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When we hear about a sin that shocks us and we can’t imagine how someone could commit that sin, it is hard to process. It is even harder if the person is a Christian, and even more so, a Christian leader. The fact of the matter is: sin is sin. While some sins have much greater consequences, in God’s eyes it is all the same. Listen to Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:

21″You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

…and…

27″You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

However, it is important to realize that sins like murder and rape do not “just happen”. If someone holds on to anger or lust in their hearts and continue to dwell on it, they will eventually act on those thoughts. Desire will not remain merely desire forever. If it continues to be fed it will grow until action becomes inevitable. Listen to James in chapter one:

14″but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

That is why it is so important to “take captive every thought” (2 Cor. 10:5) and to “guard your heart” (Prov. 4:23). One Christian put it this way:

“There are two dogs inside of me. One is good, one is evil.
These two dogs are always fighting a constant battle.
Which dog wins? The one I feed the most.”

No one immediately commits one of these serious sins. There is always a gradual process. A compromise here. A “small” sin there. Before the person knows it they are entrenched in a sin they can’t seem to break free from and the sin is growing in severity, intensity, and frequency. It is the same for lying, lust/sexual sin, anger/murder, stealing…the list goes on. Many of the worse criminals in the world have admitted to this gradual process of “small” sins before the unspeakable sin was committed.

Convicted homosexual pedophile and murderer of five boys, Gary Bishop, admits “Pornography was a determining factor in my downfall….For me, seeing pornography was lighting a fuse on a stick of dynamite. I became stimulated and had to gratify my urges or explode….My conscience was desensitized and my sexual appetite entirely controlled my actions.” Also, Ted Bundy, one of the most well known serial killers, said “You are going to kill me, and that will protect society from me. But out there are many, many more people who are addicted to pornography, and you are doing nothing about that.” Both these men point to a path that was gradual and ended in tragedy.

In my own experience assisting with a jail Bible study, the leader told me that many of the men in the study wouldn’t have been there without the effects of drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol remove inhibitions that normally keep people from acting on any desire that crosses their mind. They exhilarate the path to serious sin by making the path much steeper. But in the beginning, it is always that unchecked desire, the sinful thought that is not placed under Christ’s authority, that results in the most grievous of sins.

The recent events at church reveal to us how a good man can do a very evil thing. It should cause us to examine our own heart and reexamine our own thought patterns. Where have we allowed sin to take root? Where is the devil getting a stronghold? We justify sin and deceive ourselves into saying that “it’s not that bad”, “we can stop anytime”, “it’s not hurting anyone”…all lies. We must deal swiftly and thoroughly with sin, even “small” sins. We must feed “the good dog” with the Word and with Prayer. Only by dealing severely with sin will we avoid those severe sins.