ends with his awaiting God’s judgment on Nineveh.
While the story of Jonah teaches many lessons, one aspect that often goes overlooked is how Jonah’s sin affected others. He didn’t think that his choice to disobey God was going to affect the sailors whom he had just met, but it nevertheless did. Our sins do affect others. Whether it is to choose to have an affair, look at porn, eat too much, drink too much, or lie, our sins will affect others. We do not know how they will, but we can be sure they will. As the book of Numbers says, “Be sure that your sin will find you out!” (Numbers 32:23) and “What a man sows, he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). We must rid ourselves of any notion that my sin is just mine and doesn’t affect others—it will affect others. We do not know how, nor do we know how much, but we can be sure it will. It is best then to confess our sin, drag it into the light of God’s presence asking for Him to forgive us and free us from it. He will do so. And He will give us the power of His Spirit so that we might be able to continue to walk in victory and avoid the sins which so easily entangle. Amen.
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