Sentinel Echo Newspaper Article

Friday, June 24, 2011

DESENSITIZED TO SIN

The discipline of psychology lists antisocial behavior (a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others—Wikipedia) as abnormal behavior. It is the inability to empathize with the pain and suffering of others. One who is diagnosed with this problem is someone who is desensitized to the consequence of their actions toward others.

There is much discussion as to how a person develops such behavior. Is it innate [a genetic defect] or learned [environmental] behavior? Empirical evidence points to the problem being one of learned behavior. The Scriptures uphold this observation by pointing out that people are affected by those with whom they associate. Paul warned the Corinthian Christians by saying, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This is in accord with what James writes in chapter one verse twenty-seven by saying, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” Undoubtedly, Christians are to be aware of their surroundings for the purpose of guarding against being influenced to commit sin.

This brings up the question, why do we see Christians either ignore or accept actions that have been considered sin in the past? The answer is found in the desensitization of Christians with the blatant sinful actions which bombard us everyday. Satan knows this to be the case and uses the constant friction of a holy conscience with sin to desensitize it toward the wickedness surrounding it.

It happens through a gradual process of desensitization. When I was growing up in North Alabama, we worked hard in our gardens and cotton fields. Much of this work was done with a hoe. I remember that in the spring my hands would become blistered and sore from the friction of the hoe handle. This would continue until they developed calluses. When my hands grew accustomed to the abrasive hoe handle, they no longer blistered or became sore.

Desensitization can and does happen in the spiritual realm. This spiritual callousness is in response to the wicked world in which we live. Through television, radio and other media, we are constantly bombarded by evil of every kind. Our neighbors are involved in it. Officials in high office are engaged in it.

What is needed is a righteous indignation toward sin. Righteous Lot lived among the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah and “…in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds...”. (2 Peter 2:7-8)

As Christians, we need to maintain strong convictions about those things we see that are sin. This is hard to do because of the constant exposure to sin. The problem is one of remaining righteously indignant toward evil. Initially, the evil of wicked men distresses us, vexes our righteous souls. Prolonged exposure to the lascivious life of the wicked causes our consciences to become callused. This creates an age old problem; the inability to differentiate between good and evil.

Christians are to grow and mature having their senses exercised to know good from evil. Isaiah identified this as a problem for Israel. Hear his words, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

Over time, we grow accustomed to the evil around us. We ‘adjust’ and there is no more adverse reaction. We can invite adultery, fornication, nakedness, cursing and blasphemy of God into our homes and are not shocked by it. We call it entertainment. We hear of a public official violating the public trust by overtly sinning and say, “Everybody is doing it.” We allow the homosexual life style to go unchallenged and say, “If they want to live that way, it’s no skin off my teeth.” We have become ‘street-wise’ and speak of illicit sex, drug abuse and every sort of wickedness with ease. It is evident that Christians have become desensitized to sin.

Children are subjected to sex education at ever-younger ages. The average first grader can tell you more about sex than you ever wanted to know. That is just the Christian’s child. The children of worldly parents can tell you things you don’t even want to know.

Christians have no choice but to live in this evil world. We do have a choice of whether or not we will let the evil affect us. If we are not vexed in our soul daily by what we observe, then we are doomed! “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

Glen Young